Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar    Publisher: Da Capo Press © 2009 by Isa Chandra Moskowitz ISBN: 160094048X

Reprinted with permission from the author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows (p. 147)
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate-with-peanut-butter devotees will totally stalk you once they bite into these seemingly ordinary chocolate cookies with a hidden peanut butter center. Or consider these a peanut butter ball with a chocolate cookie shell, and looking something like a plump round ravioli. Or a pillow, but edible, like the name says. Impatience is rewarded here: just a few minutes out of the oven, these cookies are dynamite - all warm and oozy inside. You can either press them down a little to give them a flattened shape, or leave the balls to flatten slightly on their own during baking.

Ingredients

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, nondairy milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa powder if using, baking soda, and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.
2. Make the peanut butter filling: in another mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together peanut butter, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of the soy creamer, and vanilla to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is dry and crumbly (natural peanut butters have varying moisture contents), stir in the remaining tablespoon of nondairy milk. If dough is too wet, knead in a little extra powdered sugar.
3. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shape the Cookies:

1. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into twenty-four balls (try dividing dough in half, then each part in half again and roll each portion into six balls). Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a thin disc, and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll into a smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining dough. If desired, gently flatten cookies slightly, but this is not necessary.
2. Place the dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cookies stand for 5 minutes before moving them to wire racks to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired, warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.

Morsels

If unsalted peanut butter is all you have, be sure to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt to the peanut butter mixture.