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These peanut butter thumbprint cookies are a classic. I first made them while recipe-testing the Baked Occasions Cookbook and authors Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito kindly allowed me to share the recipe with you. It’s one of my favorites from the book.
I don’t often make cookies with shortening but it helps prevent spreading. I researched a few versions of this recipe and found they were 100% shortening, whereas here it’s half butter, which provides more flavor. I made a couple of other adjustments based on what was in my pantry. I used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy and I really liked the texture with the added chopped nuts. Also, the cookies usually have chocolate kisses nestled in the middle but instead, I filled them with homemade dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with a bit of flake salt.
I loved the chew of these cookies. They’re great fresh from the oven but I also froze some and ate them slightly thawed. If you want to make these ahead, you could roll out the dough balls, create the cavities in the middle, then place them on a tray to harden in the freezer, before transferring to ziploc bag for storage. Happy baking!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Adapted from Baked Occasions Cookbook
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups (170g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (50g) vegetable shortening, cool but not cold
2 ounces (1/2 stick/55g) unsalted butter, cool but not cold
3/4 cup (195g) creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80g) demerara sugar
For the ganache:
4 ounces (115g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Flake salt for finishing
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and butter on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. Add the peanut butter and beat again on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and add the granulated and brown sugars. Continue beating until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, and beat until completely blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add half the flour mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, stop the mixer, and add the remaining flour mixture. Beat until completely blended, about 1 more minute. If the dough feels a bit wet, cover the bowl and refrigerate to firm it up, about 30 minutes, up to 1 hour. Otherwise, move directly on to the next step.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the demerara sugar in a small shallow bowl.
Scoop and roll the cookies into balls about 1 inch in diameter. I made mine larger, about 2-inch balls for a 3″ sized cookie, once baked. Roll them in the demerara sugar to coat and place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart, 2 inches for the larger size. They will spread. Using a melon baller or teaspoon measure, press the center of each dough ball creating a well. It’s ok if the dough cracks a bit.
Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time, until the cookies appear set and are dry to the touch, 8-10 minutes, 10 minutes for the larger cookies. Meanwhile, make the ganache.
In a small heatproof bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and with a heatproof spatula, stir till the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Remove the sheet pans from the oven and place them on cooling racks. The wells will have closed up so, immediately use the melon baller or measuring spoon to gently press down to create the space for the ganache. Let the cookies cool completely.
To assemble, spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of ganache in the well of each cookie. For a thicker looking texture, I let my ganache cool for about 30 minutes until it was a pudding-like consistency. You can speed up the cooling by placing it in the fridge. Sprinkle each cookie with a bit of flake salt.
Makes 36-48 small cookies or 20 larger cookies.
If you make these cookies, I’d love to see. Share with me on Instagram @pastrywithjenn.