Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips….Er…Raccoon Cookies!!!

 

Yes indeedy these are Raccoon Cookies my friend.  You may say what on earth is a Raccoon Cookie???  If this is you, then you pose a very valid question.  I went to the expert on the subject (my six-year-old), and discovered the answer.  She told me, “It’s the recipe out of my Littlest Pet Shop coloring book.”  Of course it is!  What was I thinking?  *_*  So after reviewing the recipe, I figured they might be on to something at the coloring book making factory.  I always look at the ingredient list throughly before deciding to make a recipe.  In the past I’ve come across recipes that just did not make any sense, and had I followed the instructions verbatim I would have been closer to making paper mache than something for human consumption.  These cookies are really good, but are definitely a dessert treat if you are watching the calorie count.  I love butter, so I didn’t skimp out on that ingredient but I’m sure there are some suitable substitutions if you wish to make them a bit less rich.  Also, the brown sugar that the recipe calls for I made myself, so I will include the recipe on how you can do that as well.  It is almost insane how quick it is to make your own brown sugar at home.  I changed a few things however much of the original recipe is still intact.

Raccoon Cookies (makes approx 42 cookies at 134 cal each)

(adapted from the Littlest Pet Shop)

 

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter* (melted, but not hot)

3/4 cup white sugar*

3/4 cup brown sugar* (click for recipe)
2 eggs*

2 tsp vanilla extract*

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour*

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet Chocolate chips*

1 cup all natural peanut butter chips

*organic ingredients

You will want to start with two separate mixing bowls for your wet/dry ingredients like so:

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Dry ingredients can be mixed and set aside.  Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract together first.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat the mixture after each addition.  Do this until it is fluffy like in the picture above.  Once done, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  It makes it easier to mix when you add it bit by bit, and also will allow you to see the change in texture. 

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 The last thing to do is add the chips! I used organic semi-sweet chocolate chips, and all natural peanut butter chips.  It was impossible for me to find organic peanut butter chips 😦 but I did get the next best thing.  They turned out really good nevertheless.  This is how the dough should look once its ready:

 

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I refrigerate mine for about 30-45 mins to allow it to firm up for shaping.  I believe that it helps them to retain a better shape rather than have them flatten out immediately as the heat of the oven hits them.  After I take them out of the fridge, I roll them into small balls and put them about an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.  This recipe makes quite the batch of cookies so I always make half, and freeze the rest.  Bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees (until they are browned a bit).  Place them on a cooling rack, and then EAT!  These are mine after a spin in my magic oven…..voilà!

 

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 Enjoy!! If you have any ideas for recipes that you got in a random place, email me at skinnygirleatsandlives@gmail.com.  🙂 Til next time!