Get into the Chanukah (or pre-Chanukah) spirit with these chewy peanut butter cookies with a soft chocolate-gelt center.

You can make these dairy or pareve, by using real butter and milk chocolate coins or non-dairy butter replacement and pareve chocolate coins.

Find out more: What Is Hanukkah Gelt?

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (or non-dairy substitute), softened
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 12 large or 24 small chocolate coins (dairy or non-dairy)
  • Additional white sugar for coating

Directions

  1. Take the chocolate coins out of their wrappers. Set aside.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  3. You do not need a mixer for this recipe. A strong spoon works just fine.
  4. Mix the butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.
  5. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour. Add the flour in a few small increments. Dough should come together easier into a smooth soft dough.
  6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. This recipe makes either 12 large cookies or 24 small ones, depending on which size chocolate coins you have. You can also do a mixture, but make sure to baking them separately—large cookies on one pan, smaller cookies on a separate pan, because they will require different amounts of time in the oven.
  8. Roll the dough into balls. For smaller cookies, use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the dough. For larger ones, use 2 tablespoons (which is the same as an ⅛-cup measuring cup).
  9. Roll the dough into balls and then roll each ball in white sugar. Place on parchment paper, leaving space for the cookies to spread. Do not flatten.
  10. Bake for 12 minutes (or 8 minutes for smaller cookies).
  11. Remove from oven and press a chocolate coin in the center of each cookie. Return to oven and bake for another 3 minutes (2 minutes for the smaller cookies).
  12. Let cookies cool before trying to move them from the baking sheet.

Yields: 12 large or 24 small gelt cookies