Peanut Butter Chocolate Neapolitan Cookies

Swap the strawberry for peanut butter in the classic Neapolitan trio and you get Peanut Butter Chocolate Neapolitan Cookies!

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Neapolitan ice cream is 2/3 good – I dislike the 1/3 that is chocolate. I know that’s a polarizing opinion, but I am picky about my chocolate. I don’t dislike it, but it has to be done right. The only time I’ve liked Neapolitan ice cream was actually when my brother convinced me to get the Neapolitan milkshake from In-N-Out.

With that lead in, you’d think that I would be introducing you to a version of Neapolitan ice cream that doesn’t involve chocolate. Au contraire, I kept the chocolate and instead replaced the strawberry component with the best chocolate pairing there is – peanut butter! Enter Peanut Butter Chocolate Neapolitan Cookies.

Using the base of my chewy sugar cookie recipe I divided the dough into thirds, adding cocoa powder to one 1/3, peanut butter powder to another 1/3, and keeping the final 1/3 plain vanilla. Then you scoop small tablespoons of each dough into balls, then combine one of each into a larger trio dough ball. Roll in sugar as per usual and chill until ready to bake.

Even though the raw peanut butter dough was significantly darker than the plain sugar cookie dough, when these Peanut Butter Chocolate Neapolitan Cookies baked up they were difficult to tell apart. Which made me worried that the peanut butter wouldn’t shine enough but I forget how much punch a little peanut butter powder packs. You might not be able to see the differences, but you can definitely taste it!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE NEAPOLITAN COOKIES

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Yield: Approximately 2 dozen Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 Tbsp, divided
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to almost room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp chocolate extract (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, Whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
3. Divide dough into 3 equal portions in separate bowls. Add extra tablespoon of flour to one, powdered peanut butter to the second, and cocoa powder (and chocolate extract if using) to the third. Mix each until just combined.
4. Place extra sugar in a bowl; set aside.
5. Using a small cookie scoop, roll a scant tablespoon of each dough into balls. Combine a ball of each three doughs together by rolling in your hands to form one large cookie dough ball. Roll in the sugar, shake off any excess, place on a wax paper lined plate or tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are just starting to brown and centers are set. Let cool on sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from my Chewy Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies, and Butternut Bakery.