Inside out peanut blossoms

Uncle Eric bestowed (read: regifted) a giant Hershey's bar on Ethan last week. Ethan has been gazing at it fondly and debating all the many ways to use it for days, and I finally talked him into making some cookies. As we discussed the types of cookies, I convinced him to make a secret treasure version of peanut blossoms.

The resulting soft and chewy cookie with a melty chocolate center won rave reviews from the kids, and it was fun to have them help roll the dough balls around the chunks, then through sugar.

Yeah, he's so sneaky. Hands off little buddy! Anyway, this is definitely a kid friendly people pleaser recipe. The dough is easy to handle and yummy to snitch, and I can't think of a better way to use up a giant candy bar. Here you go:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

2 T. milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 large chocolate bar, each rectangle cut in half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the shortening, peanut butter, egg and milk until smooth, then beat in the sugars. Beat in the soda, salt, vanilla and flour. Take a golf ball size glob of dough and push a dent into the middle of it. Stick a chunk of chocolate in and form the dough around it until it is completely encased. Roll each dough ball in sugar, then place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until just set and nicely crinkly on top. Allow to rest on the sheet for 2-3 minutes before attempting to remove to a wire rack - they are quite fragile right out of the oven. This yielded 2 1/2 dozen cookies from a recipe that usually yields closer to 4 dozen if you make them the traditional way with the hershey kiss on top. I have to say that I like these ones better :).