An undeniable craving for oatmeal cookies struck me last week.  I rummaged through the baking cabinet…yes, I have a cabinet filled almost exclusively with baking goods and gadgets…and found a bag of peanut butter chips.  Mmm.  Then I went to the pantry and was drawn toward the jar of creamy peanut butter and the container of roasted peanuts.  Peanut butter oatmeal cookies were calling to me.  I toyed with the idea of adding some dark chocolate chips, or maybe some crushed pretzels, but in the end all peanut was the way to go.

I looked at a few regular oatmeal cookie recipes for some basic ratios and then changed and added as I thought necessary.  My final recipe is below.  There are a few things I might tinker with in the future, but these cookies were very good.  They have a nice full peanut flavor, a good contrast of salty and sweet, they are crunchy yet chewy, and delicious.

Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Beat together butter, shortening and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, powder and salt.
5. Mix in flour mixture  until just combined.
6. Add in oats, peanut butter chips and peanuts and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
7. Spoon dough onto baking sheets using a large scoop (2-3 tablespoons) about 1 inch apart.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cool on pan for a minute or two, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.