Something Wicked Awesome This Way Comes

F***in' Insane Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Of all the amazing flavor combinations the culinary world has to offer . . does anything go together better than chocolate and peanut butter? They go together like . . . Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, like witches and a heath, like a Shakespearean tragedy and a beheading. Going into our second read-through tomorrow, I wanted to come armed with plenty of ideas about the show and (of course) some treats for the actors. I've been on a baking frenzy tonight . . . I hope the cast shows up tomorrow with an appetite for cookies and Shakespeare.

Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c. flour
- 3/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp/ salt
- 1 c. sugar
- 3/4 c. butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c. peanut butter
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl or with a stand mixer, blend together flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, 3/4 c. butter, egg, and vanilla to make the dough. Wrap chocolate dough in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

When the dough is ready to work with, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet. Using a small cookie scoop to keep cookies uniform in size, scoop a rounded tablespoonful of dough and form it into a small ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten using the bottom of a glass to about 1/4" thick. The edges of the dough should crack a little bit. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a rack before filling.

To make peanut butter filling, place 1/2 c. butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Blend together with an electric mixer. Fill cookies with a generous tablespoonful of peanut butter filling. Top with a second cookie and press together slightly. Set aside.

Fill a small microwave safe bowl with chocolate chips. Heat in microwave about 1 minute, stir. If chips aren't melted fully, try another thirty seconds, remove from microwave and stir again. Once chips are smooth, load into a pastry bag or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner clipped off. Drizzle chocolate over sandwich cookies. Allow chocolate to set completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy around a good Shakespeare script . . . but watch out for witches. They are notorious for stealing delicious cookies.