Chocolate Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies {Magic in the Middle}

Chocolate Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies {Magic in the Middle} puts baking soda, salt and vanilla extract at the center of a cookie recipe and finishes in about 44 minutes, enough for 24 Cookies.

• Yield 24 Cookies
• Ready in 44 minutes
• Prep 35 minutes
• Cook 9 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Dough

• ½ cup ( 113 g ) salted butter, softened
• ¼ cup ( 64 g ) creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup ( 106 g ) granulated sugar (plus extra for dipping)
• ½ cup ( 106 g ) lightly packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ½ cups ( 213 g ) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup ( 43 g ) ounces natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Peanut butter filling

• ¾ cup ( 191 g ) peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
• ¾ cup ( 86 g ) powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line half sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. For the chocolate cookie dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer and a medium bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg and egg yolk and mix well. Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until no dry streaks remain and the dough is well combined.
3. For the peanut butter filling, in a medium bowl, mix the the peanut butter and confectioners sugar together until smooth (by hand or with an electric mixer).
4. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate dough (I use a #40 cookie scoop) and flatten into a thick disc shape. Place a heaping teaspoon of the peanut butter filling (I use a #60 cookie scoop) in the center of the chocolate dough disc.
5. Bring the chocolate dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center. See pictures in the post for a visual. Roll the cookie lightly in the palms of your hand to form a smooth cookie dough ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
6. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
7. Grease the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass and flatten each cookie to about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, just until lightly set - you want them soft. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Let the center settle before you cut it, or the slices will slump.