Martha Stewarts Peanut Butter Surprises Recipes

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.

MARTHA STEWART'S PEANUT-BUTTER SURPRISES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between additions. Add vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients; mix on low speed until fully combined. Add chocolate chips; mix on low just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill until firm about 1 hour.
• In a small bowl using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.
• Drop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time onto baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 2 teaspoons peanut butter mixture. Top with a second tablespoon of flattened dough. Carefully mold dough to cover "surprise.".
• Bake until firm, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and let cool completely on wire 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.

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.

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.

PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Butter a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Stir together sugar, 1/2 cup water, and the salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn golden, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has melted and mixture turns golden amber, about 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in peanuts. Immediately pour peanut mixture onto buttered baking sheet. Quickly spread mixture to 1/2 inch thick using an oiled metal spatula. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break brittle into pieces. Brittle can be stored in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.