For the LOVE…these cookies are unreal. My friend Michelle made them for a meeting I had with her one afternoon…I promptly (as in during the meeting) got the recipe and made them myself that very evening. The texture of the cookie is perfect – crispy-ish outside, soft inside. And the surprise peanut butter filling? Better than a peanut butter cup, I tell ya.
Get ready. You’ll need to do a few (hundred) laps around the track in preparation for these cookies…you will not be able to stop eating them. Okay, I may be projecting here. Giving away a little too much information about myself. What’s new?
Magic Peanut Butter Middles
From my friend Michelle who got it from a friend who got it from the Tasty Kitchen website where it was posted by Karly, who originally wrote about the recipe on her blog. Karly in turn found the recipe on allrecipes.com posted by someone named Stephanie, to whom I will be eternally grateful. In case you were wondering where the recipe came from…
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butterIn small bowl blend flour, cocoa and baking soda. Mix until well blended.
In large bowl beat sugar, butter or margarine and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Set aside.
To make Filling: Combine confectioner’s sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Blend well.
Roll filling into 30 – 1 inch balls. For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 Tablespoon of dough around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely (Jane note: I also divided the dough into 30 parts to make it easy on myself). Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. (Jane note: maybe there’s something wrong with my technique, but the glass trick didn’t work – I did flatten the cookies with a glass, but the glass wasn’t dipped in sugar. Instead I dipped the top of the flattened cookie into some sugar – that seemed to work better.)
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7-9 minutes. When cookies are done, they should be set and slightly cracked.
This post generated several questions – please click here to read the “appendix” for this recipe for a few more tips!
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
Sold!! I’m making these tonight! Thanks for sharing!
Comment by patty — May 6, 2010 @ 6:35 am
These cookies are off the hook! Except I’m not a huge chocolate fan…so I pretty much just annoyed everyone by eating the middles…..hehehehhe
Comment by Nikki — May 6, 2010 @ 7:02 am
I’m making these tonight. I don’t care how tired I am or how much I neglect my family.
I. Am. Making. Them.
…and then eating them.
Comment by Stella — May 6, 2010 @ 8:36 am
Yep, I’m totally with ya and would be needing to do laps to work off those cookies. They look and sound amazing! Definitely bookmarking these!!
Comment by Heather I. — May 6, 2010 @ 10:04 am
You had me at, peanut butter/chocolate! I’ve seen these on other sites, but your beautiful pics have made it a done deal! Thanks for sharing!
p.s. love your site!
Comment by Jody — May 6, 2010 @ 10:21 am
I have had a recipe very similar to this and almost died. I mean… surprise in the middle? YES PLEASE! LOVE the photography too!
Comment by Courtney — May 6, 2010 @ 10:31 am
I’ve made these several times, always a hit!
Comment by Maria — May 6, 2010 @ 10:33 am
You had me at peanut butter middles
Comment by Boston Mamas — May 6, 2010 @ 10:33 am
[...] in Desserts or the LOVE…these cookies are unreal. My friend Michelle made them for a meeting I had with her one afternoon…I promptly (as in during the meeting) got the recipe and made them myself that very evening. The texture of the cookie is perfect – crispy-ish outside, soft inside. And the surprise peanut butter filling? Better than a peanut butter cup, I tell ya. via thisweekfordinner.com [...]
Pingback by Chocolate Cookies With Peanut Butter Middles — May 6, 2010 @ 10:50 am
I saw your post and knew I had to make these cookies today. But I think I did something wrong, maybe my dough was too dry or something. When I flattened the cookies with the cup, the dough cracked all over to expose the PB filling. I’m sure they will still taste good, but I would appreciate any tips!
Comment by Jenny D. — May 6, 2010 @ 12:27 pm
I can already tell I’m going to LOVE this recipe, can’t wait to try it out!!
Comment by Becca — May 6, 2010 @ 12:28 pm
I’m expecting you to bring these tuesday night! they kind of look like the rolo cookies, but with a little more work. My experience with flattening cookies with a sugared glass is that you need to flatten a few cookies to get enough grease on the glass to make the sugar stick.
Comment by Mindy — May 6, 2010 @ 1:56 pm
Yes. I. Will. Make these. As soon as possible. Thanks for all the delicious-looking dessert recipes lately, they are doing great things for my mood (and waistline!)
