I always wished I had a sister. One like the sort of sister that each of my two girls is for the other. There's even research showing that having a sister makes you a happier person, whoever you are.
I didn't dream about a big wedding, or getting married or anything at all like that. But I wanted a puppy (one that fit into my pocket would have been the puppy of my dreams, so I could bring him everywhere without anyone telling me “no”). And a sister. Is it weird that I never even told anyone either of those things before? Don't answer that. Okay, tell me. Wait, don't.
When my two girls, who are my oldest and my youngest children with a brother in between them which seems to cancel out most of the expected sisterly rivalry, eat sweets that they love, eating them together seems to multiply their happiness by, like, 100 times.
The two sisters in my house? They love these chocolate-covered peanut butter cookies. These cookies are like peanut butter gluten-free Thin Mints. They're both thin, and covered in smooth rich chocolate. But instead of mint, it's roasted peanut butter.
PB2 is this pretty cool powdered peanut butter (and yup, it's gluten-free – I asked). I have taken to using it like I use cocoa powder. Sort of. So far, I'm pretty well loving it. (There's a link to PB2 on amazon in the printable recipe below.) I also love sprinkling it on plain yogurt, and using it to make smoothies.
This dough is pretty easy to handle. It's smooth and pliable. If you like, you can divide it in 2 parts and wrap them each in plastic to chill them for a bit before rolling them out between layers of unbleached parchment.
All that's left is to line them up.
Bake them.
And then dip them in some nice dark chocolate. Let them set, and then enjoy them with your sister if you have one. Or your brother. Or alone long after everyone else has gone to bed. That can be a pretty happy experience, too. So I've heard.
| Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Thins |
- COOKIES
- 1 3/4 cups (245g) high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 7 tablespoons (42g) [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/PB2-Powdered-Peanut-Butter-Calories/dp/B002GJ9JWS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1346106798&sr=8-3&keywords=pb2+powdered+peanut+butter” rel=”nofollow”]PB2[/url]
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (112g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 extra-large egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- GLAZE
- 1/2 pound dark chocolate, chopped
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, PB2, sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the butter, egg and vanilla, and mix until the dough comes together. It will be thick and smooth.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts, and roll each out between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper until the dough is 1/8 inch thick (the thickness of a nickel), no thinner.
- Pull back the top sheet of parchment paper on one piece of dough. With a round 2 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets, and place them about 1-inch apart (they will not spread much during baking). Gather the scraps, roll them out again, and cut more rounds. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, for 8 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and light brown on top.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cool, make the glaze. Place all of the dark chocolate except for 3 to 4 1 1/2-inch-size chunks in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 70% power for 45 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add the reserved chunks of chocolate and stir until the chocolate has begun to thicken a bit and the chunks have melted.
- Place the cookies, one at a time, in the glaze. Press down on the cookie with the tines of a fork, then flip it gently in the chocolate. Pull the cookie out of the chocolate by slipping the fork under it and bobbing the cookie on the surface of the chocolate a few times before pulling it along the edge of the bowl and carefully placing it on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.
Love,
Me
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