Friday, February 12, 2010

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies!

It was the super bowl and TJ started a tradition of everyone joining for the festivities. The men enjoyed the game and the women the commercials with lots and lots of food throughout the process. TJ missed it this year because he moved to Utah but we held it any way (not as much shouting from the family room, kind of calm) (TJ, you should think of joining us next year) I do like to try new recipes and this one jumped way off the page calling to me. I found the recipe on the web site Tasty Kitchen (The Pioneer Woman's outlet for the cooks that follow her), posted by Karly Campbell thanks Karly . It's my new favorite cookie. The recipe follows at the bottom of the page, or click on the link and go right to the recipe.

I only changed one small way that they cookies were made and that is that she said to make 30 balls (cookies) but I found it easier to make them into 32 by dividing the dough into fourths, and then divide equally again and again until I had 32 of both the filling and the dough. I find this easier than guessing and making 30. What can I say I need structure, I'm not for much free form. OK, I have issues, but if you know me you already know that.
Dividing the dough.
Rolling the peanut butter/powdered sugar into balls for the filling. It is wonderfully yummy!
My hands don't look so wrinkly on this side just a little pink and I thought that the undertone of my skin was yellowish.


Make sure to completely cover the filling with the Chocolate/Peanut Butter cookie dough.
I then placed them seam side down on my cookie sheet. I love, love, love my silpat mats. I ordered them from ebay (huge ones, and then cut them exactly to fit my cookie sheets, all four of them) boy do they make cooking and removing cookies easy. I also use them for candy making, just pour the candy or carmel corn or whatever you don't want to stick out on the sheet, this way you save having to butter a pan and save a few calories so that you can have more cookies or candy, it's a win/win and easy.
Then I dipped a glass in granulated sugar and gently pressed down on the dough and you get great looking and tasting cookies.


Out of the oven and ready for their fate of making us smile and say yum.
Putting out the cookies for the game, see I'm leaving another spot for the other two types of cookies that I made.
One bite leads to another, and soon they are all gone. Just look at the creamy filling surrounded by a crunchy chocolate/peanut butter cookie. I know you want some!! Better get cooking, it's not too late today.
Just wanted to add this picture, it's our new glasses, yes!! we needed new glasses. I love dishes/glasses and this set was calling our name it's a Riedel, they are crystal but-- a new crystal without lead-- instead they add titanium and their feel is so light yet strong (a little on the pricy side). They are wonderful. Doesn't the milk (in the previous picture) look perfect in the glass?
ENJOY!!

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies

FOR THE COOKIES:

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour

½ cups Cocoa Powder

½ teaspoons Baking Soda

½ cups White Sugar

½ cups Packed Brown Sugar

½ cups Butter

¼ cups Peanut Butter

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 whole Egg

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FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

¾ cups Powdered Sugar

¾ cups Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Set aside.

For the peanut butter filling, combine confectioners’ sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Beat together well. Roll filling into 32 small balls. Try to keep the balls all the same size—around 1 inch.

For each cookie, use 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough and roll into a ball (32). Squish the ball of chocolate dough flat and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Wrap the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter ball to completely cover. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass into white sugar and use the cup to lightly flatten the cookie balls. Bake for 7-9 minutes.