Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies | Innkeeper-Approved™
This Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies recipe combines stuffed chocolate cookies, chocolate peanut butter cookies, and classic crinkle technique in one bakery-style format.
Ingredients
For The Peanut Butter Filling
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (128 grams)
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar (60 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
For the Cookie Dough
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (210 grams)
- ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (20 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate morsels, divided (284 grams -- divided into 170 grams + 114 grams)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar, **PLUS ⅓ cup for rolling** (200 grams) PLUS ⅓ cup for rolling
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar for rolling
Instructions
Prepare the Peanut Butter Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a fork (or your hands) until smooth and evenly blended with no dry sugar pockets.½ cup creamy peanut butter; ½ cup confectioners' sugar; ¼ teaspoon table salt.
- Portion the filling into 16 equal pieces (approximately 2 teaspoons each). Roll into smooth spheres and place on a plate. Then gently press the spheres to flatten their tops and bottoms into fat discs appx 1.5 inches wide (this shape will help when you construct the final cookies).
- Freeze the peanut butter discs until very firm, at least 30 minutes (longer is recommended for easier assembly).
Prepare the Cookie Dough
- Adjust oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.1½ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon table salt.
- In a double boiler combine 6 ounces (170 grams) of the semisweet chocolate morsels, oil, and butter. Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.10 ounces bittersweet chocolate morsels, divided (only use 6 oz / 170 grams in this step); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup granulated sugar and the eggs until fully combined.1 cup granulated sugar, **PLUS ⅓ cup for rolling** (only use 1 Cup / 200 grams in this step); 2 large eggs.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the remaining 4 ounces (114 grams) of semisweet chocolate chips.Use the remaining 4 ounces / 114 grams of the semisweet chocolate morsels in this step.
Assemble the Cookies
- Divide the dough into 16 equal portions (approximately 3 tablespoons or 50 grams each). Keep dough portions covered with a damp towel while working.
- With gloved hands, flatten one dough portion into a 3-inch flat circle. Place a frozen peanut butter disc in the center.
- Wrap the dough around the filling, sealing completely, and gently roll in your gloved hands to smooth the edges. Place aside and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Place the remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar in two separate shallow bowls.½ cup confectioners' sugar for rolling; ⅓ cup granulated sugar mentioned in earlier step.
- Roll each dough ball first in granulated sugar, then generously in confectioners’ sugar.
- Arrange 8 cookies per baking sheet. Flatten each gently to about 2.5 inches wide using the bottom of a glass. The dough will crack when you flatten the cookies - this is not a reason for concern. For any large cracks where you are afraid filling may leak, just pinch the dough together firmly.
Bake and Cool
- Bake for approximately 24 minutes, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and edges are set.
- Cool cookies completely on the baking sheets, for 45 minutes, before serving or storing.
Notes
-
- Freeze the peanut butter filling longer if possible. Very firm filling is easier to stuff and form the cookies with. Plus it melts more slowly during baking, which helps prevent leaks and keeps the peanut butter fully enclosed inside the cookie.
- Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Melting the chocolate over gently simmering water provides better temperature control than a microwave, reducing the risk of scorching and producing a smoother, more stable chocolate mixture. This method is especially helpful when working with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa-rich doughs, where overheated chocolate can turn grainy or seize.
- Keep dough covered during assembly. Chocolate cookie dough dries quickly when exposed to air. Cover portions with a damp towel to prevent cracking and make shaping easier.
- Work in small batches. Assemble 6–8 cookies at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered and peanut butter filling frozen for best results.
- Use damp hands or food-safe gloves. There is a lot of dough handling in this recipe - you may want to consider using gloves. Lightly damp hands prevent sticking and make portioning and sealing the dough cleaner and more consistent.
- If cracks expose the filling, pinch to seal. Small cracks are normal for crinkle cookies, but any large openings should be sealed before baking to protect the filling.
- Flatten gently. Press cookies just enough to widen them; aggressive flattening can cause excessive cracking.
- Refrigerate after baking. Once cooled, store cookies in a single layer in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for best texture and flavor.
- These are large, bakery-style cookies. The recipe yields 16 substantial cookies with a soft interior and rich chocolate flavor.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 235mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 65IUCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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