Alice in Wonderland "Eat Me" Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

AMAZING!  Seriously, these shortbread, aka egg free, cookies are the best shortbread cookies known to mankind.  These Splintered/Alice in Wonderland  inspired "Eat Me" Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect make-ahead cookies that have the smoothest melt in your mouth texture.  So yummy! 

I made these cookies for our book club since Splintered by A. G. Howard is a modern Alice in a Wonderland with a twist, and in the original story Alice eats a cake that says Eat Me to help her grow again.  Though, Alice had a cake with currant, and that sounded okay.  However, a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie sounded divine.  

I also felt a shortbread cookie was an English treat, and the author, Lewis Carroll (his pseudonym), was inspired for this story while riding on the Isis river in England.  Congratulations, you have now, hopefully, successfully followed my reasoning for why these amazing cookies were a must for book club night.  

I really felt book club was delicious. If you missed my other Splintered book club recipes here they are: 

• "Grow Me" Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
• "Shrink Me" Mushroom Shaped Sugar Cookies
• "Drink Me" Amazing Lemon Water

Basically, I just wish you all could be in our book club.  Anyone in AZ want to come? 

"Eat Me" Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Recipe: Alohamora adapted from The View From Great Island

Active Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time: 3 hours or 20 minutes + chill time

Servings: 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients: 

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. peanut butter, creamy

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. flour, all purpose unbleached

1/3 c. powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. In a medium to large bowl or a stand mixer cream the butter and peanut butter together until creamy and well combined. 
2. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. 
3. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the butter mixture and mix until it just comes together and no longer crumbly. 
4. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. If the dough is too greasy add no more than a 1/4 cup of flour more and mix until combined. 
5. Pull the dough out of the bowl and place it onto a piece of waxed paper that is about a foot in length.  Using your hands form the dough into a log.  I usually make mine about 8 inches long and 3 inches or so in diameter.  If the batter is a bit crumbly you may need to use your hands to pull the dough together; just press the crumbly pieces into the log and work your hands up and down the log to make sure the dough holds it's shape.  Roll the dough log up into the waxed paper smoothing the log shape as you go.  Twist the ends and secure them with a rubber band.  Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 1/2 hours or overnight. 
6. When the dough has chilled preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  
7. Place your chilled dough onto a cutting board, roll it out of the paper, and use a sharp knife to cut the log into slices about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick.  Don't worry if a slice crumbles a little, just push it back together; you are going for delicious here, not perfection. 
8. Back your cookies at 350 for 10-11 minutes depending on how thick your cookies are.  The cookies will be barely browned on the edges and possibly look a little undone in the middle.  That's okay, they will finish cooking on the pan outside of the oven.  To keep the smooth melt in your mouth texture you want to be sure to not over bake these cookies. 
9. Let the cookies cool on the pan outside of the oven.  If you would like your can transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.  
10. Enjoy your melt in your mouth amazing pb chocolate chip shortbread cookies. 
11. Store leftovers in an airtight container on the stove, they keep for at least a week.  We've never had them last any longer than that.  :). 

Happy Amazing "Eat Me" Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie eating, and happy fun Alice in Wonderland or Splintered book clubs, parties, or gatherings.