Smitten Kitchen does it again.

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

170 gramscreamy peanut butter
80 grams powdered sugar
Two pinches of flaky seas salt

COOKIE

115 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 grams granulated sugar, plus more to coat cookies
95 grams dark brown sugar
65 grams creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175 grams flour
55 grams dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Filling
Line a small tray or plate with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt with a fork; it’s a little messy but it will come together. Once evenly mixed, use a teaspoon measure to scoop heaped teaspoons of filling into little balls. Spread them out on prepared tray or plate. Once you’ve used all the filling, put the tray in the freezer while you make the cookie portion.

Cookie
Beat softened butter with peanut butter and sugars until creamed together. Add vanilla, egg, and salt, and beat until combined. Sift in baking powder and cocoa, beat to combine, then add flour and mix until flour disappears.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons extra granulated sugar in a small bowl. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a scoop of cookie dough that’s just shy of 2 tablespoons and place it in the palm of your hand. Flatten it with your fingers. Take a peanut butter filling from the freezer and place it in the center, and wrap the chocolate dough around, rolling it in your palms until smooth. Roll it in the granulated sugar to coat, place it on your prepared baking sheet and gently flatten the cookie, just slightly, with your fingers.

Bake cookies:
For 8 to 10 minutes. This is going to seem like really little time, and the cookies are definitely going to look underbaked, but remember that we are just baking a thin outer shell of a cookie (the center doesn’t need to be baked), and this does not take long. Let cookies rest and set up on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool.