There are a few things in life that still baffle me.
From people wearing heavily padded, decorative bras to the gym, to celebrity breakups, but perhaps the most surprising to me is that some people don’t understand how magical chocolate and peanut butter are together.
I truly don’t get it. It makes no sense in my small, stubborn brain.
Remember when peanut butter shelves carried plain peanut butter — just peanuts and salt, maybe? Not peanut butter blended with chocolate, honey, almonds, raisins, or bacon? Those days feel like a memory.
I don’t know exactly when flavored peanut butter became a trend, but I remember finding white chocolate and dark chocolate peanut butter at the market before a fitness competition and sneaking them into my cart even though I couldn’t eat them for weeks. The morning I finally allowed myself to indulge, I ate half a jar in record time and nearly regretted it while teaching a spin class. Worth it, absolutely.
Those flavors remain pantry essentials for me; when they’re gone I feel oddly unsettled.
Eventually I decided to add cookie dough to peanut butter, and yes, it felt a little wrong and wildly right at the same time. While this isn’t a world-class culinary masterpiece, it beats paying a high price for specialty jars filled with chocolate and dried fruit. It’s simple, quick, fun, and absolutely delightful eaten straight from a spoon.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter
Cookie dough adapted from the cookie dough used in cookie dough peanut butter cups.
- 2 cups unsalted peanuts
For the cookie dough:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour (coconut flour works well)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions: In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar and allow it to dissolve, then let it bubble gently for 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool completely, about 20 minutes. Once cooled, stir in the powdered sugar, salt, and flour until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, then chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to set.
Add the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, about 2–3 minutes. Taste and adjust with a pinch of salt if desired. Crumble the chilled cookie dough with your hands and fold as much as you like into the peanut butter. Store the finished peanut butter in an airtight container. Homemade nut butters are typically refrigerated; depending on how quickly you eat it, you can leave it at room temperature for short periods, but refrigeration will extend freshness.
That’s it — rich, spoonable, and perfectly indulgent.