Pork Rind and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Pork Rind and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These pork rind and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are perfect for sweet and salty lovers! The addition of pork rinds might sound unusual, but it complements the chocolate and peanut butter perfectly. These easy Southern cookies are the ultimate crunchy treat for any day of the year!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Chilling Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: large cookies

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $0.67 per cookie

Equipment

2 large, rimmed baking sheets
parchment paper
mixing bowls

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter softened to room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 ¾ cups unflavored pork rinds crushed
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped baking bar
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped baking bar
flakey sea salt for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making the Cookie Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer), beat peanut butter, softened butter, and both brown and granulated sugars at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Ensure you stop at least once to scrape down the bowl. Add the egg, beating until well combined. Add in the vanilla and beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a wire whisk to distribute all of the dry ingredients in the flour. Add this flour mixture to peanut butter mixture all at once, and beat on low speed just until combined, stopping at least once to scrape down the bowl.
Fold in ¾ cup pork rinds and both the bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolates. Your dough will be very stiff, and this is correct. Cover the dough with plastic film and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.

Baking the Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Form the dough into a ball. Begin by halving the dough evenly, then halving each half evenly. Shape three equally sized cookie balls from each quadrant of dough. Roll the dough balls in the crushed pork rinds and place 2 1/2-inches apart on the cookie sheets, 6 per sheet. These cookies spread very little, but they still mustn't be crowded.
Use the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to flatten each dough ball to 3/4-inch thick. Press together any obvious cracks in the edges if necessary but remember these are overall rustic in their shape.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they edges are golden, anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes. Once you pull the baking sheets from the oven, you will notice that the cookie centers still seem soft. This is correct!
Sprinkle the warm cookies with a tiny amount of flakey sea salt. Allow them to cool directly on the baking sheets for 4 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

Table salt and iodized salt are not substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not use table salt or iodized salt in any of the recipes you find on Not Entirely Average unless specified otherwise.
I use my stand mixer for these cookies, but you may also use a handheld electric mixer and get the job done the same.
Yield & Cookie Size: I do not recommend trying to stretch the recipe and make smaller cookies, as the bake time will be thrown off. That said, this recipe also did not do well when I doubled it. These are definitely at their prime as a single batch, dozen bake!
Storing Cookies Properly: Place inside metal cookie tins or another airtight container. Homemade cookies will stay fresh for two to three weeks.

Nutrition