Holiday Treat #9: Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter? Yep, still the best flavor combination!

When I went home to Massachusetts for Christmas with my family, I was only going to have time to make 1 type of cookie. My original thought– peanut butter kiss cookies. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any Hershey’s kisses, and there wasn’t really enough time to go get any (I mean, if I had to, I could have gone out to get them, but I figured I’d just make something else with what we had).

I still wanted to make something chocolate and peanut butter because it’s a type of cookie that all of my siblings, and I, love.  Therefore, I came up with these:

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!

A creamy peanut butter filling, inside a soft dark chocolate cookie, rolled in powdered sugar– YUM!!

My brother said they’re his new favorite! (His old favorite cookies were chocolate with peanut butter chips.)

They’re festive because the powdered sugar looks like snow…right?! 🙂

Also, make sure you do refrigerate the dough and the peanut butter mixture. It is MUCH easier to work with that way. The process takes a bit of work, but trust me it is worth it! As long as you love chocolate and peanut butter!!

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Hershey’s special dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar (to rolling)

Directions

1) In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Then, slowly incorporate the flour mixture. Once the dough is all mixed, cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (I refrigerated mine overnight).
3) For the filling, beat together the 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Cover that bowl and refrigerate it as well until you are ready to make the cookies.
4) After the dough and peanut butter mixture are chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5) To make the cookies, roll about 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball, then flatten. Take about a teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture with the tip of a knife (ish? judge what will fit in the flattened cookie) and dollop in the middle of the flattened chocolate dough.
6) Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter filling and re-roll into a ball. Then, roll in powdered sugar, and place into a baking sheet.
7) Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies look *crinkly* (aka cracked) on top.
8) Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
9) As always, I recommend trying them warm!!
10) Once the cookies are mostly cooled, dip back in powdered sugar, making sure to do both sides. Then, the cookies should look like this!

Enjoy!

P.S. I’d say it’s absolutely acceptable to make these any time of year, especially anytime throughout the winter!! 😉