Magic in the Middles

This is one of the other chocolate cookie recipes that I wanted to try as a possibility for Christmas. This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, which has lots of recipes but not a cookbook that I usually gravitate towards. The book doesn’t have many pictures, and I really rely on pictures when deciding what to make!

This recipe has you mold chocolate cookie dough around a peanut butter filling. It looks like a chocolate cookie from the outside but has a magic peanut butter filling. The dough came together well and wasn’t crumbly at all. The peanut butter filling was a little dry and it was easiest to just knead the ingredients together. At first I thought that there wasn’t enough filling, that the peanut butter balls were kind of small, but that didn’t end up being a problem.

It took a little practice to get the molding of the dough around the peanut butter filling. I’ve made filled cookies before, but not with filling that was soft and squishy! In the end I was glad that the peanut butter balls were small, as it was a bit tricky to get the peanut butter filling completely sealed in. I finally figured out that I almost needed to flatten the chocolate cookie dough and then mold it abound the peanut butter filling.

In the end, these cookies were very forgiving and didn’t have any mishaps with the peanut butter filling escaping or melting or anything like that. They are really great and look very impressive with the magic filling. I think I might add some salt to the peanut butter filling, it seems like it needs it. These are very sturdy and will work well for Christmas gifts.

1-1/2 cups flour

½ cup cocoa

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Filling

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

¾ cup powdered sugar

Additional sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat together sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg and bat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

To make the filling, combine the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Shape the mixture into 26 balls.

Shape the chocolate cookie dough into 26 balls. Make an indentation in the dough and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Mold the chocolate cookie dough around the peanut butter ball, sealing completely. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Roll the dough balls in sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Using a drinking glass, flatten the cookies to about ½ inch thick. Bake for 7-9 minutes, until they are set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion