by Alicia of The Baker Upstairs for I Heart Nap Time
Hello again, I Heart Nap Time readers! I have another delicious and decadent treat to share with you today! At our house, we are pretty crazy about all things peanut butter + chocolate, and my husband Geoff most of all. He requests some combination of peanut butter and chocolate for pretty much every birthday or special occasion, and I’m happy to oblige. I made these delicious peanut butter stuffed chocolate cookies to celebrate the end of his first semester of nursing school, and they were a total hit!
As cookies go, these are pretty much just awesome in every way… a rich and flavorful chocolate cookie with a hint of peanut butter, filled with a delicious soft peanut butter center. I love to eat these cookies warm, with the peanut butter soft and gooey, and I love the contrast of salty and sweet. These cookies are definitely on the indulgent side, but they’re perfect for special occasions! (And isn’t any time that you get to eat a cookie this great a special occasion?)
Because you have to stuff each cookie individually, they are a little more labor intensive than your average cookie, but once you get into your groove they go pretty fast. I think the trick is to make sure your chocolate dough is soft enough to work with. If it’s a little on the crumbly side, be sure to add a teaspoon or two of milk to make it into a smooth dough, and it will be much easier to wrap it around the peanut butter centers. I’m sure the extra sugar on top isn’t strictly necessary, but I love that it adds a little fun crunch to the texture. If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you definitely have to give these a try!
Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
for the cookies:
- 1/2 cup sugar plus a little extra for dipping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-2 teaspoons milk as needed
for the filling:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
- To make the filling, cream together the peanut butter and powdered sugar until well blended. Refrigerate the mixture while you mix up the dough to make it easier to handle.
- To make the cookie dough, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, and mix until a thick dough forms. If the dough is crumbly, add 1-2 teaspoons milk.
- Divide the dough into twenty pieces that are roughly equal in size. I did this by dividing the dough into halves, then fourths, then dividing each fourth into five equal sized pieces (they don’t have to be exact, but try to make them as close as possible). Remove the chilled filling from the fridge and divide it into 20 equally sized pieces, then roll them into balls and set aside.
- Place a piece of dough in the palm of your hand and flatten it out. Place a filling ball in the middle of the dough and wrap the dough around it, rolling it into a ball to seal it. Dip the top of the ball into sugar, place it on the baking sheet, and flatten it lightly with your hand. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing it out on the cookie sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are set and slightly cracked around the edges. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Wow these are fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. Only exception is I fit them all on one cookie sheet! They are bigger than I expected but they are so delicious particularly when they are still warm. Yum!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Sarah! :)
Made this (and posted it on my blog) and it turned out GREAT! Thank you! I’ve been searching for this recipe since a friend made it back in high school….that was over 10 years ago! So thank you!
Hi from the UK. Is the flour in the recipe, plain flour or self raising?
Many thanks in advance.
Plain flour! :)
Do you know the nutritional value for these cookies. I am trying to do weight watchers and would like to know the amounts of calories, fat and so on.
These cookies are amazing. I have made them many times and everyone loves them.
Hi Molly! I typed the recipe into a recipe calorie counter and this is what I found: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594. Hope that helps. I’m glad you like this recipe. It’s a keeper! :)
Yes it does. thank you for doing that. They really are good cookies..you just cant eat one…
Delicious!!! We can’t stop eating them and no one can get enough
Easy but a little time consuming. Totally worth it!
I’m glad these were a hit! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hey Alicia
I make a cookie similar to these. Instead of stuffing them with peanut butter my recipe fulls them with mini Rollo candy. Now with this recipe I just might have to combine the two and make the cookies larger.
Delicious! What a nice dessert!