Welcome Back: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

So I’ve been a long time absent. Sorry! As I recall, a certain Morsel and/or Chip was supposed to be on my case about uploading. She didn’t update much, either, but she doesn’t have a kitchen in which to bake (although that’s changing as she begins to steal other people’s kitchens… or just store baking ingredients in them).

This absence isn’t so much for my lack of baking as it is my laziness how busy I am. I’ll try to catch up with everything soon, because there are definitely a few cakes to post (keep an eye out for a choco raspberry kahlua cake that’s reasonably easy and delicious), some cookies, and probably a few other things I’ve forgotten. Maybe if I’m lucky, I can get a guest post about Full House’s award-winning chocolate almond caramel crunch cake from Reid. Maybe.

This one is something I made right after I got back to school for someone’s birthday. I’ve made it once before for my sister’s birthday, and it’s an easy go-to for anyone who loves yummy, warm, gooey cookies. The base recipe is quite simple and then you can do whatever you want with it (I’ve done both ganache and whipped cream).

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Cake (Adapted from and inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s “Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies”)

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1ish cup peanut butter (to taste)

Preheat oven to 300F (150C). Generously oil a 9in springform pan.

Beat the sugars and butters together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.

Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Add in the chocolate chips (and peanut butter chips if you want!), then finally 3/4-1 cup peanut butter, depending on how much you love the magical substance.

Spread evenly in springform pan and bake in middle of oven about 25-30 minutes until edges brown and middle springs back slightly to the touch.

Add either chocolate ganache (see below) or whipped cream, and chill.

Semisweet Ganache

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cups heavy cream

1. Place chocolate chips in a medium, heatproof mixing bowl.

2. Bring heavy cream to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour cream onto chocolate chips and allow to sit for five minutes. Mix with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted.

3. Mix with immersion blender until shiny and smooth.