KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 – Who doesn’t love a chocolate cookie?
There are times when a chocolate cookie just hits the spot. A chocolate chip cookie, a chocolate fudge cookie. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, triple chocolate. Decadence.
Then there are times when it’s a nut-forward cookie that does the trick. Something with almonds or cashews, walnuts or hazelnuts, pistachios or macadamias.
And one of my favourites: pecans, which are so synonymous with molasses-sweet pecan pies. (A pie cookie? A cookie pie? Surely someone has thought of this before?)
And there are times when we need something rich and creamy. A cookie made with peanut butter, topped with peanut butter, filled with peanut butter, all of the above (why not?). Crunchy, creamy or both.
As you can see, cookies can be quite a passion. An obsession even.
The glutton in me can’t help but wonder if a trinity of these flavourful fixations wouldn’t make the best festive cookie of them all. (“One cookie to rule them all”? This mind wanders in dangerous ways.)
Hence and therefore, allow me to present to you: Peanut butter pecan chocolate cookies.
Break the cookie apart to reveal its indulgent peanut butter centre.
An intense chocolate dough laced with peanut butter. Each cookie is crowned with a celebratory pecan – their toasty, earthy and nutty aroma, a promise of pleasure.
Break the cookie apart and its indulgent peanut butter centre is revealed like tempting treasure. What more could we want from a cookie?
Only to have enough of them to eat now, and more of them for later. I’d suggest sharing these but I know how difficult that proposal can be to execute.
Bake these, and enjoy.
PEANUT BUTTER PECAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Ingredients (Filling):
8 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
50g icing sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Ingredients (Cookie Dough):
120g butter, softened
3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
80g granulated white sugar
80g dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g all purpose flour
50g organic pure cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Pecans
Cream the butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar.
Method
For convenience, you can make the peanut butter filling the day prior to baking. Combine the crunchy peanut butter, icing sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
Once well combined, scoop a teaspoon of the filling and shape into a small ball. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Repeat with the rest of the peanut butter filling until used up. Transfer to the freezer to keep overnight.
The next day, cream the butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Place a ball of peanut butter filling in the centre of each cookie.
Next add the egg and vanilla extract. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the mixer bowl as needed.
Put the mixer on low speed before adding flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Blend for about 45 seconds and no longer to prevent overmixing.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and portion dough onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Each scoop should be about 3 tablespoons of dough and placed about 2 inches apart.
Remove the tray of prepared peanut butter balls from the freezer. Place a ball of peanut butter filling in the centre of each cookie. Fold the cookie dough around the filling until completely wrapped.
Press a pecan down on each cookie.
Finally top each ball of cookie dough with a pecan, pressing down gently so the pecan sticks to the dough.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tray in the oven’s middle shelf and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges develop a nice crust.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking tray for 20 minutes before eating or storing in an airtight container.
