I love surprises. I love giving surprises and I love receiving surprises. The idea of providing absolute happiness and delight to someone in my life via a surprise (of any kind) is a complete joy for me.
Once a month I receive a fabulous surprise from the Secret Recipe Club. The "surprise" is just like a present that I carefully open up with no idea of what will be inside. In this case I am opening up an email to find out which food blog I have been assigned for the month through the SRC. I am always delighted with my surprise. Discovering a new food blog and it's collection of recipes is so much fun!
This past month I was given the surprise of A Cook's Quest. Jenn's collection of recipes on her blog is wonderful! I was in complete HEAVEN over all her delicious recipes she has made and blogged about. It was not an easy job for me to pick just one recipe to make. I wanted to make her Cream Cheese Banana Bread along with her Strawberry Cream Puff Cake. In the end I decided to make cookies...Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookies. Soft PB cookies that surround a perfect chocolate surprise. Nothing could be better!
Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookies
(recipe from A Cook's Quest)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
12-20 chocolates (I used Brach's Milk Chocolate Stars....Jenn used Promise chocolates....Hershey kisses would work fine too I'm sure.)
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of cookie (if desired)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Set bowl aside.
2. Beat together until light and fluffy butter and brown sugar.
3. Add in peanut butter to butter and sugar mixture. Mix well all together and then add in 2 eggs, vanilla extract and salt.
4. Carefully add in flour mixture to wet mixture. Mix until all of flour mixture has been fully incorporated.
5. Chill cookie dough for at least 2 hours. The longer the dough is chilled the easier it will be to work with.
6. Heat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use stoneware. Scoop desired size of cookie and quickly flatten with your fingers. Place flattened cookies on prepared cookie sheets and then put your chocolate on top. Put another scoop of dough on top of chocolate and carefully surround the chocolate and cookie dough beneath it. Sprinkle cookies with raw sugar if desired.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes for small cookies or 15-18 minutes for larger cookies or until edges of cookies are a light brown. Cool slightly and enjoy! Store in a tightly covered container to keep cookies soft.
Happy Peanut Butter SURPRISE Cookie Baking!
