Email to Cat      

Peanut Butter Cookies (with Ganache)

Source of Recipe


From "Cooking for Comfort" by Marian Burros






List of Ingredients



• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp smooth natural peanut butter
  
• 16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1-1/2 cups minus 1 Tbsp sugar, plus additional sugar for sprinkling
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  
• 2-1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tsp baking soda
  
• 3/4 tsp salt
  
• 6 ounces dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
  
• Ganache (recipe follows)
  






Instructions



1. Place racks near the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
   
   
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter. Add the 1-1/2 cups minus 1 tablespoon sugar and cream for 20 seconds on medium speed. Scrape the bowl and mix 30 seconds more. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix until the flour is incorporated, and stir in the peanuts.
   
   
3. Scoop the dough (about 1/4 cup for each) onto ungreased baking sheets; there should be no more than 9 cookies per sheet. You will need 3 sheets. Press down lightly with a large fork in 2 directions to make a cross, flattening the dough slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets. The cookies will be very soft, but as they cool, they will firm up somewhat.
   
   Remove the cookies from the sheets when cool, and fill with Ganache. (Store in tightly covered container for a couple of days, or refrigerate for 3 or 4 days.)
   
   Makes 24 cookies;
   12 cookie sandwiches.
   
   ..........
   
   GANACHE
   
   • 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate
   • 1 pint heavy cream
   
   Break up the chocolate into small pieces and process in a food processor until it is very fine.
   
   Heat the cream to the boiling point. With the food processor on, pour the hot cream through the feed tube and process only until well blended. Remove to another bowl and cool. Refrigerate only long enough so that the Ganache can be spread thickly between 2 cookies. Spread equally on 12 cookies; top with the remaining cookies.
   
   Put in a cool place, covered, for several hours or overnight. The Ganache will seep into the cookies and keep them soft.