Nutella Peanut Butter Pillows

Fridays' theme was Peanut Butter. What a delicious day it turned out to be! Nutella is almost as dangerous for me to be around as a jar of peanut butter so I decided to combine these 2 vices into one nut-filled powerhouse of flavour. These cookies turned out to be Amazing!

My inspiration came from Baking Bites. Nicole came up with a recipe that replicated the Pillsbury Bake-off winner from a few years ago. The ingenious idea was a peanut butter cookie stuffed with peanut butter. Since I am part squirrel, my brain literally ran around in a happy, frenzied circle. And the nuttiness does not end there. The cookies are also topped with chopped peanuts. Wow. I added my own spin to the already mouth watering recipe by adding nutella to the peanut butter stuffing. And I rolled the entire cookie into the peanut, cinnamon, and sugar mixture. I'm a huge fan of sea salt so I usually add more than what a recipe calls for. To continue with the nut theme I used almond extract instead of vanilla. I tend to do this in a lot of recipes just because I love the almond flavour. I really wanted the Nutella filling to take up a good majority of the cookie so I made the filling into large balls. From first to last bite the filling was part of the experience. Despite that, the peanut butter cookie dough was still able to form a perfect cocoon-like cover over the Nutella.
At first glace the cookies look unassuming and maybe even boring. But if you look closer you can see the Nutella just beneath the surface just waiting to be uncovered by a hungry mouth.
The cookie tastes like a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich only without the boring slice of bread. Imagine that instead of bread, you have a sugar cookie with a sprinkling of sea salt and cinnamon. They are soft at the Nutella core and the edges have a perfect, light crisp texture.
Grab a tall glass of ice cold milk and prepare to be transported to a Nut-filled heaven, Just look out for the squirrels. Nutella Peanut Butter Pillows
( inspired by Baking Bites )
* printer friendly Recipe *

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of cake flour
• 1/2 tsp. of baking Soda
• 1 tsp. of sea salt
• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick ) butter. At room temp.
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter

Nutella Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 tsp. of sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. of confectioners sugar

Topping/Rolling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of finely ground, roasted peanuts ( run through the food processor )
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of sea salt

Method:

In a small bowl, Sift the flours and baking soda together. Whisk in the sea salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, Cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat at medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the almond extract and peanut butter. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Be careful not to over mix. Stop beating when all the flour streaks are gone. Cover and refrigerate for an hour while you make the filling and topping.

To make the Nutella filling, Combine all the ingredients and mix well. You should be able to easily roll the filling into ball forms. If it is too sticky add more confectioners sugar. Set aside until ready to use.

To make the topping, Simply mix all the ingredients into a shallow bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out about 2 level tablespoons of the chilled cookie dough. Roll into a ball and flatten out onto the parchment paper. Roll some of the Nutella dough into a smaller ball and place on top of the cookie dough, Press in slightly. Gently fold the cookie dough over the Nutella so it is completely covered. Carefully roll into a ball and roll the ball into the topping so it has a nice coating. Place ball back onto the parchment paper and lightly press down with the bottom of a glass. Place cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are a light gold.

You can adjust the size of your cookies and use as little or as much filling as you want. Just be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.