Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

During my last pregnancy my high risk doctor friend (ya, I know people) told me I needed to eat peanut butter to help reduce the chances of my son having a peanut allergy.  This conversation occurred somewhere in my third trimester.  Up until that point I rarely, if at all, ate any peanut products.  I wouldn't say I had an aversion, but I most definitely didn't crave peanuts or peanut butter.  Lucky for me, or perhaps lucky for Carter, my son doesn't have a peanut allergy.  But of course he hates peanut butter, both texture and taste.  He did, however, smile through half of a cookie before signing to me that he was "all done."

This time around I have been making an effort to consume peanut products to help reduce baby Della Favorite #2's chance of having a peanut allergy.  These cookies are delicious and satisfying, without being overly sweet.  They are also light on the sugar, especially if you use a sugar substitute, and who doesn't like a surprise filling?  Am I right?

You know I am.  If you love peanut butter and chocolate then this recipe is for you.

Some notes before we begin.  For a lower sugar option use Swerve or another sugar substitute, but these are light on the sugar even if you use the real thing.  You can substitute peanut butter for the nut butter of your choosing.  Also feel free to freeze the peanut butter filling for longer than 20 minutes, but I would not freeze them any less since they quickly soften with handling.  I ended up freezing my filling for about an hour as I got interrupted by a screaming toddler in the middle of my cookie making.  They still came out marvelous!
 

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Makes 10 cookies

Ingredients:
   Peanut Butter Filling: 

• 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

   Chocolate Cookie Dough:

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

   Cinnamon Sugar Mix:

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. In medium bowl combine 6 tablespoons peanut butter and powdered sugar until fully combined
3. Divide peanut butter mixture into 10 mounds on parchment lined baking sheet.  Freeze peanut butter filling for 20 minutes until hardened

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
5.  In a medium bowl combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside for step 8
6. In large bowl combine butter,  sugars, and remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.  Then add in egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated
7. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredient and mix until fully combined to make chocolate cookie dough

 8.  Separate chocolate cookie dough into 10 balls

9. Remove peanut butter from freezer and immediately start step 10

10. Flatten chocolate cookie dough into a thin disk and add 1 piece of peanut butter filling to the center of the disk

11. Roll chocolate cookie dough around peanut butter into a ball so you can't see the peanut butter filling. Continue with remaining chocolate cookie dough and peanut butter filling until you have 10 balls filled with the peanut butter mixture

12. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Roll cookie balls into cinnamon sugar mix and place on parchment lined baking sheet

13. Flatten balls until about 1/4 inch thick with hands or fork.  I like to make a lattice pattern



16. Bake at preheated oven for 9 minutes until set and then transfer to cooling rack


While you can eat these at room temperature they are so much better when warmed.  I recommend allowing the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with a nice glass of milk.

A kind reminder

It takes a lot to bother me.  But the other day someone said something to me that is still bothering me.  Maybe because it was an unsolicited comment.  Or maybe because I'm 22 weeks pregnant and my body is changing beyond my control to nurture another life.  Regardless, I'm not writing about this for sympathy or to be complimented.  At this point the damage has been done.  I'm writing this as a reminder that our words have an affect on others and to be mindful of not just what we say to another, but how we say it as well.  

So what was said to me?  Short version.  I was minding my business faxing an important document.  I hear someone say, "wow, your thighs."  I pay no attention because I don't think the words are directed at me.  Then I hear it again and hear, "your thighs have gotten large."  I turn around to look at the person talking and realize that the comments are directed at me.  I then proceed to hear again and again how large my thighs have gotten and that I'm gaining too much weight.  

You get the point.  

I didn't respond how I wish I had responded.  Instead I tried to justify that I've always had large, muscular legs from my days of playing soccer.  I shouldn't have had to "justify" anything.  I shouldn't have had to hear unsolicited comments about my body, especially during a time when I'm growing a child.  It's hard enough for me to see my body change out of my control, and yes I know it is for a good cause, but to hear someone come after me and break me down is really not acceptable.  Maybe she thought she was doing me a favor?  Maybe she thought we were "cool" enough for her to give me her opinion on my body.  Unfortunately that relationship will now be over and I will limit all unessential contact with that person.  And now I'm the one that is still days later feeling horrible about myself.    

