Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies

Every once and a while my boyfriends friends from university come to visit us. They come in an old, beat-up Caravan and generally show up 3 hours later than we expect them. *sigh* Silly boys.

When these boys arrive they are generally quite hungry, and I always have something prepared for them. Tonight’s snack is going to be My Nanny’s Tortilla Dip (recipe to come later), my Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and these absolutely beautiful Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies. I think that’ll be enough treats for the weekend. I HOPE it will anyway!

I got this recipe from the Comfort of Cooking blog and love it. I’m a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter (as you may know by now). To begin preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and unwrap your Hershey’s Kisses.

Beat peanut butter and shortening until well mixed, then beat in the two sugars until light.

Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add in 3 batches to the peanut butter mixture, beating well between additions.

Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets. I love sugar.

Bake for about 7 minutes and remove from oven. Immediately press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. See that cookie up front? Yeah, I need to press that baby in.

Let cookies cool a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These are so cute.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated sugar for rolling
Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss’s

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat peanut butter and shortening until well mixed, then beat in the two sugars until light. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add in 3 batches to the peanut butter mixture, beating well between additions.
3. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 7 minutes and remove from oven.
4. Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. Let cookies cool a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies will keep for several days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake

I LOVE Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Even though I recently returned from Switzerland, the land of chocolate, I will never be too good for the perfectly balanced chocolate and peanut butter combination. This dessert, combining moist chocolate cake with rich and creamy peanut butter icing, is perfect. Add in some chopped Reese’s Cups, and this cake is truly decadent.

I made this for my boyfriends birthday and we ate the whole thing in two days between the two of us. It’s super addicting! To begin, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the sugar until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.

Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and put the batter into your prepared cake pan. Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans.

While cake is cooling, make icing by beating together confectioner’s sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add cream and beat on high speed until the icing is light and smooth. Don’t eat all the icing before you put it on the cake….your tummy will hurt!

To assemble the cake, slice your cooled cake in half. Place one cake layer on a cardboard circle/square covered in foil.

Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting.

Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese’s cups as desired.

Purdy cake!! This recipe makes about 5 servings, but the cake can easily be cut into smaller-sized servings.

Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake
Recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion’s Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Recipe makes one 8″ round cake

Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tbsp heavy cream
miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped

Directions:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter one 8′ round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom with rounds of parchment paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). 4. Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and put the batter into your prepared cake pan.
5. Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cake feels springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cake, unmold them and peel off the paper liner. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
6. While cake is cooling, make icing by beating together confectioner’s sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add cream and beat on high speed until the icing is light and smooth.
7. Freeze the Reese’s Cups while filling and frosting the cake, then chop/halve them as desired.
8. To assemble the cake, slice your cooled cake in half. Place one cake layer on a cardboard circle covered in foil. Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese’s cups as desired.