Comment by Holly — May 6, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
I’m training for a half marathon and plan to make these after my long run this Saturday so I can enjoy them guilt-free! They look YUM! Thanks!
Comment by Valarie — May 6, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
I cannot wait to make there and bring them to work… Can’t think of a better thing to bake for nurses week!
Comment by roxy — May 6, 2010 @ 9:21 pm
I made these last night bc I just couldn’t resist! So good! I also had the same problem as Jenny D. My cookies split when I flattened them, but they are still really good, even the next day.
Comment by Suzy — May 7, 2010 @ 4:48 am
I’ve always wanted to make something like this. What is the texture of the pb filling like? Is it too sweet?
Comment by Steph — May 7, 2010 @ 8:19 am
Two thumbs up! A little labor intensive, but worth it. To those who had issues with dry dough, a few of the reviews on allrecipes.com suggested adding 2 Tbsp of sour cream to the chocolate dough. I did this, and mine turned out great. My 5-year-old just said, “Mmmm, the peanut butter is the best part!” I love making him happy! =)
Comment by Sarah — May 7, 2010 @ 3:12 pm
Yum! I plan on making and selling these for the Relay for Life next weekend! I figure since I will be doing several (hundred) laps around the track I can get away with it
and so can everyone else! Thanks!
Comment by Alison — May 7, 2010 @ 5:48 pm
Oh for the love of all that’s chocolate and peanut butter…those look so stinking good!
Comment by JennK — May 7, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
I’ll be making those for myself for Mothers Day thank you very much.
Comment by Katie — May 7, 2010 @ 10:22 pm
these are posted also on mykitchencafe.com. i have made them and i could not stop eating them. you spray the bottom of your cup with pam. she gives the info on her site.
Comment by shanda — May 10, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Uhmm, I’m clearing the calendar to make these today:)
Comment by laura — May 11, 2010 @ 9:40 am
Chocolate and peanut butter are two of my favorite foods to use and these cookies look amazing. I think im actually going to try this recipe for my family tonight!
Comment by Beth — May 11, 2010 @ 1:59 pm
My lovely housemate just spent her evening um… baaaakinggg to celebrate the end of finals, so I decided to surprise her with a little somethin somethin for all her hard word. These definitely did the trick! Peanut butter surprises to satisfy all sorts of bakers.
Here’s what I changed:
-They looked a little dry, so I added a Tbsp of melted butter to the peanut butter filling
-Rolled the entire dough ball in sugar to give it a nice cracked finish
-Wet bottom of glass with water and dipped it in the same sugar bowl
-I used butter and peanut butter that were both unsalted, so I sprinkled a teeeeny bit of salt on top of the cookies when they came out of the oven — my newly observant housemate recognized the difference it made, even in her charming condition. She loved the contrast between sweet and salty. Impressive, no? Makes a WORLD of a difference.
All things said, great recipe. Yum!
Comment by Cady — May 12, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
I found these at King Arthur Flour’s Website http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/magic-in-the-middles-recipe, don’t know who gets the credit for them originally, but they are a thing of beauty. Love your website!
Comment by Jenni — May 15, 2010 @ 6:01 am
My dough was really dry too. I kept reading the recipe thinking I did something wrong! Also, 1″ balls seemed too big to wrap the chocolate dough around, the dough kept cracking and it was hard to completely wrap the peanut butter up.
Comment by Emma — May 16, 2010 @ 10:37 am
I wrote an “appendix” for this recipe based on all your questions and comments. thank you so much for all your comments!!
http://thisweekfordinner.com/2010/05/17/magic-peanut-butter-middles-appendix/
Comment by Jane Maynard — May 17, 2010 @ 11:12 pm
[...] Bath Salts Do you see a theme emerging here? 4. Homemade Card for Mom {from Make and Takes} 5. Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies {from This Week For Dinner} 6. Hand Print Flowers {from The Mother Huddle} Have a lovely weekend! [...]
Pingback by homemade mother’s day gifts. — May 21, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
Just made these – a big hit with my husband. Thanks.
Comment by Amy B — May 23, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
[...] came across this recipe on This Week for Dinner for chocolate peanut butter goodness. Don’t they look [...]
Pingback by “Sunday bake day” « Beyond 26.2 — June 7, 2010 @ 3:24 pm