JUMBO PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES WITH DARK GANACHE (GRAIN-FREE & GLUTEN-FREE VERSIONS)

Recipe By Shirell Dalton, The Simple Chocolatier

Active Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 7 minutes

Yields 8 jumbo-sized cookies

Ingredients:

For the Grain-Free version:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, firmly packed – see note below

3/4 cups natural peanut butter – see note below

2 large eggs

3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla

3/4 cups coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup pure cane sugar (to roll cookies in) – see note below

For the Gluten-Free version:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed – see note below

3/4 cups natural peanut butter – see note below

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour (I recommend Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free All Purpose Flour or Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten Free Heritage Blend All Purpose Flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup pure cane sugar (to roll cookies in) – see note below

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon raw honey (or light corn syrup)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, oil, brown sugar and peanut butter. Add egg and mix well. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to mixture. Stir until combined. Use a 1/3 measurement cup to measure out individual cookie portions then roll each portion into a ball. Pour the pure cane sugar onto a saucer plate or use a small bowl, then roll each ball into the sugar. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets. Only place on a few cookies at a time. Place about 3-1/2 inches apart. Use the base of your front palm to press the cookies down to about 1/2” high. Bake the Grain-Free version for approximately 6 minutes and the Gluten-Free version for approximately 7-8 minutes or until slightly under baked. Do not over bake. Remove from oven. Use a round cookie cutter or rim of a glass to press (press gently- do not press all the way through) a circular shape into the center of the cookies before the cookies cool. Once the cookies have cooled, use a small spatula and spread Dark Chocolate Ganache into the center circular pattern of the cookie. Place the cookies in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets.

To make the Dark Chocolate Ganache– Pour the bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium–size heatproof bowl. Place bowl aside. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, butter and honey. Bring to a light boil over medium heat. Remove the cream mixture from the heat, and pour over the chocolate chips. Gently swirl the bowl to cover the chocolate completely with the cream. Slowly whisk until the chocolate chips melt. Tightly wrap and freeze any unused portion for up to 3 months.

Note: I’m a big believer in using quality (and affordably priced) ingredients in order to make quality desserts and other foods. My product recommendations are SimplyNature Organic Light Brown Sugar (Aldi store product), Aldi’s Peanut Delight Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, and Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar (unrefined).

Variations:

Gluten-Free Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark Ganache (Lighter Version)– For this recipe, use 1/4 cup unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 3/4 cups brown sugar, 3/4 cups peanut butter, 1 large egg, 1 cup gluten-free flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla.

Grain Free (or Gluten-Free) Jumbo Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark Ganache– Add 2 tablespoons cocoa or cacao.

Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Center –Replace the dark chocolate ganache with dark, milk or white chocolate. For a milk or white chocolate center- use 1 cup of milk or white chocolate chips and 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. For a dark chocolate center- use 1 cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (or half bittersweet and half semi-sweet) and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds then remove and stir; repeat this process at shorter intervals, stirring every 15 seconds until the chocolate is smooth. Spread the chocolate onto the center of each cookie.

Mini Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Center (or Dark Ganache) – Instead of using a 1/3 cup measurement, use 2 tablespoons of the cookie mixture for the individual cookie portions. Once the cookies are removed from the oven, use a very small circular cookie cutter or the lid of a spice container to form a small circular pattern in the center of the cookies (do not press completely through the cookies). After the cookies have cooled, spread ganache or melted chocolate (see Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Center recipe) onto the circular area of each cookie.

Heart-Shaped Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Center (or Dark Ganache) – Roll or press the cookie mixture between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/2 inch in thickness. Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Gently press each heart-shaped cookie into sugar then place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Place about 3-1/2 inches apart. Use a smaller heart-shaped cutter to form the center part of the cookies once the cookies are removed from the oven. After the cookies have cooled, spread ganache or melted chocolate (see Jumbo Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Center recipe) onto the center heart-shaped pattern of each cookie.

Recipes developed by Shirell Dalton – The Simple Chocolatier  Copyright ©2015 Shirell Dalton, All Rights Reserved