Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

What? Two recipes in the same week? What a world we live in. What a time to be alive! Valentine’s Day is in a couple of days away and myself, unlike many couples happily in love going out and being social, will be staying home alone in my room, wrapped in a blanket ball, and watching another season of American Horror Story. How come you may ask? The thought of dealing with the outside world gives me uncontrollable heartburn (it's a condition, look it up.) This ladies could be all yours, the man of your dreams. Nothing says sexy like self-depreciation and a man who runs a food blog. 

PAUSE: Enjoy this Valentine's Day song to serenade you as you continue reading forth.

Last week at work, we had a meeting about fire safety or something like that (to be honest, I wasn't really paying attention). With conjunction to our meeting, there was also a chili cook-off open to all employees. The winner would get one paid day off. So of course, I did the obvious thing and brought a cookie cake. Now before you angrily type hateful messages in the comments, I am perfectly aware of food confusion here a there is a reasonable and logical explanation. 

My answer: I don’t play by society’s harsh and over-bearing rules. 

Plus I needed a dessert for the blog. I regret nothing. I have chosen my fate.  

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, add sugar,  brown sugar, soften butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla extract. You could use any kind of extract here. I won’t play with your emotions like that.

Note: If you don’t soften your butter, you will end up with chunks of butter in your dough and you’re going to have a bad time. Tip: Use a spoon to measure the shortening into the cup. (Who knew I was full of such wisdom?) And mix until everything is well combined and resembles something like this ↓

Now add flour, baking soda, and salt. Fun Fact: Salt makes things salty and also stops the rising process when baking. Hooray science! And learning! Add your chocolate chips. I used chunks because I’m a rebel and don’t follow the rules of society (also, I didn't have any regular chocolate chips in the house). Stir to combine. I used the flat curve of a medium-sized metal spoon to incorporate the dry ingredients. I learned this trick from Momma Crawford and it works! (Who knew she was filled with such wisdom?)

Transfer your dough to a baking tray with oiled parchment paper on it. Using your hands, press to form your dough into a cookie cake shape of some sort. 

Note: Believe in yourself! You can do it. You're the true sheet. Extra-Note: To evenly level your dough, take a can of some kind (mine was beans, apparently) and flour it up. With slight pressure, roll the floured can across the pan until evenly layered. Put your cookie cake in the oven for 17-18 minutes, or until the outer edge of the cake is golden brown. Let completely cool before icing.

Peanut Butter Frosting 

Original Recipe from allrecipes.com here

In a medium bowl or stand mixer, mix the soften butter and the peanut butter until well combined. In ½ cup increments, add in your powdered sugar. Add your milk and mix until well combined, about one to two minutes. This point of the process, a good sing-a-long will pass the time quite nicely. Maybe some Frank Sinatra or some Beyonce if you're feeling fierce. After two or so minutes, your frosting should be light and fluffy, like a cloud. If only clouds were made up of peanut butter frosting. What a world that would be. 

  

This cookie cake is absolutely exquisite. The original cookie dough recipe comes from Momma Crawford herself. She used to make these cookies all the time during my childhood. These cookies are one of the foods that make me feel at home. This cookie cake is warm, chocolaty, and bursting with sweetness. It’s not too dry or overly buttery. It’s just that perfect combination of melt-in-your-mouth goodness and “I’ll just have one more piece”. Plus the peanut butter frosting really completed the flavor profile of this cake. In actuality, is there truly anything better than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, is there really?

Next meeting at work we're having a bake off, so I might bring a steamy, hot bowl of chili just to spite the system. Maybe that's why they call me the Bad Boy Blogger.  

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Peanut Butter - Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ingredients

Cookie Cake

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup Butter, soften

2/3 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

Optional: Mini Reese’s Pieces, for topping

Peanut Butter Frosting – adapted from an All-Recipes recipe here

            ½ cup Butter, softened

            1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

            3 tbs. Milk

            2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Cookie Cake

Pre-Step: Give yourself a hug. You’re beautiful and you don’t need a man/women to make you happy. Find happiness in yourself!  

Step One: Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, add your sugar, brown sugar, soften butter, shortening, eggs, and vanilla extract. You could use any kind of extract here. I won’t play with your emotions like that. And mix until everything is well combined.

Step Two: To your mixture, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Fun Fact: Salt makes things salty and also stops the rising process when baking. Hooray science! And learning!

Step Three: Mix your dough together with a spoon of some sort until all combined. Add your chocolate chips. I used chunks because I’m a rebel and don’t follow the rules of society. Stir to combine.

Step Four: Transfer your dough to a baking tray with oiled parchment paper on it. Using your hands, press to form your dough into a cookie cake shape of some sort. Note: To evenly level your dough, take a can of something (mine was beans apparently) and flour it up. With slight pressure on the can, roll across the pan.

Step Five: Put your cookie cake in the oven for 17-18 minutes, or until the perimeter of the cake is golden brown. Let completely cool before icing.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Step One: In a medium bowl or stand mixer, mix butter and peanut butter until well combined. In ½ cup increments, add in powdered sugar. Add milk and mix until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Use immediately.