Friday, February 13, 2009

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Sandwich Cookies
Martha Stewart

Prep: 15 minutes Total: 1 hour, plus cooling

Transform nutty cookies into triple-decker delights: Sandwich them around a creamy melted-chocolate filling, and munch away!

Ingredients

Makes 15.

* 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Make filling: Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir frequently until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted. Stir in cream; set aside to cool and thicken, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, peanut butter, and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, and mix just until blended (do not overmix).
4. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto two baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. With the bottom of a damp glass, lightly flatten each mound of dough into a 2-inch round. Bake until golden around edges, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. With a small offset spatula or table knife, spread bottom of half the cookies with 2 teaspoons filling each; sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently to spread filling to the edge. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.