Cookie of the Day: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirls
These crisp chocolate and peanut buttery cookies are great for a crowd, as one batch yields lots of cookies. Make the dough ahead and keep it in the freezer, then just slice and bake what you want.
Peanut-Butter Chocolate Swirls
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup good-quality unsweetened creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 (12-oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
Baker’s Note
This is a soft dough, so you have to show it who’s boss! Use the parchment to help you, and keep peeling it up and sprinkling it with flour if it gets too sticky. If you keep the dough floured, it will roll out more easily. When you spread the chocolate, brush off any excess flour, or the chocolate will be difficult to spread.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat all but 1 tablespoon of the butter and the sugar on medium-high speed until lightened. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl, and stir into the peanut butter mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with about an inch of water, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with the chocolate chips over very low heat. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Divide the dough into 2 balls. Place 1 dough ball on a large piece of floured parchment paper. Flour the top of the dough, place another piece of parchment on top, and roll into a rectangle about 10 by 15 inches. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. (See Note for tips on rolling out this dough.) Spread the rectangle with half of the chocolate mixture, leaving a 1-inch border on the long side closest to you. Starting from the long side farthest from you, and using the parchment to help, carefully roll the dough into a log. Place the log seam side down and wrap it in the parchment, twisting the ends to hold it tight. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours or ideally overnight.
Space 2 racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the logs, trim the ends of each log, then cut crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Space the cookies evenly on the prepared pans. You will need to bake in batches, so refrigerate the remaining portion of the logs until you are ready to cut and bake more cookies. Bake until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
For more great cookies and other baking recipes be sure to check out our latest book, Williams-Sonoma Home Baked Comfort.
The first Williams-Sonoma store opened in 1956, selling a small array of cookware imported from France. Since then, the brand has expanded to hundreds of products from ar ... Read more
Looks delicious! What about using powdered sugar instead of flour to keep the dough in line?
great idea I am going to make these and put them in the freezer for when needed..better than having dozens of cookies weeks before Christmas and then they are stale or better at least all eaten haha.
Sounds good, however I recommend showing what these cookies look like after they are baked.
Is there a limit to how long you can store the frozen dough?
I would recommend storing the frozen dough for up to one month. Enjoy!
This recipes calls for 1 cup of butter but only uses 2 tablespoons. Is that an error?
The recipes says “beat all but 1 tablespoon” for the butter. Haven’t made the recipe yet, but looking forward to it! Sounds delightful!
Where’s the print button? Also I saw on America’s Test Kitchen that if you make a quarter turn each time you make a cut, the roll will stay round. I tried this with another recipe and it worked. It took a minute or so to get a rhythm going, but it was worth it.
Made these cookies the other day and yes, they are yummy! Then again what cookie with peanut butter and chocolate wouldn’t be!
Dough was a bit difficult to roll up. but once it was all put together and chilled again and baked – they were delicious. Would I made them again? Perhaps not. I think I would make the dough and just dump the chocolate chips in and make them a drop cookie instead. You wouldn’t have the pretty swirl, but the same delicious cookie is less time!
Made these today….good flavor, but a bit too labor intensive and I had a hard time slicing the dough after being in the refrigerator overnight; the chocolate was quite brittle.
I just made these and I don’t know what went wrong but they were so dry when I baked them. Actually they were not really great at all but I followed the recipe as close as I could as the recipe was probably the most confusing recipe I have ever read, as it was so out of order. I love to bake and usually don’t have things turn out badly so I wish I knew what happened.
I looked for this recipe for years. A coworker had made these and I never forgot them, but couldn’t find the recipe. They are delicious.