.peanut butter cheesecake stuffed chocolate chip cookies.

Let's start this off by saying that my youngest brother does not like the chocolate-peanut butter combo. It's really hard to believe he's a part of this family. I will never understand why he does not like it because it's one of life's greatest gifts!

Okay, these cookies. I was just craving something with peanut butter and chocolate, and I was going to make scotcheroos until I decided I didn't want all that corn syrup in whatever I made. Ya know, trying to stay healthy, even though these cookies are definitely not healthy.

I had a bunch of ideas, including brownies, a skillet cookie, or a cheesecake with a pretzel layer, but I could not put anything together. I also wanted something easy, and these cookies are so low maintenance. The cheesecake filling takes mere minutes to make, and it sets up pretty quickly in the freezer.

The filling: cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and a hint of flour. So easy. I just threw it in my stand mixer, but a hand mixer would do the job just as well. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or you're going to have a clumpy mess on your hands. This recipe uses a good amount of cream cheese, and you may have some left over - which is not a bad thing - if you don't like too much stuffing. To be honest, I ate a lot of the filling during the process, so this recipe accounts for that inevitability. So so good.

You're definitely going to want to freeze the filling before adding it into the middle of the cookie dough because it will get all over your hands if you don't. If you want, you can freeze it for about 15 minutes, then take it out and roll it into balls, and then put those back into the freezer for about 10 more minutes. I just eyeballed the mixture into the center of each cookie.

Now the cookies are literally just your basic chocolate chip cookies. Put as many chocolate chips in the dough as you want. Use semisweet chocolate. Use milk chocolate. Use white chocolate. Add some pretzels or graham cracker chunks. Literally do anything you want. These cookies are as decadent as you make them!

I made this recipe last night while watching Orange is The New Black (I know I'm behind), but this season is just as brilliant as all the others. Taystee is seriously so amazing! I'm going to blame my mindless eating of the cheesecake filling (and chocolate chips, I admit) on being so into the episodes.

This recipe makes about 24 cookies. You could even forego putting the cheesecake in the dough and sandwich it in between two cookies instead. Get creative! You can't go wrong with this combo!

When these cookies are done, the first bite seems like a normal chocolate chip cookie, but once you get to the center, there's this soft cheesecake filling. Make sure to try one when they're still warm. The gooey chocolate melts perfectly into the peanut butter, and it's truly the best. What I love most is how easy this recipe is, and how decadent and fancy they seem even though they take no time to make. Definitely going to be making these over and over!

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peanut butter cheesecake stuffed chocolate chip cookies

ingredients

peanut butter cheesecake filling

12 oz of cream cheese
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

chocolate chip cookies

1/2 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter
1/2 of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

instructions

combine cream cheese and peanut butter in a stand mixer until smooth.
add powdered sugar and flour until the mixture is uniform.
place the cheesecake filling into the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
preheat the oven to 350°
in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. set aside.
beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
add in both sugars and mix together.
add in egg and vanilla.
add in flour mixture in thirds. wait until flour is incorporated before adding the next third of the dry ingredients.
mix in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
put dough in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
after both the filling and dough have chilled, take about one inch balls of dough and flatten in palm.
take a teaspoon-sized ball of filling and put it in the center of the dough disk.
wrap the dough around the filling and smooth out the ball.
place the ball of dough on a baking sheet and lightly press down until it about the shape of a hockey puck.
continue with the rest of the dough.
bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes.
let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
transfer to a wire rack, let cool, or enjoy while they are still warm.


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