Tagalongs Recipes

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching.
• Spread peanut butter onto a cracker and top with another cracker creating a sandwich. Repeat until all the crackers are used.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Gently place a cracker sandwich into the melted chocolate; spoon chocolate over the cracker until covered. Carefully lift coated cracker sandwich out of chocolate using a fork to strain off the excess chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cracker sandwiches and chocolate; refrigerate until chocolate is hardened.

Steps:

• Fill a medium Dutch oven halfway with canola oil and heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Set a rack over a baking sheet.
• Put the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small pot until almost to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until completely smooth. Reserve the sauce while you fry the cookies--it will thicken as it cools.
• Whisk together the flour, powdered peanut butter, granulated sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk and egg and whisk until just combined.
• Add 7 cookies to the batter and use a fork to completely coat them in the batter. Add the cookies 1 at a time to the hot oil until all 7 are added. Fry, turning the cookies occasionally with a slotted spoon, until puffed and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the fried cookies to the rack on the baking sheet. Repeat the frying process with the remaining cookies and batter.
• Stack the fried cookies on a platter and sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Serve immediately with the chocolate sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk. The dough should come together into a soft ball but it will be crumbly.
• Take a tablespoon full of dough and flatten it into a disc about 1/4-inch thick. I found it was easiest doing this in the palm of my hand. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cookies will not spread too much, so you can squeeze them in more than you would for chocolate chip cookies.
• Bake cookies for 9 minutes, until bottoms and the edges are lightly browned and cookies are set.
• Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, use your thumb or a small spoon to make a depression in the center of each cookie. (I am still debating as to whether this is a necessary step.).
• Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla. When the mixture has come together, heat it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds at a time, then stir. Heat until it is very, very soft. Let cool slightly and spoon a generous dome of the filling into each cookie's "thumbprint". Alternately you could use a piping bag but I did not find this necessary.
• Chill cookies with filling for 20-30 minutes, or until the peanut butter is firm.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a small double boiler until melted.
• Dip chilled cookies into chocolate with a fork, allowing theexcess to drip off, and place on a sheet of parchment paper to let the cookies set.