My friend Ashley made these cupcakes a few years back, and the first thing I noticed was how unbelievably moist the beer makes the cupcake. Baking with beer is nothing new, but the combination of chocolate and smooth, malty Guinness is just amazing. I revisited the recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided to give them a whirl.

The original (and many subsequent) recipe calls for a chocolate whiskey ganache, but since I was making these for coworkers, I figured I’d leave the Jameson for our happy hour. Even with just Guinness and Bailey’s, by the time these were devoured, my coworkers had dubbed them “boozecakes”. Next time, I’ll definitely fill these with ganache, and decide whether or not I want my recipients to be hammered.

Being a huge nerd, I decorated these things like crazy. And also listened to “The Wild Rover” on repeat.

I wonder what other treats I can make with beer and liquor?

Mmm. The Bailey’s in the frosting is just enough to give it a kick, but you can hardly taste the Guinness in the cake batter.

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey’s Frosting

For the cupcakes (adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Food Network)

1 bottle Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 17 minutes

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
4. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in a large bowl.
5. Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat until just combined.
6. Add flour mixture and beat on slow speed.
7. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.
8. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely before frosting.

For the frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon milk

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.
3. After all sugar has been added, add Bailey’s and milk and blend until just combined.

I’d heard about cake balls from Bakerella’s blog a while ago, but always assumed they were just that: balls of cake. Big whoop, I thought. Then, my amazingly talented friend Jen made some cake balls.

I know I’ve said simply “wow” for a lot of things, but wow.

Possibly the most amazingly perfect things I’ve ever tasted. If there was a cake ball diet, I’d be on it. I’d buy stock in cake balls if they were publicly traded. If it wasn’t a terrible idea, I’d name my firstborn Cake Ball.

The secret is that the frosting is INSIDE the cake ball, mixed with the cake. I know, right?! Genius.

I tried making reindeer cake pops (à la Bakerella), but their little heads were too top-heavy and I couldn’t keep them on the pops. Maybe next time.

Turned out pretty cute, yeah?

Reindeer Cake Pops

1 box cake mix (your choice)
1 can frosting (your choice)
Chocolate melts
M&Ms (brown and red)
Pretzels
Edible ink pen or black food coloring

1. Prepare the cake per instructions on the box. Allow to cool completely.
2. Crumble the cake into a large bowl.
3. Add in frosting and mix with a spatula until completely combined.
4. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze for about an hour.
5. Heat chocolate melts according to package. Roll each cake ball in chocolate until completely covered. Place on wax paper to cool.
6. Immediately press in pretzels and M&Ms.
7. Once completely cooled, use edible ink pen or black food coloring to draw on happy reindeer faces. Store in airtight container.

My most favorite cookies to make at Christmastime are peanut blossoms. You know, peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s kiss pressed into the center. I’ve been making them for years and they’re always the first cookie to disappear.

This year, I decided to try something a little different: mini Reese’s peanut butter cups instead of kisses. And wow. Wow.

Wow.

These are absolutely amazing. I baked the cookies in a mini muffin tin, since the peanut butter cups are a little taller than the kisses.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
(lovingly adapted from AllRecipes)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Baking Temperature: 375 degrees
Baking Time: 8 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
3. Mix in peanut butter until completely incorporated.
4. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk.
5. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
6. Place a 1-inch ball of dough into each cup of an ungreased mini muffin pan (should be a little more than half full).
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

I’ve said before that I like bite-sized baked goods. Once you break out plates and forks and spoons, it becomes too much of an ordeal. Things like cookies, cupcakes, and mini treats are easy. You could grab one and walk away. Or walk back and grab more than one. Or sit down and eat a lot because they’re so small you’re allowed to eat more of them. Whatever works.

I had seen Bakerella make some pumpkin pie bites and swore I would try my hand at it, too. While I used a different recipe for the filling, I did use her idea of shaping the pastry dough into little pumpkins. Love it!

Also, I cheated a little bit. I used refrigerated pie dough. To a purist like me, it feels like I bought some Tollhouse Break-and-Bakes, stuck them in the oven, and pretended they were my own. But pie crusts have never been my forte so I’m totally fine with using refrigerated dough. Really, I am.

