Chocoholic
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Chocolate peanut poppers [Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Scratch the chocolate kiss. Pop one of these addictive little cookies in your mouth to satisfy that chocolate-peanut butter craving.

Notes:You can use chunky peanut butter in place of the creamy peanut butter. For extra peanut crunch, roll the balls of dough in finely chopped peanuts before pressing with finger and baking.

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore working on her new baking cookbook, and as a recipe developer for HungryGoWhere Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (see note)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until combined and creamy. Mix in peanut butter until combined, then egg and vanilla.

  2. In small bowl, stir flour with baking powder and baking soda. Add to peanut butter mixture on low speed until just combined.

  3. Form 48 balls of dough, each about 2 teaspoons volume. Space evenly on cookie sheets, 2 inches apart (about 24 per pan). Press finger deeply into center of each dough ball. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool completely.

  4. Using microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate with cream, stirring gently until smooth. Let cool until the mixture is the consistency of soft pudding. Using two small spoons, spoon the chocolate mixture into each cookie. Let cookies sit until ganache is set. Cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To stack, place a layer of parchment paper between each layer of cookies.