This is the twelfth baked good that has made it on my blog. I can agree with all of my friends that I have definitely amped up my baking this quarter. Baking is continually becoming more of an outlet for me during stressful school days. This all being said, I took a break over finals week away from baking and searching for recipes online. It was a huge relief not feeling anxious about the giant mess, and time, that baking would take out of my schedule (as much as I love it, it can be a time consuming task!).
I'm not sure how much time I will have for baking next quarter, considering my schedule is quite different. However, I'll do my best to keep up with posting and producing some tasty treats for all my friends. I'm currently on spring break and I've made a couple things that I plan on featuring very soon!
As for these cookies, they were good, but very time consuming. I honestly was not very happy with the pretzel coating on the outside. Maybe it was because I used organic pretzels, but after being baked and stored for a couple days, the pretzels definitely lost their crunch.
I've made a variation of these peanut-butter thumbprint cookies before, but instead of using a brownie filling I used hershey's kisses. The brownie filling is better after this cookie cools. It provides that essence of a nice, soft, swirled peanut-butter brownie that so many people love. These cookies are best eaten day of. My roommates loved eating them warm, right out the oven to consume the goey chocolate filling. I personally liked eating them cool, but when the pretzels are still fresh. Overall, this cookie is pretty creative with all of its components, so if you have some time and love contrasting flavors of both savory and sweet, then give this cookie a shot. Enjoy!
Pretzel Crusted-Peanut Butter- Brownie Filled Thumbprint Cookies
Adapted from Top With Cinnamon
Yields: 24-30 Cookies
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp + 1tsp white sugar
1/2 large egg (keep the other half for the brownie filling)
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Pretzel Crust:
1/2 cup of crushed pretzels
A pinch of salt
White Sugar
Brownie Filling:
1 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 egg (saved from cookie dough)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour
Steps:
Brownie Filling:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie tray with parchment paper.
2. Start making the brownie filling by melting the chocolate and the 2 tbsp of butter together in a small bowl in the microwave. Microwave in 15-30 second intervals. Stir in 1/4 cup of white sugar and set aside.
Cookie Dough:
1. Start making the cookie dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars.
2. Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla extract until fully combined.
3. In a separate, medium bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In 2-3 additions, incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Mix until combined into a smooth dough.
Pretzel Crust:
1. Crush the pretzels: Measure out 1/2 cup of pretzels (to start), and crush the pretzels in a separate bag.
2. Place crushed pretzels in a separate bowl, and add a pinch of salt.
3. Put a handful of white sugar in a separate bowl.
Assemble Cookies:
1. Assemble Cookies: Take rounded teaspoons of cookie dough and roll into balls.
2. Roll each ball firmly in crushed pretzel mixture, then in teh sugar and place on the prepared cookie tray. Repeat until you've used all the cookie dough.
3. Using the end of a wooden spoon/the end of a sharpie, make a deep indentation in each ball of cookie dough.
4. Bake for 5 minutes.
5. While the cookies bake, beat the 1/2 egg, vanilla and flour into the chocolate mixture you made earlier.
6. After 5 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven, and using the end of the spoon/sharpie reindent the cookies.
7. Fill each indentation with brownie batter.
8. Return cookies to oven and bak for 4-5 minutes, when the brownie batter is set on top, but still slightly liquidy the cookies are down!
9. Once cool, transfer to wire rack.
What I Did Differently:
1. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips for the brownie filling.
2. I used organic pretzels for the crust (I do not think it matters what kind of pretzels, but note that mine did not stay crunch for more than a day or two).
3. 1/2 cup crushed pretzels was not enough. I probably used at least 1 cup, if not more for the coating.
4. *Note: There will be extra brownie batter, so bake yourself an individual brownie (in a muffin tin perhaps!).
