Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 325*F.

2. 2

   Toast the peanuts in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Cool to room temperature before finely chopping in a food processor fitted with a metal blade (about 20 seconds) or by hand with a cook's knife.

3. 3

   Melt the 6 oz of semi sweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Set aside.

4. 4

   Place 1 cup peanut butter, sugar and butter in a bowl and beat together until soft (about 2 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla and continue to beat for 3 minutes until smooth.

5. 5

   Add the melted chocolate and chopped peanuts. Stir in the flour and salt until thoroughly combined.

6. 6

   Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. With both palms, roll each into 12 inch long X 1 1/2 inch in diameter cylinder on a clean, dry cutting board. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and chill for 3 to 4 hours until very firm to the touch.

7. 7

   Remove from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. cut each cylinder of dough into 24 individual 1/2 inch thick slices. Divide the slices onto 4 nonstick baking sheets, evenly spacing. Place the sheets on the top and center racks of a preheated oven and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets from top to center halfway through baking time and also rotating them 180 degrees.

8. 8

   Remove the cookies from the oven and cool to room temp on the cookie sheets, about 30 minutes.

9. 9

   for the topping place the 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and the icing sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together until fluffy.

10. 10

    Place a heaping teaspoon of creamy topping in the center of each cookie. Use a small spatula or knife to spread the topping evenly over the top of each cookie.

11. 11

    Melt the remaining semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Using a teaspoon, drizzle thin lines of melted chocolate over the top of each cookie.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.