To say I have been feeling uninspired would be an understatement. Ever since our fridge stopped working 2 months ago (it was finally replaced. That’s correct, we were without a working refrigerator for almost 2 months) I have just not been itching to be in the kitchen like usual. I think of a recipe and start to research, and I feel like I see it in twenty places and it doesn’t seem worth me developing it myself. When I do think of a recipe that I can’t seem to find, I can never quite get myself to actually make it. Other things intrude into my kitchen time. I decide I would rather paint or read or nap.
So I decided to wade back in with someone else’s cookies. Deb Perelman’s cookies, to be exact. I feel like since she started doing press for her most recent cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, she has been on fire. There was a time when I would go to Smitten Kitchen and nothing would quite catch my eye, but these days? These days I feel like everything she posts is just for me. I kid you not, a couple of weeks ago I googled “Korean short ribs instant pot” and the next day – THE NEXT DAY – she posted exactly. what. I. was. looking. for. It was bizarre, I felt like she was a god that had heard my prayers!
Her siren voice was calling and I decided to answer in the form of these peanut butter filled chocolate cookies. I agree, it’s a weird thing when a blogger posts another blogger’s recipe. But I needed to get back in the kitchen, and these were the ticket. I had a sunny afternoon alone in my house, so I turned on my favorite baking Pandora station and enjoyed myself for the first time in a while. Sometimes all it takes are some really good cookies, you know?
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt with a fork until the mixture is uniform. It will be a little crumbly, but don’t worry. Line a small pan or plate with parchment, and form teaspoon-sized balls of the peanut butter mixture, setting them on the plate. Put these in the freezer while you make the cookie dough. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown and granulated sugar together. Add the egg, vanilla, milk, and salt, mixing to combine. If your cocoa is clumpy, sift it into the batter, add the baking powder, and mix, then add the flour and mix until the flour is mixed in. Now it’s time to assemble the cookies. In a bowl, put 2 Tbsp granulated sugar. Line a pan with parchment. Take about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough and pinch it into a little bowl shape (my ceramics class skills came in handy here), put a frozen peanut butter ball in the middle, and wrap the dough around. Roll this in your hand to smooth out any cracks, then roll it in sugar, place on your baking sheet and very gently press to flatten slightly, but careful so your dough doesn’t crack. Repeat until the dough is all used up. You will definitely want to keep the peanut butter balls of filling in the freezer until the last moment before wrapping in cookie dough – I took out about 4 at a time to wrap so they were still hard enough. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.Peanut-Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
A three finger-pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flourInstructions