Peanut Butter and Jelly Jewels, Christmas Cookies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Jewels, Christmas Cookies

yield: Makes about 5 dozen 1 3/4-inch cookies

If you love peanut butter, these cookies will be It. I created what I believe to be quintessential peanut butter cookies to honor the one hundredth anniversary of peanut butter. They are very peanut buttery yet exceptionally light, with a lovely "sandy" bite. At my husband's urging, I doubled up on the peanut butter and decreased the flour, making the chocolate cookie centers seem like biting into a Reese's peanut butter cup.

Chocolate centers blend wonderfully with the peanut flavor, but the bright, tart, sticky cherry centers, are my first choice.

Ingredients

• 1 cup bleached all-purpose flour (dip and sweep method) (5 ounces = 142 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (5 grams)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed) (3.75 ounces = 108 grams)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (1.75 ounces = 50 grams)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces = 113 grams)
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (9.25 ounces = 266 grams)
• 1 large egg (3 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon) (1.75 ounces = 50 grams, weighed without the shell)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (2 grams)

Cherry Preserves Topping

• 1 1/2 (12-ounce) jars cherry preserves (1 pound 2 ounces = 510 grams)

Milk Chocolate Topping

• 2 (3-ounce) bars milk chocolate (6 ounces = 170 grams)
• 2 (3-ounce) bars bittersweet chocolate (6 ounces = 170 grams)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature) (3 ounces = 85 grams)

EQUIPMENT:

• ungreased cookie sheets
• 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop or a measuring teaspoon

Repartion

Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Food Processor Method
Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk to mix evenly. In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugars for several minutes until very fine. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Add the peanut butter and process until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and pulse in just until incorporated.

Electric Mixer Method
Soften the butter. Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine well. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars until well mixed. Add the butter and peanut butter and beat for several minutes, until very smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated.

For Both Methods
Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (This keeps the dough from cracking when shaped.)

Measure the dough into a 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop or 2 level teaspoons and roll it between the palms of your hands to shape 1-inch balls. Place the balls 1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. As soon as you roll each ball, use your index finger or the handle of a wooden spoon to make a depression going down almost to the cookie sheet in the center of each ball.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and set. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for a few minutes or until firm enough to lift. Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. If necessary, while the cookies are still hot, use the greased handle of a wooden spoon to deepen the depressions.

Fill the centers with the cherry preserves or milk chocolate toppings.

Cherry Preserves Topping
In a microwave oven or a saucepan, heat the preserves until boiling. Strain the jelly into a small heavy saucepan. Place the cherries remaining in the strainer in the centers of the cookies. If some are crushed, piece them together.

On medium heat, boil the jelly for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until, when it is dropped from the stirring spoon, the last drops gather to form one large sticky drop that hangs from the spoon. The jelly will be reduced to about 3/4 cup. Allow the jelly to cool about 1 minute or until the bubbling stops. Spoon heaping 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons over each cherry.

Milk Chocolate Topping
Break the chocolate into squares and place them in the top of a double boiler. Set it over hot but not simmering water. The water must not touch the bottom of the double-boiler insert. Stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Return the pan to low heat if the water cools, but be careful that the water does not get too hot. Stir the chocolate until smooth, and cool it until it is no longer warm to the touch. (The chocolate may be melted in a microwave oven if stirred every 15 seconds. Remove it before it is fully melted and stir, using residual heat to complete melting). Whisk in the softened butter. The mixture will immediately thicken. Do not overwhisk. Use a reclosable quart-size freezer bag with one corner cut off to pipe the chocolate into the centers of the cookies or use a small metal spatula to spread on a dollop. You can also use a coupler with a number 22 star decorating tube to pipe the chocolate decoratively into the centers. Allow the chocolate to set until firm.

Store:
Cookies filled with chocolate can be stacked in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies with cherry centers need to be placed in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature. Do not cover the surface of the cookie with plastic wrap as the cherry center remains slightly sticky.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Jewels, Christmas Cookies