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Stack of chocolate peanut butter buckeye cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies

Yield: 36 Cookies
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (212 g) lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (64 g) natural, unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder (see note)

Peanut Butter Frosting:

  • 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ¾ cup (191 g) creamy peanut butter
  • 2 cups (228 g) powdered sugar
  • Pinch table salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Ganache:

  • 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips (I use semisweet or bittersweet)
  • ½ cup heavy cream (see note)

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, baking soda and salt, and mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour and cocoa and mix until combined. 
  • Scoop the soft dough into about 2 tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I use a #40 cookie scoop). Roll into balls (the dough will be soft but should still easily roll into a cookie dough ball).
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes (9 minutes is perfect in my oven) until the cookie is set around the edges and has a few crackles on the edges and top. Don't overbake; the cookies should be soft.
  • Let the cookies cool completely. 
  • For the frosting, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whip together the butter and peanut butter until creamy and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until it is mostly incorporated. Add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream and mix until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add additional heavy cream and whip thoroughly if needed for a softer frosting.
  • For the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream until just below a simmer. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy (it will start out looking grainy, but it will come together as you stir). It will thicken as it cools (and harden in the refrigerator). Let cool until room temperature before using. 
  • Frost each cooled cookie with peanut butter frosting followed by a dollop of chocolate ganache (spread across the frosting). Refrigerate the cookies or serve at room temperature. The frosting and ganache will harden in the refrigerator; I like to take them out a few minutes before serving so they are chilled but have softened a bit. 

Notes

Cocoa powder: both types of cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process) will work here. The cookies will be slightly darker and richer if using Dutch-process.
Cream: UPDATE: after lots of comments, I've edited the recipe to use less cream. The 1 cup cream in the first version of the recipe made the ganache too thin for most of you (I use an ultra-rich, super thick cream that probably made the difference in the end result).
Puffy vs Flat Cookies: if your cookies don't flatten as much as mine pictured in this post, it probably boils down to how we each measure the flour (I fluff the flour, scoop the cup in and level off), but it's an easy fix for this recipe. For puffy cookies that didn't flatten, right out of the oven, gently press a flat-bottomed glass on each cookie to flatten more (the frosting will cover it up!).