Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

Cookie Week is here!!! Are you ready to bake? I’ve got seven cookie recipes for you this week, everything you’ll need for this holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of other delicious cookie recipes out there, but sometimes trying to choose one is overwhelming. I’ve tested these recipes heavily over the past month and I hope you love them! We’re starting the week off with Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies. These cookies have a soft shortbread crunch packed with peanut butter flavor on the bottom and a smooth layer of dark chocolate on top.

Disclosure: this post includes affiliate links, if you click through one of my links and buy something I make a small commission. Thanks for helping me keep this blog running!

I’ve always liked peanut butter cookies but I feel like the blossom part is lacking. The chocolate is a hard lump on top and it’s hard to bite into without crumbling the cookie. Also, I want chocolate in every bite not just the middle! I’ve made peanut butter cookies a handful of times with dark chocolate kisses and spread them over the cookie while it was hot. Unfortunately dark chocolate kisses can be hard to find and spreading them doesn’t create a very nice finish. I wanted these to be a prettier cookie that would make a lovely gift.

While I was researching thumbprint cookies I came across this article from Food52. When I realized that peanut butter cookies were basically a shortbread cookie I decided to make them as cut outs with chocolate spread on top. I’ve done more research since then and I am aware that this is not the traditional Scottish type of shortbread. I kept the name anyway but they are more of an Americanized version of shortbread cookies. I used my Mom’s recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies, tweaked it a little and then rolled out the dough and cut it with the decorative side of this circular cutter. In the future I will try a cutter more like these to get a better defined edge.

It’s important to use dark chocolate for the top of these Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies. Milk chocolate contains more wax and does not melt and spread well at all. Besides, who doesn’t want dark chocolate with their peanut butter?! These cookies turned out beautifully. I plan to hand some out during the holidays this year to my peanut butter chocolate loving friends!

Thanks for joining me for Cookie Week! You can still sign up for end of the week goodies here: http://bit.ly/cookieweek2017

Thanks for pinning and sharing and I’ll see you tomorrow for some Chai Spice Cookies!

-Erin

Dark Chocolate P.B. Shortbread Cookies

• Author: The Teatime Baker
• Prep Time: 30 minutes + chilling
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 41 minutes
• Yield: 3 dozen 1x
• Category: Cookies

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

A sophisticated take on the popular peanut butter blossom cookies. Each bite contains both the peanut butter base and dark chocolate topping – delicious!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup (120ml) creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (60g) butter
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed dk brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1–1/3 cup (175 g) white flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips (or bars chopped)

---

Instructions

Dough:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment cream the peanut butter, butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix.
3. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder, pour into the mixer and mix until your dough comes together.
4. Chill for 1 to 24 hours.

Baking:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper to 1/4 to 1/8″ thick. Cut out circles (mine are about 2-1/4″) and space them 1-2 inches apart on the tray.
3. Bake for 11 mins and let them cool on a wire rack.

Topping:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler.
2. Scoop a little chocolate onto the top of a cookie and swirl with the back of a spoon. 
3. Let the cookies sit on the counter until the chocolate is completely dry before moving them into an airtight container.

---

Notes

I like to use the Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate chips. Ghirardelli would be great as well.

Keywords: peanut butter shortbread cookies, chocolate peanut butter cookie recipes, peanut butter cookie recipe,