If you take nothing else from this just remember that words can hurt.  We don't always know what someone is going through or has gone through until we have walked a mile in their shoes.  And one of the oldest lessons we learned (or should have learned) is that if you don't have anything nice (or as I view it positive, uplifting, useful, constructive...) to say, don't say anything at all.  

Another week, another box of veggie goals

I got 99 problems, but a 1/2 bushel of organic veggies ain't one, HIT ME!

A month ago I made it my goal to eat all the veggies that came in my CSA box.  I chronicled my week starting here posting pictures of what I ate as well as sharing some recipes like my basic pesto.  Ultimately I did not meet my goal and tossed some vegetables.  For those of you who know me, I hate wasting food.  It goes with my hoarding nature.  For the most part I've eaten 90-95% of the weekly vegetable box.  However, last week I did end up freezing some onions and shallots because... let's be real, a girl can only eat so many onions and shallots before she is over it!  I'm convinced they give me heartburn.  Or it could be the baby in my belly?  Either way...  At least I didn't toss any vegetables last week.  I would say that is progress.

This week I'm going back to the goal of consuming ALL the veggies I have before I pick up next Sunday's box.  And I don't want to have to freeze any items this week.  I'm going to chronicle what I eat if it includes a vegetable from my box and share recipes again if any of them are share worthy.  In fact I'm getting hungry right now writing about food so I will cut this post short.

The items I received this week are pictured above.  I'm sad that the farm told us we would not be receiving any more Jersey corn, but I'm excited at the variety of the different vegetables I got this week including:

Stay tuned to see if I can reach my weekly goal.  "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I CAN!"

Round Ligament Pain

Yesterday I wanted to blog, but the day got away from me.  It was the first time I've felt round ligament pain.  I went for a nice, long walk with the hubby and puppy and every few minutes I would feel a sharp shooting pain in my left lower quadrant that lasted seconds before resolving. Today I have no round ligament pain, but hello sciatica!  I guess it was only a matter of time...

I'm back

Nope I haven't posted anything since the beginning of December 2016!  But in my defense I've been a little preoccupied creating a human and all.  So for those of you who for some reason still read this I'm pregnant.  And no I'm not showing, so stop asking. This is the only form of social media I plan to share my news with for now.  It feels safe to me here, mostly because I'm pretty sure nobody reads my blog anymore. 

I wish I had had the courage to blog from early on to record this experience, but I've been in my head.  I wanted to keep this a secret for awhile as I have a lot of fears and anxiety about pregnancy from the things I've witnessed working in this field.  Others who haven't shared these experiences can't understand where I'm coming from.  I've been told to not stress because it's not good for me and the baby.  Seriously?  The reality is I'm not stressed.  I've had a deep sense of feeling this is meant to be since the moment I knew I was pregnant, which was way before any test could tell me.  But when you are the one to have to deliver the news that a patient has lost their baby at 19 weeks for no apparent reason, then you can tell me how I should or shouldn't feel.  I wish some had empathy, but small minds are incapable of being empathetic. 

The first lesson I learned through this experience is not to share something that you don't want repeated (yes I know I should have learned that from High School).  Doesn't matter who you think you are confiding in because people talk.  And talk.  And post congratulations on Facebook.  And tell you that so and so wants you to know x, y, and, z about being pregnant when you have no idea who so and so is.  Now the question is why does so and so know I'm pregnant?  Weird...  So my two suggestions thus far are:
1. If someone gives you the courtesy of sharing their news don't share it unless they tell you you can.  And if you aren't sure then by all means double check.
2. Don't tell people something you don't want repeated, but if you do make it crystal clear that they shouldn't repeat it.