Super Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Egg-Free!}

Super Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Egg-Free!} puts cream cheese, salted butter and creamy peanut butter at the center of a cookie recipe and finishes in about 25 minutes, enough for 36 Cookies (2 to 3 Dozen Depending on Size).

• Yield 36 Cookies (2 to 3 Dozen Depending on Size)
• Ready in 25 minutes
• Prep 15 minutes
• Cook 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 ounces cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 12 tablespoons salted butter (melted and cooled (still pourable but not warm to the touch))
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (can sub in part of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment or silpat liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, melted butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until mostly incorporated but a few dry streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
4. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2-inch balls (I use my #40 medium cookie scoop) and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will still be puffy (they shouldn't flatten much in the oven). Immediately after removing from the oven, use a flat-bottomed glass and press each cookie until evenly flattened (don't smash to smithereens, they should still be thick, 1/4-inch or more). If the chocolate leaves a lot of smears on the bottom of the glass, wipe with a paper towel in-between flattening each cookie.
6. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Let the center settle before you cut it, or the slices will slump.