I drizzled melted vanilla chips on some. Adding some pecans or walnuts for garnish would also be cool.

Mini Pumpkin Pies
(design inspired by Bakerella)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 9-inch unbaked pie crusts (usually comes 2 to a box)

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 15 minutes minutes

1. Remove pie crusts from fridge and bring to room temperature. Roll them out a little bit with a rolling pin to get more surface area.
2. In a large bowl, crack eggs and mix slightly.
3. Add pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Wisk until well combined.
4. Using a cookie cutter (or if you’re cheap like me, a cup with a 3-inch diameter), cut circles from the pastry dough and press in and around the top of the muffin cup. Make sure there is enough crust over the sides of the muffin cups. Using the overflow dough (or scrap pieces), fashion a stem and affix to pie shells. I alternate slots in the mini muffin tin so the sides of the crust don’t stick together.
5. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown.
6. Garnish with melted vanilla chips or chocolate chips, if desired.

Ogle the beautiful pumpkiny goodness and find the recipe after the jump. I used the classic pumpkin cupcake recipe and this time topped them with cream cheese icing.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
splash heavy cream (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add in eggs one at a team, beating well after each addition.
4. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add splash of heavy cream if desired.
5. Whisk in pumpkin puree until everything is well blended.
6. Line cupcake pan with paper liners, and fill each liner up a little more than halfway full of batter.  Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(from AllRecipes)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cold and cubed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and and sugar.
2. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually mix in the cream cheese cubes until well blended.
3. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

These apple pie cupcakes are perfect if you want that apple pie fix without going through all the trouble of making a pie. Yes, the filling is a little labor-intensive, but whipping up a batch of cupcakes is nothing compared to a well-made pie crust.

Essentially, these are vanilla cupcakes with apple pie filling in the center. To fill the cupcakes, I used what’s known as the “cone method”. To do this, take a paring knife and place it about 1/4 inch from the edge of the cupcake and hold it at a 45 degree angle. Cut around the cupcake until you have a cone-shaped cupcake top which can then be removed. I’m sure you could do something yummy with those.

I drizzled a little caramel sauce on these before I frosted them, which was messy, but tasted great.

Apple Pie Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

For the filling:

3-4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

1. Heat butter in a large skillet until melted.
2. Stir in cinnamon and brown sugar and cook until mixture starts to bubble, about 1 minute.
3. Add apple pieces and stir until coated with cinnamon mixture. Cook on medium heat until apple pieces are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Allow to cool completely before filling cupcakes.

I used Magnolia’s vanilla buttercream to frost these. Note that this will make more frosting that you need.

For the frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.
3. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Upstate New York this week has been a scorcher, which is why I wasn’t sure if the world was ready for pumpkin quite yet. Yes, it’s September. Yes, pumpkin beer and pumpkin lattes have already been rolled out at most retail locations. It just seems a little weird eating pumpkin-and-cinnamon-flavored treats when it’s a hot and hazy 93 degrees outside. Nevertheless, pumpkin is just too good to put off any longer, so here they are!

I’ve posted the original pumpkin cupcake recipe again after the jump. You’ll also find my improved frosting recipe – this time, a cinnamon buttercream instead of that brown sugar monstrosity from last year. If it wasn’t my first post, I’d delete it. Why did you guys eat those things?!

These are much more adorable:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
splash heavy cream (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add in eggs one at a team, beating well after each addition.
4. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add splash of heavy cream if desired.
5. Whisk in pumpkin puree until everything is well blended.
6. Line cupcake pan with paper liners, and fill each liner up a little more than halfway full of batter.  Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk, vanilla and cinnamon. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I ended up using 6 cups of sugar for this recipe.)
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish, if desired.
   
4. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

Apologies for the distant photograph; was enjoying the Fourth of July party far too much to take pictures. Sparklers are from a local party store, and sugar lime cookies courtesy of my wonderful friend Ashley, who accompanied me on my baking and Fourth of July journeys this year. It was wonderful having her back in town, if only for a few days! No one (other than my mom) appreciates baking in the kitchen watching good movies more than her.

