Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel-Heath Bar Cookies

(Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies)

Inspired by Panna Dolce

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 ½ cups softened, unnatural peanut butter

1 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

10 oz. Heath Bar, crushed

12 oz. pretzels, crushed

1 cup (about 6 oz.) dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks, melted

1. Cream softened butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl.  Add the peanut butter until combined, and then add in the vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla.  Mix until blended.  Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and mix in the Heath Bar and pretzel chunks into the dry ingredients.

2.  Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Gently swirl in the melted chocolate so that there is a ribbon of chocolate-flavored dough running throughout.  Be careful not to over mix and end up with wholly chocolate-peanut butter dough which, while delicious, is not pretty and swirly.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the oven racks set in the middle.  Remove cookie dough from refrigerator.  Scoop ¼ cup cookie dough balls and round into spheres.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and squish the cookie dough balls down until ¾ of an inch thick.  Place cookie dough balls two inches apart.  Bake for 12-18 minutes or until lightly golden, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking.  Goes great with milk.

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