Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies - made dough January 17, 2014 from Baking and Mistaking

Another food holiday to mark: January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day. Technically this is peanut butter and chocolate which I'm sure has its own holiday but it still has peanut butter so I'm counting it to commemorate peanut butter's day in the sun. This is the kind of cookie that I think peanut butter and chocolate lovers would really enjoy. A creamy peanut butter filling hides inside a chocolate cookie, hence the surprise part. Not being a particular lover of peanut butter, I could be a little more objective in thinking the main change I would make to this recipe is to advocate using crunchy peanut butter in the filling instead of creamy. Since the chocolate cookie itself is already plain (no nuts, no chocolate chips, etc), using crunchy peanut butter would give this more of a texture contrast. Unless you like creamy-only textures, then stick with creamy peanut butter.

The good thing about these cookies is they don't really spread much so they're good about keeping their shape. Which instantly brings to mind you could make something cute with them. In keeping with the spirit of the season, you could make the filling oblong shaped then shape the chocolate cookie dough around it in the shape of a football with tapered ends. Once they're baked and cooled, pipe the football laces on top and tada - perfect cookie dessert for Super Bowl. Or, if you're not into football, Valentine's Day is coming up. Make the cookies heart shaped and sprinkle them with pink and red colored sugars.

Filling
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy but I think crunchy would be better for a texture contrast)

Cookies
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. For the filling, mix the peanut butter and sugar together. Form into approximately 30 balls and freeze briefly in the freezer.
2. While they're chilling, make the cookie dough: beat the butter, sugars and peanut butter together until combined. Add in the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
3. Gradually add in the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda until blended.
4. Remove the peanut butter centers from the freezer and shape the cookie dough around each ball until completely covered.
5. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and flatten the cookies slightly.
6. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, until tops of cookies just begin to crack.