Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

Years ago my friend Kon sent me a recipe from Cottage Living for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Peanut Butter and Chocolate cookies.  I made them a couple of times, made some changes to the recipe and then forgot them.  Two nights ago Kon called me and we had the most wonderful conversation - some about food and I thought once again about these special cookies.  Kon had attached a little yellow sticky with the following message:   Mmmm.... peanut butter...  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter but I do like those little peanut butter balls that everyone's grandma makes at Christmas and I like Reece's too.  

The biggest problem with the original recipe was the addition of peanut butter in both the filling and the chocolate cookie.  Instead of being surprised by the creamy filling you could smell and taste the peanut butter before the cookie even hit your lips.  I tried making them with a standard chocolate crinkle cookie and the chef (my husband Bill) still thought they needed more intense chocolate flavor.  I looked over all my recipes for chocolate cookies, thought about what the peanut butter cookie needed, and changed the chocolate from semi-sweet to unsweetened and added a dash of espresso powder.  The resulting cookie is exquisite.  A crunch on the outside, burst of deep dark chocolate and then a creamy peanut butter filling.  I hope you enjoy them too! 

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate dough:

Melt in microwave (stir occasionally during process and do not overheat):

2 oz of unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup unsalted butter

Allow mixture to cool slightly then add (I used a hand mixer):

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs (one at a time)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Sift

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Stir dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until thoroughly mixed.  Chill for one hour.

Peanut butter filling:   Mix thoroughly:

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

Chill for 30 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and roll into small marble sized balls. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Put approximately ½ cup of confectionary sugar in a shallow bowl for rolling finished cookies.

Take a tablespoon of chocolate dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball in you palm until it forms a circle about 2”+ in diameter.  Place one of the peanut butter balls in the center and form the chocolate dough around it.  You may need to add a small additional piece of chocolate dough to cover the last of the peanut butter.  Roll the dough in your palm to form a ball.  Roll generously in the confectioner’s sugar. 

Place cookies on lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes until cracks form in cookies and they are slightly firm to touch (you don’t want them to get too dry).  Remove from oven, cool, and pour a tall glass of milk or your favorite coffee.