White Chocolate Chunk and Pine Nut, Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello Everyone...This is the first of my weekly cookie recipe. I will post one a week until Christmas so you can add one or more to your Holiday Baking!! 





White Chocolate Chunk and Pine Nut, Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup, packed light brown sugar 
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract12 oz White chocolate, chopped in small chunks

4 oz. pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan, roughly chopped.

White sanding sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt, and whisk well.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown and white sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the white chocolate and toasted pine nuts and mix on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan. Pat the dough down and round it out a bit. Then using a back of a fork make a cross pattern on top (optional).  Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar. Leave plenty of space between cookies. Normally 6 cookies work well. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are pale golden. Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. They will firm up as they cool.