justJENN recipes

This is Martha Stewart’s recipe that I’ve used time and time again. It’s never let me down. It’s also a really stable cookie, if you ever need to mail it, like I often do.

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup peanut butter

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening (ew, you know how I hate shortening), granulated sugar, and 1 cup light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each addition. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until fully combined. Remove from mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup light-brown sugar.

Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 1 teaspoon peanut-butter mixture. Top with a second scoop of dough, and carefully mold dough to cover “surprise.”

Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks.

These are really good and the surprise inside is a nice touch. They are sweet, so milk is always a plus.

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed