Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Drops

The combination of salty-sweet is perfection in desserts: salted caramels, chocolate dipped pretzels, even chocolate bacon cake. (Trust me.) But the original, the very first experience most of us have of this nirvana of salty-sweet, is with peanut butter and chocolate, possibly my favorite flavor combination. (See my blog post on homemade peanut butter cups.)

Going a bit farther on that path (and at the request of my peanut butter and chocolate obsessed children), I came up with this recipe for cookie dough drops: basically cookie dough dipped in chocolate and finely chopped nuts (I like cashews, for an extra hit of rich, nutty flavor. Peanuts work just fine too.) Easy to make, even easier to eat, and appealing to everyone, big and little alike.

One note: I have re-imagined the peanut butter cookie dough so that it does not include eggs, just in case you are a little freaked out about eating eggs in the raw.

Recipe:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup A.P. flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8-12 ounces chocolate, (milk or dark) melted
• 1/2 cup cashews or peanuts, finely chopped

I use a food processor to make this, because it can be done in less than a minute, but it can be made by hand, just be sure to blend everything well.

1. Blend together butter, peanut butter and sugar until well combined. It should be very smooth. 
2. Add flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Blend again until very smooth. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until the dough is firm enough to be easily handled.
3. Using a tablespoon or a large melon baller, make 1-inch dough balls. 
4. Freeze until firm about 30 minutes. This makes the dough much easier to dip in the melted chocolate. 
5. Dip dough in melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts, and place on cooling rack until chocolate hardens.
6. Snarf.

Makes about 3 dozen 1-inch dough drops

*This makes a great peanut butter cookie too. Flatten the dough balls with a fork, sprinkle with chopped nuts, and bake in 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes until edges are crispy and the middles still a bit soft.