When I saw my little sister Rose in the middle of a road trip last week, she sent me on my merry way with a container full of freshly-made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. These were a great favorite of mine and my siblings when we were growing up, but somehow I’d forgotten about them. When I got home, my husband devoured the cookies and promptly asked me to make more. They are a little time-consuming, as you have to roll the balls and shape the cookies, but the hard work is totally worthwhile!

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars and 1/4 cup peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Blend confectioner’s sugar with remaining peanut butter until smooth. Roll into 24 balls, 1 inch each. Divide dough into 24 pieces; flatten each into a 3 inch circle. Place one peanut butter ball on each circle; bring edges over to completely cover it. (Dough may crack; reshape cookies as needed.) Place cookies with seam side down on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

 Image | Styling by Lauryl Lane.