Embarrassingly enough, on my first attempt making these cupcakes that night, I dropped an entire egg into the batter, and my beloved KitchenAid mixer dutifully chopped the eggshell into bits within seconds. I tried picking out the bits of shell, but soon admitted defeat and started over again. Such is life.

I’ve posted the Magnolia vanilla cupcake recipe previously (when I made my Super Bowl cupcakes earlier this year), but I’m posting the recipe after the jump for convenience. Hopefully Ashley will do a guest post and provide the recipe for her awesome sugar lime cookies!

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes
(courtesy Magnolia Bakery)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

1. Line two muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.
6. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Magnolia’s Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(thanks again Magnolia!)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes after each), until the icing is thick enough to be of good consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar (note: I usually end up using about 5 cups. You want to make sure it’s stiff, but too much sugar and it’s too sweet. I’ve also tried cutting it with a teaspoon of flour, beating very well after addition of course).
3. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Store at room temperature or else icing will set. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

When I first bought my Magnolia cookbook, this was the recipe I tried out right away and have been perfecting ever since. While they were always amazing, I recently discovered the key to making this cookie outrageous: heavy cream instead of milk. Never mind that the reason I had to use cream was because I didn’t have any milk in the house; this is the kind of serendipitous feat that doesn’t need an enlightening back story.

While the milk makes these cookies insanely smooth, the heavy cream makes them even more unbelievable.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
(lovingly adapted from Magnolia Bakery)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in the pecans, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I baked cookies with my mom every Christmas when I was younger, and it’s something that I try to continue today. Even though I miss spending afternoons in the kitchen with her, elbow-deep in dough and covered in flour, keeping the tradition alive makes me feel like a kid again. It’s when I really start feeling like it’s Christmas!

While traditionally, my mom and I would make classic cookie press cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies, I decided to venture a little outside of my comfort zone. Having a pretty strong German heritage, I’d always wanted to try making Linzer tarts. I’d never really had them as a kid, but they are a quintessential Christmas cookie. Since they are pretty Old World-y, I didn’t think I’d get too many takers, but they actually turned out to be the most popular cookie!

Along with the Linzers, I’d decided pretty early on that I wanted to make peanut blossoms (from a recipe I’ve been using for years), sugar cookies, and gingerbread people (they’re not gingerbread MEN, for god’s sake).

I had so much fun making all these cookies. Since the dough for the Linzer tarts and gingerbread need to be refridgerated (they both need to be rolled out), I made those first, stuck them in the fridge, and then went on to make the sugar cookies, since I’d be frosting them later. The peanut blossoms are possibly the most fool-proof cookies ever – they have a significant peanut butter base and very little flour, so it’s pretty hard to screw them up. The Linzer tarts, on the other hand, are pretty labor-intensive, but totally worth it. They make some gorgeous cookies.

Also, the sugar cookies (which I frosted with a simple confectioner’s sugar frosting) are dusted with edible glitter to make it look like snow

Raspberry Hazelnut Linzer Cookies, a la Magnolia Bakery

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/3 raspberry preserves
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 15-18 minutes

1. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. In  a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until smooth, about two minutes.
4. Add vanilla and beat well.
5. Add the flour mixture in three parts, adding the nuts with the last portion, and mix until just combined.
6. Shape the dough into two flat discs, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out one disc at a time to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 3-inch fluted cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on baking sheets lined with wax paper. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator and chill for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Remove baking sheets from the refrigerator, and using a 1/2-inch fluted cutter, cut a circle out of the center of half the cookies. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15-1 minutes, or until lightly golden around the egdes.
9. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Spread 1 teaspoon of preserves on the flat side of the cookies without the cutout centers. Sandwich the cutout cookies with the cookies spread with the preserves. Dredge the tops of the cookies on both sides with confectioner’s sugar.

Gingerbread People

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger, ground
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time:8-10 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combinr flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add molasses and egg; beat well.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
5. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

Peanut Blossoms

1 (8 ounce) package Hershey’s Kisses (or mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups)
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy not crunchy)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar for decoration

Baking Temperature: 375 degrees
Baking Time: 8-10 minutes

1. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
   
3. In a large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended.
   
4. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy.
   
5. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.
6. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter mixture.
7. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet.
8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.