Chocolate Peanut Butter Suprise Cookies

These cookies are so good. That is, if you like peanut butter and chocolate, which I believe is one of the best combinations there is. They are a little complicated, and take some time to make - not just a whip-it-up, throw-it-in-the-oven, kind of recipe, but they are well worth the extra time. Soft, chocolaty cookie on the outside, sweet, creamy peanut butter on the inside. Yum.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (I left this out, just because I almost never put salt in cookie recipes.)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus you'll need more at the end for rolling)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter (you'll need to divide this into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup powdered sugar


1. Preheat the oven to 375*F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside.

3. In another bowl, beat together sugars, butter and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine. Stir in the flour mixture. Set this aside as well.

4. In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and 3/4 cup of peanut butter, until smooth.

5. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Pull off about a tablespoon of the chocolate cookie dough and flatten it with your hands. Take a little less than a teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture and place it in the center of the chocolate cookie dough. Wrap the cookie dough around the peanut butter center and press it closed. Roll the cookie into a ball, and roll the cookie in sugar.

6. Place the cookies on the baking sheet. (They will spread somewhat, so be sure to space them apart with room for spreading.) Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.

7. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool. I made about 25 cookies from one batch.

Like I said before, these cookies were delicious. In mine I substituted some of the cocoa powder for chocolate chips, and I liked having the chocolate chips in the dough. I used four tablespoons of cocoa powder and four tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips. (If you do that, you also have to take out 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of butter).

Also, when I made these the first time, I had way too much of the peanut butter mixture for inside the cookies, and ended up dumping a bunch of it. Next time I make these, I'm going to try doing 1/2 cup of peanut butter with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

For a peanut-butter and chocolate lover, these are a must have. In fact, I think I might make a batch this afternoon. :)

*Disclaimer: I found the recipe and picture on Pinterest, linked from this blog.