Buckeye Chocolate Cookies

Peanuts are one of my loves, I love them salty, caramelized, in a praline paste, salads, and of course in desserts. but! There is one peanut product that I like less (if to be gentle). Guess which one?

So for those who guessed, you were right, peanut butter. I never understood this product, I tried to taste it so many times, different brands, in different countries, I could not connect. The fatness, the heaviness, the texture, all together made me feel something was wrong.

Until we tasted the Buckeye cookies at our friends and suddenly I got excited about the taste and the flavors combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

These cookies are a development of a famous candy in the USA called Buckeye Candy. Buckeye is a type of tree, very common in the state of Ohio, hence it’s also known as The Buckeye State. It’s a tree whose fruits look like chestnuts, but in fact have nothing to do with the chestnut family, they are not edible and even toxic.

Buckeye sweets consist of a mixture of peanut butter and several other ingredients, coated in chocolate. A candy similar in shape to the fruit of the Buckeye tree.

And if we go back to the cookie we tasted, this is an upgrade of the Buckeye candy that turns a snack into a real dessert. Instead of “just” a chocolate-coated peanut butter mixture, a soft chocolate cookie with a generous layer of peanut butter and a delicate chocolate coating on it.

After tasting the cookies once, I tried to make them at home and restore the taste and after a few tries it happened. A great combination of textures and flavors, perfect for chocolate and peanut butter lovers.

Buckeye Chocolate Cookies
12-14 cookies

Ingredients
230g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 70%cocoa)
30g butter
120g eggs (around 2 eggs)
70g light brown sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla extract 
70g all-purpose flour, sifted 
3g baking powder (around half tsp)
30g cocoa powder, sifted 

170g soft peanut butter 
80g confectioners sugar

100g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 70%cocoa)

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Preparation 
1. Preheat the oven to 180C degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Melt dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler or the microwave. Cool to room temperature. 
3. In a big bowl beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
4. Add melted chocolate to egg mixture and beat until smooth.
5. Add flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, and mix until well combined. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter and confectioners sugar until combined. Roll the mixture into 12-14 balls. Arrange the ball on a cookie tray, set aside.
7. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using an ice cream scoop, form 12-14 balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet.
8. Bake for 10 minutes until the cookies look firm on the outside but not over-baked.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and while hot, form a small socket in each cookie using a spoon, in each socket place a peanut butter ball and press lightly.
10. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and when they are completely cold melt the dark chocolate and garnish with a generous layer of chocolate.

 

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Bon-Appétit
Sharon