Magic in the Middles

It may be hard to tell, but I have a pretty strong sweet tooth. I know, I know... shocking... right? But it's true. I managed to resist most of the day sitting at home the other day, but then the damn sweet tooth kicked in and I started looking for a recipe to make. I wanted chocolate and was going to make fudge but discovered I didn't have everything for it. With chocolate on my mind though I started flipping through my King Arthur Flour Cookie book and saw the picture for these peanut butter-filled chocolate cookies.

I have seen the picture before but I have always dismissed them as difficult or time consuming to make. Since I hadn't really done anything except sit around the house that day I decided time-consuming would be just fine. Actually though, they weren't hard at all, and while it did take some time to roll the peanut butter into balls and then flatten chocolate dough to wrap around each peanut butter piece, it didn't actually take all that much time and the results were well worth it.

The cookies are a little heavier on the peanut butter flavor than the chocolate flavor, but that's okay because they are still good. They are also a different take on the chocolate peanut butter cookie, and with the solid chocolate outside, they offer a dramatic and appealing surprise when you bite into them and discover the layer of peanut buttery goodness in the middle.

I baked them for 9 minutes as the recipe called for and I was a bit concerned when I pulled them from the oven because they didn't look done at all. However, I decided to trust in the recipe and sure enough they set up perfectly once they had cooled.



Dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with parchment or silpats.

To make the dough, in a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and set aside. In another mixing bowl cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg beating to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

To make the filling: Stir the peanut butter and sugar together until smooth. With floured hands roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

To shape the cookie, break off about 1 tablespoon of the dough, make an indentation in the center with your finger and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Bring the dough up and over the filling, pressing it closed and roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat until finished.

Dip the cookies into granulated sugar and place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies to 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.