Peanut Meltaway Cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Christmas, North American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: cookies

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Peanut Meltaway Cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth cookie prepared with peanut butter and topped with a chocolate peanut butter ganache. Doesn't that sound delicious!? The base has a shortbread, crumbly-like texture that pairs extraordinarily well with the creaminess of the smooth ganache dollop. These are simply irresistible!

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Ingredients

For the Cookie Base:

10 tablespoons softened butter (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt (do not add the salt if you use salted butter)

For the Ganache Topping:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the peanut butter until well combined and creamy.
Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat to incorporate.
Add the vanilla extract and beat into the peanut butter mixture; be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.
Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt. On low speed, beat to incorporate and increase speed to medium until well mixed.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
Portion the dough into one-tablespoon amounts.
Roll the dough into balls and set the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Use a small water glass to gently press the balls flat to about just over ¼ inch thick. (If the glass sticks to the dough, dip the bottom of the glass into plain flour and gently tap off the excess. Depending on how warm your kitchen might be, you may need to do this to flatten each cookie.)
Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on the outer edges.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 1 minute before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Once the cookies are completely cool, it’s time to prepare and apply the ganache topping. To do so, add the chocolate, milk, and peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. In 30 second increments on high speed, melt the ingredients together until smooth. Be sure to stir well between each increment.
Once the chocolate and peanut butter mixture is completely smooth, add the confectioner’s sugar and stir well to incorporate.
Transfer the ganache to a Ziploc bag. Use scissors to cut a small tip from one lower corner of the bag.
Gently squeeze the chocolate mixture onto each cookie to form a dollop right in the center. The chocolate mixture might seem thin, but it will harden.
Once done, you can use the fat end of a chopstick or the handle of a wooden mixing spoon to push down any peaks in the ganache.
Dust the finished cookies with confectioner’s sugar, if desired. Allow cookies to rest until ganache has set – about an hour or so. Once cool, stack them in a cookie tin and keep them at room temperature.

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