Something About the Kitchen Sink

I've been a Girl Scout for 14 years, and recently have been promoted to being a leader. We have meetings once a month, on the first Wednesday and the person supplying snacks is in constant rotation. The one consistent thing about our meetings is that I almost always bake something.



This month, I made cookies because...just about everyone loves cookies. The recipe I settled on was found in a cookie book I got for my birthday last year.



The recipe here is a little different from the one found in the book: I added vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, and peanuts. Those can all be taken out if you'd like, but I recommend keeping the cinnamon, just because it really helps bring out the milk chocolate. Plus, I made a half recipe because 5 dozen cookies is a lot. When cooked for 12 minutes, these cookies were chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside - perfect.



Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnnamon
1 cup unsalted butter,
softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup peanuts, chopped or whole (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and granulated and brown sugars until light and creamy, about three minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, graduallly add flour mixture, beating until blended.

With a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips and coconut.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes or until light golden.