Taste Invader

In an “Iron Chef” like challenge (well, sort of), a friend asked me to come up with a desert item using Reese’s pieces as the star of the dish.  I accepted.  Mainly because I love Reese’s pieces.

The thing about pieces and their sweet peanut buttery goodness is that after you eat a couple of handfuls, you lose the flavor and all that you taste is the sugar.  They need a counter point—chocolate.  I thought that the perfect counter point would be a rich chocolate-y cookie.  My only concern was that the peanut flavor might get overpowered by the cocoa.  So I added salted roasted peanuts: 1.  To bolster the flavor of the pieces; 2.  To add another textural element to the soft and chewy cookie; 3.  To add a salty undertone to the taste experience.

The result, a fairly addictive peanut buttery treat.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

12 oz Reese’s pieces

1 cup salted roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and add to the egg/butter mixture with the mixer on low speed until just combined.
5. Fold in the candy and peanuts.
6. Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon.
7. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone).
8. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

~ by Taste Invader on February 20, 2010.

Posted in Cookie, Dessert