You know those people that listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving???

GUILTY!

I started listening to Christmas music before Halloween.

I can’t help it.  It makes me happy!  It makes me smile!  It makes me want to eat Christmas cookies.

Julie’s Top 5 Favorite Christmas Songs:

5.  All I Want for Christmas is You; Mariah Carey
4.  Last Christmas; Wham
3.  Silent Night; Michael Buble
2.  O Holy Night; Celine Dion
I’m not afraid to admit it!  Celine is fab!  Celine can BELT out this wonderful song.
1.  O Come All Ye Faithful; Josh Groban & the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
This song!  This song!  THIS SONG!  Love!  You NEED to get Josh Groban’s Noel album from iTunes if you don’t have it already.

Christmas music is great to listen to whilst baking too.

Let’s bake!  Shall we?

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Yields approximately 26 cookies

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Cookie Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
Turbinado sugar, for rolling

For the Peanut Butter Filling
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

To make the chocolate cookie dough:

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Set bowl aside.

Beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add in the vanilla, whole egg, and egg yolk.  Beat until combined.  Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet.  Blend well.

To make the peanut butter filling: Stir together the peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth.  Using your hands, roll the filling into 26 small balls.  Place flour on your hands if they become sticky.

To shape the cookies: Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 26 balls of chocolate cookie dough.  Make an indentation in the center of the chocolate ball with your finger.  Place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.

Bring the chocolate cookie dough up and over the filling to cover the peanut butter inside.  Roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Roll each rounded cookie in turbinado sugar.  Place prepared dough on baking sheets.  Use a flat surface to flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.