Peanut Butter Cookies Part 2

See directions Recipe by: St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10/21/96 Place 2 oven racks in upper and lower third of oven. To prepare cookies: Sift together flour, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Whisk to combine well. Set aside. Beat sugars in mixing bowl until well-mixed. Add butter and peanut butter and beat several minutes until very smooth. Add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture at low speed until just incorporated. Scrape dough into a clean bowl; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees at least 15 minutes before baking. Measure dough by using 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop or 2 level teaspoons dough. Roll between palms to form 1-inch balls. Place balls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. As soon as each ball is rolled, use index finger or wooden spoon handle to make a depression going down almost to baking sheet in center of each ball. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and set. For even baking, rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking period. Let cool on sheets for a few minutes or until firm enough to lift. Use small-angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. If necessary, while cookies are still hot, use greased wooden spoon handle to deepen depressions. Fill centers with milk chocolate topping or cherry preserves. To prepare chocolate topping: Melt chocolates in upper container of double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water on low heat. Remove upper container from heat before chocolate is fully melted and stir until blended. (Or microwave on High power, stirring every 10 seconds.)Whisk in softened butter. Mixture will thicken immediately. Do not overwhisk. Use resealable quart-size freezer bag with 1 corner cut off to pipe chocolate into cookie centers, or use small metal spatula to spread 1 dollop. Allow chocolate to set until firm before storing cookies in airtight containers. To prepare cherry preserves topping: In microwave oven or saucepan, heat preserves until boiling, about 3 minutes on the stove, stirring constantly. Strain jelly into small heavy saucepan. Place cherries that remain in strainer in centers of cookies. Boil jelly over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until, when dropped from spoon, last drops gather to form 1 large sticky drop that hangs from spoon. Jelly will reduce to about 3/4 cup. Allow jelly to cool about 1 minute or until bubbling stops. Spoon heaping 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon over each cherry.
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