COOKIES-Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

CHOCOLATE FILLED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

½ cup butter  
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375º

Beat the peanut butter and butter together on high speed for 30 seconds or long enough to combine. Add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder and mix until combined, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour.

Drop by tbsp. or a small ice cream scoop (my favorite cookie tool), onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375º for 7-9 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool completely on wire racks.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ cup margarine
½ cup cream cheese
1-2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine cocoa and confectioner’s sugar together and mix well. In large bowl beat margarine and cream cheese and vanilla together until well combined. Gradually add cocoa sugar mixture until frosting consistency, adding heavy cream as needed to make smooth.

Fill cookies with frosting and store any leftovers that the COOKIE MONSTER doesn’t eat in refrigerator.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Fun Facts about Cookies

·         The first commercial cookie in the U.S. was the Animal Cracker, introduced in 1902.

·         The Oreo, the best-selling cookie of the 20th century, was developed and introduced by the American company Nabisco, in 1912.

·         July 9th is National Sugar Cookie Day.

·         December 4th is National Cookie Day.

·         The U.S. leads the world as the biggest cookie bakers and eaters, spending more than $550 million annually on Oreos alone.

·         The Girl Scouts first began selling cookies in the 1920s.

·         The official state cookie of both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania is the chocolate chip cookie.

·         Early American tinsmiths began making cookie cutters by hand back in the 1700s.

·         Christmas cookies date back to Medieval Europe.

·         American cookie jars evolved from British biscuit jars and first appeared on the scene during the Depression in the 1930s when housewives began making more cookies at home, rather than buying them at the bakery, and needed containers for them.

Welcome to the 2018 A-Z Blogging challenge.  This will be my fourth year. Every year I take on the challenge with hopes of disciplining myself to keep writing throughout the year as much, if not more than just through the monthly challenge. (It certainly is a challenge.)  Some years are better than others.  Some I just lose track of time.  This year I have decided to put my favorite hobbies together. A recipe that is tried and true as well as some thoughtful insight.  Please note some of these recipes have been shared before, however they have gone through years of testing and this is the perfected recipe.  I really hope one of my recipes or “Food for Thought” inspires you to do something great.  Enjoy the read and the photos, try the recipe, share your thoughts or comments, and most of all, have FUN with the challenge this month!

Cheers,