Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies

For the truffle cookies:
In a large bowl, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. I do this in the microwave, in 30 second increments, stirring in between increments and continuing until totally melted. Set aside and let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, add sugar and eggs. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and melted chocolate/butter, beating for another 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk or beater attachment. Then remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the dry ingredients with a large spatula until thoroughly dispersed. Fold in remaining chocolate chips.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer while you make the peanut butter filling. Let the dough sit in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

Place peanut butter and sugar into a medium bowl, mix to combine, then add egg, mixing until well combined. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place parchment paper (or a Silpat mat) on an un-greased baking sheet. Remove the truffle dough from the freezer.

Grease your hands with a little canola oil (cooking spray works really well, but water can also be used) then begin to scoop out about a teaspoon of dough placing each scoop about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Using your oiled (or wet hand) flatten the dough into a small round disk. Now take 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter dough and place it in the center of the flattened truffle dough. Scoop another teaspoon of the truffle dough and flatten it into a disk using your hands. Place this over the peanut butter dough pinching the bottom layer of truffle dough together with the top. Repeat with remaining dough. Do this quickly and if you are doing the cookies in batches, refrigerate the dough in between rounds.

Bake for 9-10 minutes then remove pan from the oven onto a cooling rack. Let cookies cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Then you can move them to a cooling rack. Once totally cooled, if desired, you can drizzle the cookie in melted chocolate.

*Truffle cookies adapted from All Recipes.