Buckeye Cookies

I want to slow time, every minute of time, during the month of October. How do I express with mere words the comfort, cozy, nostalgic feelings that October brings? The windows are slightly foggy from the heat of the oven against the cool of the air outside. Football echoes against the snoring family. The stillness of Sunday on a cool October day represents home and family like no other scenario.

Dinner today is oven baked, western cut ribs with barbecue sauce (store bought sauce, hey I'm only human) and oven roasted root vegetables. Carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, and yukon potatoes slathered down with olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and this stuff called Garlic Garlic (Tastefully Simple product).

I'm content. Content to be smelling the aroma of cookies, autumn leaves, and ribs. Content to be listening to the Cleveland Browns losing yet another game. Content to be wearing pajamas and a hoody in the middle of the day. Despite the unfinished business of moving, the house feels like home.

I'm merely suggesting that baking this recipe for cookies might somehow give you that same nostalgic feeling of contentment. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Bake them, and let me know if something comforting is stirred in your soul. 

Ignore the double acting baking powder in the photo, you don't need it for this recipe.
 Take note of the 'Be Nice Or Leave' Sign.

Buckeye Cookies

This recipe is all over the internet so how do I give credit to all of them? I don't. It seems, many good bakers like this one.

**First off... check out my hint below

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

chocolate cookie part

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (use the Hershey brand, it's fine)

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup softened (unsalted) butter

1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar + more for rolling the cookies

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 egg (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

Filling

3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup of powdered sugar

 For the chocolate part

1. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and soda. 
2. With the mixer on medium speed beat together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3.  Add egg, vanilla, and beat to combine.
4.  Reduce the mixer to low and slowly add the flour cocoa mixture.
5. Scoop out the dough and form into one big ball. Set aside.

For the filling part

1.  In a bowl mix together the peanut butter with the powdered sugar. I used a fork at first and then resorted to just squishing it all with my best tools, my hands.
2.  Scoop out the dough and form into one big ball.

**Helpful Hint

Once you have the two separate dough balls prepared, divide them in half, then quarters, then smaller and smaller until you have 32 small chocolate sections and 32 small peanut butter sections. This really helps to finish with even sizes and equals amounts of chocolate, and peanut butter parts.

You get the idea, right?

Take one chunk of the chocolate dough and flatten it with your hand. Roll the peanut butter into a tiny ball and place it on top of the chocolate dough. Form a ball around the filling, enclosing the peanut butter completely with the chocolate. Roll the whole shooting match in granulated sugar.

Place cookies 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Using the palm of your hand, flatten the cookie slightly. You can use parchment, I did not. I had no issues. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This cookie recipe will be added to my keep forever recipes.