12.2.14

Peanut butter cookies filled with praline centre chocolates

*Sigh* Peanut butter, how I love thee. Let me count the ways... Now, if I could write a poem in honour of my peanut butter addiction then I would do. But, I can't so let's just leave it there and end by saying I bloomin love the stuff.

A few supermarkets in Nottingham now sell the American Skippy peanut butter which is my all time favourite but it's very sweet, so if you're more of an earthy peanut butter fan then just keep moving...

I've been a wee bit poorly this week and I always know I'm on the road to recovery when I feel the need to bake again. And seeing as I haven't baked with peanut butter since, erm...at least last month, I decided to whip up a classic. Peanut butter blossoms.

Now when I say classic I'm talking more of an American classic so don't despair if you haven't heard of them before. They're sooo easy to make and require pretty standard baking ingredients but are traditionally finished with Hershey's Kisses which I am clean out of so I had to make a few changes.

The title of this blog is actually only telling you 1/3rd of a story. Some of the blossoms were filled with praline chocolates but the other 2/3rds were filled with either Nutella or white chocolate. BOOM. These cookies turned out like little pieces of peanutty heaven.

All of the centres of these cookies are added just after baking so I bought a box of heart shaped praline chocolates and pushed them into the cookies straight from the oven. I used a heart shaped stamp to imprint the heart shape on the other cookies and then filled then with either melted (and slightly cooled) nutella or white chocolate and I have to say; nutella and peanut butter blossoms ROCK.

Blossoms are traditionally quite small cookies but I rolled mine into 1.5" balls before baking so they're a more decent sized cookie. They don't spread when baking but they do puff up so when you squish their centres into them you get that satisfying crinkly cookie look which I think adds a lovely homemade touch.


Peanut Butter Blossoms - makes approx 24 cookies

Ingredients
  • 110g trex (you can use butter but the cookie might be a bit too rich)
  • 185g peanut butter - smooth or crunchy
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 65g light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg  room temp
  • 2tbsp milk
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 185g plain flour
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2tsp salt
Method
  1. Heat oven to 180C/375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with baking paper.
  2. Beat trex and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. 
  3. In another bowl, stir together flour, bicarb soda and salt; gradually beat into the peanut butter mixture.
  4. Shape dough into 1.5 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, sprinkles or coloured sugar; place on cookie sheet.
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate, or stamp, into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
  6. Once cool, pipe melted nutella or white chocolate into the heart shaped wells left in the cookies. Leave to harden before transporting.
  7. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

No comments:

Post a Comment