FYI, Small tip when making the chocolate peanut butter surprise cookies…

mariadnoca

Moderator
This is probably one of the most favorite cookies of all I gift, but I always dreaded making them because you have to shape the dough in your hand for each cookie before filling, which is both time consuming and not arthritic hands friendly. I have since started rolling out the dough and cutting it with a cutter. The dough is very soft and not sticky, so I don’t even flour the board and I use my silpat rolling pin. This is not hard on my hands and seems to make the whole process go quicker.

 
Maria, I can't picture how you're shaping these cookies. Roll dough flat? Then add peanut butter, then pull up the edges to make a ball?
 
Roll dough flat, cut out, then pick up flat cutout, fill, then roll into a ball. I’m using a square cutter. Then I just pull up the four corners.

i’m subbing, the rolled, cut out cookie dough for the smoosh it all into your hand, glob of dough. Does that make sense? Because I’m not sure if smooshed glob of dough is the official technical term. 😆

I’ve been doing it assembly Line style, do all the cutouts, fill them, pull up edges and roll into ball, then come back and roll them all in sugar. Seems to go pretty quick for me.
 
oh yes, that's much clearer. What thickness do you roll to? I use flat dowels now to get even thickness.
And you don't flatten the rolled ball? They flatten out when baked? (I'm speaking to the photograph).

It's another sister...another wedding...another Pittsburgh Cookie Table. I'm running through my cookie options now as I won't be making a few that I did for last PCT.

If you were going to freeze this, how/when would you do it?
  • Just the Dough, unfilled? (that will add more processing time during the baking week)
  • Dough Filled, rolled and unbaked?
  • Filled and baked?
Wedding is third week in May and I'll be doing 8 other cookies, 4 that I did before and know freeze well.

(also, I've got the ENTIRE Christmas Cookie book to look through)
 
oh yes, that's much clearer. What thickness do you roll to? I use flat dowels now to get even thickness.
And you don't flatten the rolled ball? They flatten out when baked? (I'm speaking to the photograph).

It's another sister...another wedding...another Pittsburgh Cookie Table. I'm running through my cookie options now as I won't be making a few that I did for last PCT.

If you were going to freeze this, how/when would you do it?
  • Just the Dough, unfilled? (that will add more processing time during the baking week)
  • Dough Filled, rolled and unbaked?
  • Filled and baked?
Wedding is third week in May and I'll be doing 8 other cookies, 4 that I did before and know freeze well.

(also, I've got the ENTIRE Christmas Cookie book to look through)
Marilyn, a couple of years back I purchased a rolling pin that was made to roll out 1/4 inch cookies - no dowels, etc. needed (Prior to this I used rubber thingees that I put on the ends of pin). I absolutely love it!
 
Thanks Deb. Sister just informed me Peanut Butter Blossoms is fiance's favorite, so that's why I'm going with.
(I hope they freeze??)
 
I’m pretty sure the blossoms will freeze, just be careful not to knock out the kiss when frozen, easy to pop back if they do.

I probably roll to 1/4 inch or so. It’s very soft, so when it starts to tear, that’s when I stop rolling. I do flatten the rolled ball, after rolling them in sugar, not a lot because I don’t want to filling to come out. If I were freezing, I’d probably freeze the dough and make the filling on bake day. I’m sure you could freeze an assembled cookie, but I’d worry about edges crumbling if they get knocked around in freezer.
 
Excellent. Thanks.
I was going to freeze the dough unbaked in NC and do all the baking in PA the week of the wedding. Would that work?
 
Thanks Deb. Sister just informed me Peanut Butter Blossoms is fiance's favorite, so that's why I'm going with.
(I hope they freeze??)
Yes, Marilyn, I freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms all the time in my big freezer, and they come out fine.
 
Maria, I just finished measuring all the ingredients to make my very first batch of your Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies, but won't mix and bake anything until tomorrow in order to take the end result to a surprise birthday party. The guest of honor LOVES anything peanut butter, and I've been waiting for just such an excuse to stir these up. I can hardly wait to taste one! Thanks for all your hints about rolling and cutting the dough for wrapping purposes. That approach sounds much quicker as well as easier on the hands!
 
Maria, the Chocolate PB Surprise Cookies were a big hit last week! For the filling I only used 1/4 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1/4 cup creamy Jiff peanut butter, and that amount was perfect for the 25 cookies I got out of your recipe. Thank you for such a delicious new cookie to add to my repertoire!
 
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