Black & Tans

Well here it is: the black and tan. The peanut butter lover's response to a black & white cookie.


When I asked Ross what I should make this week he said, "something with chocolate and peanut butter" (shocking, I know). These make a perfect summer time peanut butter & chocolate treat because they're pretty light (considering the other pb&c recipes I came across) and they're mini!

The cookie part is really easy to make. The recipe comes together super quick. The time consuming part is putting the icing on these, but I actually found that to be rather fun.

Just a few notes about the recipe:

• It says that it makes 5 dozen. There is no way you're getting 5 dozen cookies out of this unless you make them the size of quarters, in which case they would be impossible to frost! I got 3 dozen cookies and they were about 2 inches each.
• Do not underbake these. They will be impossible to frost if you do.
• The peanut butter icing is pretty darn sweet as it is. I added a little more pb and took away a little of the sugar.

Recipe
Adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients:

For the cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg

For peanut butter frosting

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup half and half

For chocolate frosting

• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa such as Periginotti
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup half and half

Directions

Make cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing just until smooth.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make peanut butter frosting:
Mix peanut butter and butter together with a hand mixer. Gradually blend in the sugar and half and half. Blend until fluffy and light. Can be prepared a day or two in advance, tightly wrapped, and refrigerated. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

Make chocolate frosting:
Mix cocoa and butter together with a hand mixer. Gradually blend in the sugar and half and half. Blend until fluffy and light. Can be prepared a day or two in advance, tightly wrapped, and refrigerated. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

Frost cookies:
With offset spatula, spread peanut butter frosting over half of flat side of each cookie. Starting with cookies you iced first, spread chocolate frosting over other half.