Best Martha Stewarts Peanut Butter Surprises Recipes

SURPRISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
• Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SURPRISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and 1 cup light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each addition. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until fully combined. Remove from mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup light-brown sugar.
• Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 1 teaspoon peanut-butter mixture. Top with a second scoop of dough, and carefully mold dough to cover "surprise."
• Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks.

EASY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together peanut butter, egg, sugar, baking soda, vanilla, if using, and salt until well combined.
• Using a 1 3/4-inch scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on each scoop in a crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle with sugar and transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake until slightly puffed, 11 to 12 minutes. Cookies will still be soft. Let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

PEANUT-BUTTER SWIRL BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
• Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside.
• Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
• Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
• Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Place dollops of filling (about 1 tablespoon each) about 1 inch apart on top of batter. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Place dollops of remaining filling on top.
• With a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter, running knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP TART

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse wafers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add butter, granulated sugar, and salt; process until well combined. Press mixture firmly into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake until crust is fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Filling: Sift confectioners' sugar into a large bowl; set aside. Combine butter, cream, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter and peanut butter are just melted. Pour over confectioners' sugar in bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into cooled crust and spread to edges with a small offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Topping: Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat; pour over chocolate mixture. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate has softened, then stir together with a rubber spatula until emulsified. Let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until ganache is thick, glossy, and just holds a line but is still pourable, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place tart on a revolving cake stand. Pour ganache into center of tart and carefully spread just shy of the edges. Using a small offset spatula held at an angle, create a spiral pattern in the top of the tart by spinning cake stand while slowly sliding spatula out from the center of the tart to the edge. Let stand at room temperature until ganache has set, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream and peanut brittle, if desired. Tart is best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs, then peanut butter.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until just combined after each addition. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Press cookies with fork tines to flatten and create a cross-hatch pattern. Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER CUP BARS

Steps:

• Coat bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, 1 stick butter, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. Transfer to prepared pan; press with your hands to flatten and smooth top (if mixture is too sticky, dampen them slightly).
• Combine chocolate and 4 tablespoons butter in a metal bowl. Set over a saucepan containing 2 inches of simmering water; stir with a rubber spatula until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from heat and let cool slightly, stirring gently, about 3 minutes. Pour chocolate over peanut-butter mixture in baking pan, tilting pan to ensure chocolate spreads evenly across top.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter until smooth. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Drop 1/4-to-3/4-teaspoon rounds of mixture on top of chocolate in baking pan in 1-inch intervals. Drag the tip of a wooden skewer or toothpick quickly through center of each round to create a heart shape. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or, loosely covered, up to 1 week.
• Run a paring knife along edges of pan on the two sides not lined with parchment. Use parchment overhangs to lift from pan; cut into 2-inch bars. Serve cold.