Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents

This morning I made  Maida's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents, a recipe which caught my eye last night while I was reading my new Maida Heatter book.

The recipe itself is actually very simple, but Maida's not kidding when she says it takes patience. The dough is a bit dry and tends to crack. Keeping the peanut butter sealed in the chocolate dough was a bit of a challenge, so eventually I just gave up and allowed the peanut butter to show in a few places. In the end, the cookies get rolled in sugar so it doesn't matter too much.

I'm not going to say that making these cookies wasn't enjoyable, because it was. Sometimes pleasure is found in the act of doing something monotonous and routine - especially when the outcome is a beautiful piece of art, clothing, or in this case, a cookie. So while this cookie wasn't for me, I think it's still a very good recipe and one you might enjoy making.

Recipe

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents

Cookie Madness

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents are made by filling a chocolate dough with small amounts of peanut butter, shaping into crescents and baking.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Total Time 33 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 60

Ingredients

 

Dough:

• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg large

Filling:

• ¾ cup peanut butter smooth
• ½ cup confectioner sugar sifted

Instructions

 

• Sift together the already-sifted flour, cocoa and salt and set aside.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in vanilla and sugar. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly mixed.
• On low speed gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until thoroughly mixed. Transfer the dough to a small bowl for ease in handling and set aside at room temperature.
• Prepare the filling by mixing together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or foil.
• To shape cookies, on a large piece of wax paper or foil, place the cookie dough in mounds, using a rounded teaspoon (you should have about 66 mounds).
• Do the same with the filling, using a level ½ measuring teaspoon.
• Pick up one mound of the dough, roll it between your hands into a ball, and flatten it between your palms until it is very thin. Place one ball of the filling in the center of the flattened dough. With your fingers, bring the dough around the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Roll the filled dough between your hands into a cylindrical shape about 2 inches long with very slightly tapered ends. Place the cookie on a cookie sheet and as you do, turn the ends down slightly to form a short fat crescent. Continue shaping the cookies and placing them ½ to 1 inch apart - these do not spread. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm.
• Optional Topping. While the cookies are baking, spread out a large piece of wax paper or foil and sift powdered sugar onto the paper or foil. As soon as the cookies are done, transfer them with a spatula to the mound of sugar and roll the cookies around to coat them thoroughly. Place on another sheet of foil to cool.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Half Batch Version -- Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crescents

Dough:
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch)
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg

Filling:
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter, smooth
¼ cup confectioner sugar, sifted

Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the softened butter. Beat in vanilla and sugar.
Add the two tablespoon egg and beat until thoroughly mixed.
By hand, stir in the flour mixture, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until thoroughly mixed. In In a separate bowl, mix together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees f. Line cookie sheets with parchment or foil.

To shape cookies, on a large piece of wax paper or foil, place the cookie dough in mounds, using a rounded teaspoon (you should have about 33 mounds).

Do the same with the filling, using a level ½ measuring teaspoon.

Pick up one mound of the dough, roll it between your hands into a ball, and flatten it between your palms until it is very thin. Place one ball of the filling in the center of the flattened dough. With your fingers, bring the dough around the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Roll the filled dough between your hands into a cylindrical shape about 2 inches long with very slightly tapered ends. Place the cookie on a cookie sheet and as you do, turn the ends down slightly to form a short fat crescent. Continue shaping the cookies and placing them ½ to 1 inch apart - these do not spread. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm.

Optional Topping. While the cookies are baking, spread out a large piece of wax paper or foil and sift powdered sugar onto the paper or foil. As soon as the cookies are doen, transfer them with a spatula to the mound of sugar and roll the cookies around to coat them thoroughly. Place on another sheet of foil to cool.

On a different note, Todd and Emma did their own project this morning. They built a bird house.