Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cookies

This Former Dessert of the Month is Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cookies, and combines my son's love of peanut butter with my wife's and daughter's loves of all things chocolate.  These will not last long in my house, nor yours either, I imagine.

The dough for these can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking, or it can be frozen for up to 6 months (just be sure to thaw it before baking).  This recipe will make about 24 cookies, but you can easily double the recipe if you wish.


Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 oz semisweet or milk chocolate
Additional sugar for rolling

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter together with electric mixer on high for 30 seconds.  Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Beat until well combined, scraping bowl as necessary.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time and beat in as much as you can with mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour with a spoon.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Remove dough from refrigerator.  Divide into 24 equal sections and roll each section into a ball.  Roll dough balls in granulated sugar to coat.






Place on ungreased cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart.  Using a fork, flatten each ball, making a crisscross shape on top with tines.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 3 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Place chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high 60 to 90 seconds, or until chocolate is melted completely, stirring every 30 seconds.  Drizzle chocolate over cookies and let harden (if you do this over wax or parchment paper, you will have a much easier time with cleanup).  Serve with milk.