Category: Peanut Butter

This is the second cookie that I baked for my sister’s fencing competition. In terms of taste, I was a little bit selfish – the coconut in the previous cookie was for her, and the peanut butter in these was for me. Really, it’s a continuation of my peanut butter obsession from a few weeks ago. This is a basic soft chocolate cookie, with the added bonus of some Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and some Peanut Butter chips. Exciting, right? I was specifically craving the type of peanut butter that is at the center of Reese’s Cups.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosions
5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 tbs unsalted butter
1 c sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c Reese’s Pieces
6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped into 1/4″ chunks
1/2 c peanut butter chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375^oF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt the semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate together with the butter. Stir until smooth, and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the chocolate mixture and the sugar on medium-high speed until well-mixed, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, and mix until completely combined. Then beat in the vanilla.
4. Add the flour and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the Reese’s Pieces, Peanut Butter Cups and peanut butter chips.
5. Drop the dough by tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 50 cookies

And here is Part 2.  Not to bias you, but of today’s recipes, I think this one was my favourite.  If you are familiar with the amazingness of Tagalongs (i.e. the Girl Scout cookie), these are a similar concept.  Peanut butter oozing out from under chocolate topping.  Fabuloscity.

Chocolate Fudgy Peanut Butter Cookies
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 tsp baking powder
7 tbs butter, at room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c peanut butter
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 (6-oz) package semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.
2. Melt the unsweetened chocolte in a double boiler over barely simmering water and set aside.  Sift together flour, salt, soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Beat in melted chocolate.  Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until well mixed.
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls on cookie sheets about 2 ½ inches apart. Make an indentation in the center of each ball of dough with your finger(s).
5. Beat peanut butter and powdered sugar together. Spoon about a  teaspoon of peanut butter mixture into center of each cookie (in indentation).
6. In a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt the chocolate chips.  Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk.  Working quickly before it stiffens, spoon chocolate mixture over center of each cookie so that it covers peanut butter. Use your finger or a spoon to make sure peanut butter is sealed in.
7. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 20 cookies.

This is Part 1 of this week’s baking effort. Why? Well, over the weekend, among my dessert cravings, I was hit with one for chocolate peanut butter. I think peanut butter is great. I like to microwave it for about 10 seconds and then just eat it. Sometimes I add in a little jam or some marshmallows or chocolate. Of course, I like it in other things as well (Thai food, Chinese food, sandwiches, etc.). Anyway, I decided that I wanted to make a cookie involving chocolate and peanut butter. I came across two recipes that I really liked (thanks, Anna): one had a peanut butter cookie with chocolate filling, while the other was a chocolate cookie with a peanut butter filling. I simply could not decide which I would rather make, so I thought, “BOTH!”

Chocolate Peanut Butter Volcanoes

Lava Part
3 oz (1/2 c) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie Part
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
11 tbs (1 stick plus 3 tbs) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c peanut butter (not crunchy)
1/2 c plus 1 tbs (lightly packed) light brown sugar
6 tbs granulated sugar
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350^oF.  Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make the lava: Melt the chocolates together in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water (or  microwave).   Stir the melted chocolate vigorously into the milk until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Whisk in vanilla and set aside.

4. Make the cookie dough: Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.

5.  Cream the butter, peanut butter, both sugars, and the vanilla together in a medium-size mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.  Add the egg and beat on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl.   Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until blended, about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl and mix several seconds more.

8.  Roll tablespoon-sized lumps of dough into balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

9.  Press a deep hole into the center of eah bowl with your finger, and drop about teaspoon of the lava mixture into the hole.  You may need to use your fingers a bit.

10. Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden, about 16 minutes.  Cool the cookies on the sheet.

Makes… oops, I forgot to count!