Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies {Copy Cat}

These decadent cookies were specially made for a friend's long-time girlfriend -- that I have never met. I've seen pictures! She's a real person! See, my friend and I only get to see one another once in a blue moon. We met way back in college (via MySpace, now that's a blast from the past). Life takes you in different directions. Recently, they moved into our neck of the woods so I invited them to dinner - the same weekend she was going out of town. Dang it.

I decided to breach the distance through food. Most people would pick a batch of cookies over a handshake any day.

Though not my favorite flavor combination, I was tipped off that she loves peanut butter and chocolate. This recipe is a copy cat from Levain Bakery in New York. Though I've never had the original, this recipe received high marks from reviewers. I decided to run with it.

The base of the cookie is pure chocolate. I surprised that there's no vanilla extract, a classic element in baking. To make a thick, but not cakey cookie, this calls for cornstarch in the batter. The copy cat recipe used only peanut butter chips, but I decided to throw in some chocolate ones as well. It's a sinful combination.

To make this cookie scream "peanut butter," I melted a handful of the remaining chips on the stove over low heat, adding splashes of milk until I hit the desired consistency. Drizzle it all over these suckers and let cool.

Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies {Copy Cat Recipe}
 recipe from Modern Honey