After yesterday’s Coca-Cola Cake Disaster, I had to come up with something new. My first thought was to make a peach pie with the frozen peaches from last summer – but cookies were quicker. Sometimes speed trumps desire. (I may be making that pie this weekend, though. I want the freezer space back!)

I’ve been making variations of this cookie for a long time and started mixing in mini peanut butter cups about 5 years ago. What I keep forgetting is that mixing the mini peanut better cups in with the mixer tends to break them up – they really should be mixed in by hand.

I’ll probably forget next time, too.

This recipe calls for regular cocoa powder – not Dutch-processed.  Cocoa that is Dutched is treated with alkali to neutralize the cocoa acid, so baking soda doesn’t react properly with it. Dutch-processing makes for a darker and more complex cocoa while natural cocoa powders like Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, and most other American brands are lighter in color and fruitier in flavor.

Most single-origin and other top-shelf cocoa powders are generally natural. In most cases, it’s just a personal preference, but remember that if the recipe calls for baking soda – you need to use natural cocoa.

If you only have Dutch-process, the workaround is to add 1/4 tsp of vinegar with the vanilla to add the acid back into the recipe.

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp espresso powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cubes (1 cup) butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 12 oz mini peanut butter cups
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350°.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in mini peanut butter cups and chocolate chunks.

Use a heaping #30 scoop (a good 2 tablespoons) and place about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake about about 16 minutes.

The recipe made 24 over-sized cookies. That will get us through to the weekend. I do think a peach pie is in order…