Peanut Butter and Apple Cookies

Amdanda K. helped inspire this recipe because her blog-love for my peanut butter cookie recipe is what got me thinking about new PB flavor combinations. Thanks, Amanda!

Sure...peanut butter and chocolate and peanut butter and jelly are classics, but there are others, right? Of course! There's peanut butter and celery (with raisins), but that combo doesn't seem very suited for cookiedom. (But maybe it is if you ever find yourself in this situation.)

Peanut butter and apple is a flavor combo that's perfectly suited for cookies...and the season.

I used my standard recipe for peanut butter cookies but made three adjustments. The first was to swap chopped apples for the peanut butter chips. The second was to add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. (Because what's a baked apple product without cinnamon?) The third was to increase the vanilla by 1/2 teaspoon to help accentuate the apples and cinnamon.

The result is a mighty tasty, practically healthy cookie.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Peanut Butter and Apple Cookies.)

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter 2 tablespoons white sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Dry Ingredients	1 3/4 cups oatmeal 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped apples 1 cup ground Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch 3/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.
4. In another large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
5. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
6. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
7. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.