Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cookies

A much more accurate name for these tasty gems would be Francie's Magic Cookies! My daughter Kristina sent me this recipe and she got it from the frantic home cook. They’re wonderful just as they are, but since I used them as holiday gifts, I dressed them up with white chocolate drizzle. I made these for my staff as well and they pretty much inhaled them! In fact, several have already asked if I would make them a batch this year. Bottom line: they're a bit of work but sooooo worth it!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
In another mixing bowl, beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined.
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.
Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon.
Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter.

For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth.
Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.
On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball.
Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake ‘em in for 8-10 minutes or until they’re just set and surface is slightly cracked.
Let cookies stand for 1 minute as they are slightly soft.
Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.