Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Thumbprints

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Thumbprints - made August 8, 2012 from Chocolate and Vanilla by Gale Gand

Here's a quick and easy cookie recipe for any peanut butter and chocolate lovers.  It might seem involved since it's got a cookie dough and a filling but both are easy to put together.  The dough is great to work with (not too soft or sticky) and doesn't spread much, even if you only chill it for 30 minutes before baking, which is what I did.  Toast the peanuts first before you chop them to get a bit more flavor.  To make the indentations in the ball of cookie dough, contrary to the name of the cookie, I didn't actually use my thumb.  Instead, I used a 1/2 teaspoon to press a nicely rounded indentation in the middle.  You can make a deep impression but it will flatten a bit when the cookies bake; however all you need to do is press the 1/2 teaspoon gently in the middle again to make the indentation more pronounced.  If you don't plan to bake the cookies right away and would rather freeze them for later, make the indentations in the dough balls first before freezing them.  Then you don't have to worry about "thumbprinting" the cookies when they're frozen balls of dough and not apt to take kindly to indentations.

Make the filling while the first batch of cookies are baking.  The filling does set as it cools so it's better to have it a bit warm when filling the cookies.  It did lose its sheen and have more of a matte finish which might not look as pretty but it still tastes the same.  I don't know that I'd call these a particular favorite but it's a nice option if you want a nice-looking cookie that's a bit different than the norm.  You can also play with the flavors.  If you don't like peanut butter or peanuts, leave off rolling the cookie dough balls in the chopped peanuts and make them plain then fill with nutella, caramel, plain melted chocolate, jam or anything else you prefer.

Cookies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped

¼ cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Filling

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.      Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

2.     Cookies: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed. Mix in the flour and salt, then add the milk and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

3.     Using your hands, roll pieces of dough into 1 ½” balls and dip the top of the balls in the chopped peanuts.  Place peanut-side up 1 ½” apart on a cookie sheet.  Push 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon in the middle of each cookie to make a deep impression.

4.     Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re light golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet while you make the filling.

5.     Filling: Melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl set over (but not touching) a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir in the peanut butter, corn syrup, 1 tablespoon water, and the vanilla until combined.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Using a spoon, fill the centers of the cookies with the filling.  Let sit for 30 minutes to set.