Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cream Topped Shortbread Cookies

Lately I noticed that Matt has been eating straight up peanut butter with chocolate chips as a snack. I know he has a habit of having a sweet snack at night but I thought this one was a little weird...until I tried it. So simple but so good. It reminded me of those chocolate and peanut butter girl scout cookies. So then I thought...I want to make a cookies like that! Once I said that, Matt did not let it go until I actually made them.

I started with a basic shortbread recipe then made my own version of a creamy peanut butter layer and topped with melted chocolate chips. They turned out delicious and decadent and most importantly, Matt approves (he supplied the inspiration after all). He likes them so much that he actually counted how many I made so that he could pace himself in eating them.


The Recipe:
Shortbread part adapted from foodnetwork.com

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus 2 more for peanut butter cream)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 sticks room temp. unsalted butter (plus 1 tablespoon for peanut butter cream)
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

The Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Beat butter, sugar (the 1/2 cup plus 2 T.) with hand mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and water and mix to combine.
3. Add flour and mix just until dough is formed.
4. Shape dough into a log about 1 1/2 in. wide, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. After chilled, cut log into 1/2 in. slices. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for about 12-15 or until golden around the edges. Allow cookies to cool. (I made indents in the center of each cookies with a spoon before baking. This made it easier for the peanut butter cream to stay on top.)
6. Mix peanut butter, 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons powered sugar. Spread some of this mixture onto each cookie and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
7. Melt chocolate chips either on the stove or microwave (in the microwave only for about 30-45 seconds). To drizzle chocolate more easily, place melted chocolate into a plastic baggy, cut a small hole in one of the corners and drizzle in any pattern you want. Chill finished cookies for another 30 minutes for chocolate to harden. The cookies are best when kept in the fridge until right before eating.

Spreading the peanut butter cream.

Chocolate drizzling method. If you don't want to use a bag, you can add a little cream to your melted chocolate to thin it out then just use a spoon to drizzle.

Yum! Next time I'll probably come up with a better looking chocolate drizzle. Oh well, they still taste good.