Tasty Tuesday: Puppy Chow Cookies

Last year, I had two Cookie Exchange parties I attended around the holidays.  I'm not sure if either is happening this year, but if one is (or both!), I already know what I will be bringing!!!  I don't usually use the word "amazeballs," but in this case it just seems so appropriate.
 Admittedly, chocolate peanut butter is a huge obsession of mine, so when I saw Puppy Chow Cookies on Pinterest, I had a feeling they were going to be a winner for me.  I mean, I do love me some Puppy Chow.  If you're not familiar with Puppy Chow, maybe you've heard of Muddy Buddies...or if not, just know that it's basically chocolate peanut butter Chex coated in powdered sugar (or the stuff I consume a whole bag of as "airplane comfort food" every time we travel).  Well, these certainly met my high expectations.  They're definitely decadent, rich, and certainly indulgent, so I'm hoping to restrain from making them too frequently (hence special occasions like a cookie exchange...hint hint), but they're well worth the splurge!
While I clearly loved the original recipe, I would suggest doubling the coating ingredients.  Maybe I'm a heavy dipper, but I ran out really quickly!  Oh, and I would try freezing the cookies for a few minutes before dipping them in because I also lost a few in the chocolate!  
And by the way, the original picture did them much more justice than mine did, so I'm just going to use hers!

via

Puppy Chow Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (again, I would double this)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (and this)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (and this!)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
2.  Cream butter and peanut butter in mixer until smooth.
3.  Beat in both sugars and mix for about 2 minutes.
4. Add egg and mix well.
5.  Add in vanilla, baking soda, and salt.
6.  Turn mixer to low and add flour.
7.  Measure out tablespoon of dough.  (I highly suggest actually measuring it out instead of eyeballing, so your cookie end up the right size).  Roll it into ball and then flatten it to approximately 1/2 inch thick with your hands before placing it on cookie sheet.  Bake 8-9 minutes.
8.  Allow to cool completely.  Again, I would even put them in the freezer for 30 minutes or so to make sure they're nice and firm before dipping into hot chocolate!
9.  When you're ready to dip, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in microwave until smooth.  Place powdered sugar in a separate shallow dish.
10.  Assemble cookies by dipping in chocolate first and then tossing in powdered sugar.  Tap off excess.
11. Allow to set on cooling rack (if you can resist that long)