ChezCindy: Peanut Butter Chocolate Marbled Cookies

 

These cookies are similar to a recipe I previously published for gluten-free peanut butter cookies.  Still gluten-free but these are a double-chocolate and peanut butter mash up.  The cookie texture is chewy and oh so delicious with the addition of chocolate.     

After making the peanut butter cookie dough, half of the dough is set aside for the peanut butter part of the cookie.  The remaining peanut butter cookie dough gets the addition of cocoa and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a chocolate cookie dough.  Each dough is scooped into tablespoons scoops, then pressed together to shape into a neat ball of cookie dough.  Pressed into disks, then topped with granulated sugar.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Marbled Cookies

1 16-ounce jar smooth peanut butter (not natural)

2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for assembling

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate*

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the peanut butter and sugar, whisking on high speed for about 1 minute until just combined.  Add the eggs and salt, whisking on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Transfer half of the dough to a medium size bowl, setting aside.  

To the remaining cookie dough in the bowl of the electric mixer, add in the chopped chocolate and the cocoa, whisking until combined.  

Portion out the peanut butter dough into 1 tablespoon scoops, making about 18 scoops.  Separately, portion out the chocolate dough into heaping tablespoons scoops, matching the same number of scoops.  Press together 1 scoop of peanut butter dough and 1 scoop of chocolate dough, then gently roll into a ball.  Place the ball of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining cookie scoops placing them 1 1/2-inch apart.  

Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup dipped into granulated sugar, press each cookie ball into a flat disk about 1/2-inch thick.  Sprinkle the top of each cookie with additional granulated sugar.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes until slightly puffed.  Remove from the oven allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.  The cookies will be crumbly if transferred right after baking.  Cooling time allows them to firm up.  

*Bittersweet chocolate is recommended as it balances out the sweetness of the peanut butter.