Food and prop styling by Goldie Stern
Photography by Moshe Wulliger

Chocolate and peanut butter are definitely one of my favorite combos, and blending them together in a dairy version really ups the yum factor. These cookies are absolutely irresistible, even straight from the freezer… Trust me, I would know! Guilty as charged!

YIELDS 16 JUMBO COOKIES

• ½ cup butter or margarine, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1¼ cups flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 3.5-oz (100-g) bars good-quality milk chocolate
• 1 tsp butter or oil
• 1 cup chopped peanuts, for coating

Beat the butter or margarine in a mixer using the whisk attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix just until well combined and a smooth dough forms.

Wrap the dough in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. This helps keep the cookies from flattening too much during baking.

When dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape the cookies by using a large 3 Tbsp cookie scoop (about 2¼-inch/5.7-cm diameter) and place spread apart on parchment paper, 8 scoops per baking sheet. Flatten each ball using a crisscross pattern with a fork. (It helps to dip the fork in sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough.)

Bake cookies until light brown, about 11–12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on their baking sheets for 2 minutes. Gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cookies have cooled, break up the chocolate bars and place squares into the top of a double boiler. Add water to the bottom of the boiler and bring to a rolling boil. Add butter or oil and melt chocolate until smooth and no lumps remain, stirring gently.

While water is still boiling, spread the chocolate onto the top of a cookie, using a small rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Before chocolate sets, quickly sprinkle the cookie with chopped peanuts. Repeat for remaining cookies. Place on baking sheets and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes or until completely set.

Note: Don’t be tempted to use a microwave for melting dairy chocolate. High or uneven temperatures can cause the chocolate to seize, leaving you with a hard and lumpy mess. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can place any metal bowl on top of a pot with a slightly smaller diameter.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 739)