Chocolate PB&J Thumbprint Cookies

My parents gave me Dorie Greenspan's masterwork Dorie's Cookies for my birthday yesterday. I was dying to bake out of it and I settled upon her raspberry chocolate thumbprint cookies. I only had strawberry jam and my mom suggested that I use peanut butter...one thing led to another and these were formed. The cookie base is made from a half recipe of her All Purpose Chocolate Cookie Dough. It has a nice chew to it, is not too sweet, and lends a mild chocolate flavor.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (272g) AP flour

• 1/3 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Droste Dutch-process, but natural will work too)

• 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 2/3 cup (131g) sugar

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 egg white

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Your favorite jam, for filling (I used a little over 1/2 cup)

• Creamy peanut butter, for drizzling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

2. Sift the cocoa with the flour into a small bowl and set aside.

3. Cream the butter, sugar, and salt well for a few minutes on medium speed in a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.

4. Add the egg white and vanilla. Beat to combine.

5. Add the flour/cocoa mixture in two editions and mix on low.

6. Use a small cookie scoop (I think mine is 1.5 tbsp) to portion the dough into 20-24 balls.

7. Roll each ball in your palms to completely round. Press an indentation into the center of each ball with your index finger. If you need to play with the dough a tiny bit so the well is well defined, do so.

8. Fill each indentation to the top with jam using a teaspoon. I first stirred the jam to loosen it.

9. Bake one pan at a time for 16 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the pan 5-10 minutes after baking before allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.

10. Melt 1/2 cup or so of peanut butter in the microwave, fill a sturdy plastic bag or disposable piping bag and cut off the end to drizzle over the cooled cookies.

11. Enjoy!