Soft, rich, and indulgent — these sourdough peanut butter cookies are already a favorite, but the addition of a gooey chocolate ganache center takes them completely over the top. A buttery, slightly tangy dough wraps around creamy peanut butter and melts into a soft chocolatey bite with every taste.
Large round cookie cutter (at least 6 inches wide) or wide glass for shaping (optional)
Cooling rack
Ingredients
For the cookies
170gunsalted butter¾ cup, softened
150gbrown sugar¾ cup
100gwhite sugar½ cup
2teaspoonvanilla extract
1large egg
1large egg yolk
100gsourdough discard⅓ cup
250gcreamy peanut butter1 cup
270gall-purpose flour2 ¼ cups
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonfine sea salt
67gsugar⅓ cup, for rolling the dough balls
¼teaspooninstant espresso powderoptional
for the ganache
4ozsemi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chipsabout ¾ cup
80mlheavy cream⅓ cup
14gunsalted butter1 tbsp
Instructions
Make the ganache: Heat the cream until steaming (do not boil). Pour over the chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for 2–3 minutes, then stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours, or until firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 1-teaspoon portions and keep chilled while you prepare the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter & sugars: In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
Add wet ingredients: Mix in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in the sourdough discard and peanut butter until fully combined.
Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain. No need to chill.
Assemble the cookies: Scoop 3-tablespoon portions of dough (about 60g each). Flatten slightly, place a chilled (1-teaspoon) ganache scoop in the center, and wrap the dough around to seal. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar.
Bake: Arrange cookies on a lined baking sheet and gently press them down with a fork to help them flatten while baking. They don't need to be totally flat, just not round as these don't spread much. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are set but centers still look soft.
Cool: Scoot the hot cookies around with a large round cookie cutter to make them perfectly round if preferred. Let cookies rest on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
NOTE: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
I use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion these, which makes 60g balls of cookie dough. You can also use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, which makes 40g dough balls, and this would yield around 30-35 cookies.