Two-Bite Buckeye Cookies

Ganache Filling

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter, like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s
• 1 teaspoon chipotle puree* --or more depending on your heat tolerance.
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste depending on the saltiness of your peanut butter

Cookies

• 1 1/2 cup AP flour
• 3/4 cups natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chiles
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Place peanut butter, chipotle puree, and salt in bowl of standing mixer (with whisk attached). Gently warm cream in small pan over low heat. Pour cream over peanut butter mixture and whip until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt and chipotle. Chill until firm, a couple hours or even overnight.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, pepper, ancho, and cayenne.
3. In bowl of standing mixer, cream butter. Add vanilla, sugar, and beat thoroughly. Beat in egg and gradually add dry ingredients. Blend only until mixed.
4. Turn dough out on lightly floured cutting board/silpat/counter and shape dough into two cylinders about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap cylinders in wax paper and place in freezer until firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375. Unwrap dough and cut into slices 1/8-inch thick. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake about 8 minutes. Watch carefully; cookies are done when they are firm to touch. Cool.
6. Gently spread chilled ganache on cookies and top with another cookie to make a sandwich.
7. *chipotle puree: empty the contents of a can of chipotle chiles in adobe sauce into your food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. The remainder will keep in a glass jar in the fridge for at least a month. Delicious stirred into scrambled eggs, mayo, hummus, and butter (to spread on corn on the cob, yum)