Fat Jeremies

I have this friend. His name is Jeremy. The list of adjectives one might use to describe him would likely NOT include "fat." In fact, Jeremy wagered that not even I, with my propensity for butter-saturated cooking, could fatten him up.

Wagers like this cannot be left unanswered. Recipes began bouncing around my mind, each more deliciously fattening than the last. After a few days of bouncing, three recipes had collided into an idea for a cookie with incredible powers of fattening and deliciousness, a sort unhealthy hybrid of homemade oreos, s'mores, and Reese's peanut butter cups.

And so, Fat Jeremies were born.

I double-dog dare you to ditch your diet and try one...or a half dozen.

For the cookie dough
(as adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder(plus 1 tablespoon if you want a bit more chocolate kick)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks)softened unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon water
1 large egg

For cookie filling 

1 1/4 cups chunky peanut butter

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter baking chips

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons brown sugar

mini marshmallows, frozen

For caramel topping (optional)

1 can sweetened condensed milk
See this recipe for The Creamiest Caramel--In a Can

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients & mix thoroughly with a spatula. Add butter, eggs, vanilla, and water. With a hand (or stand, if you're fancy) mixer, beat in wet ingredients until dough forms. (You could mix the dough by hand, but you'll probably need a mixer for the filling.) Refrigerate dough for at least 1/2 hour.

In a separate medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, brown sugar, & peanut butter chips until well blended. Slowly stir in powdered sugar. With a hand mixer, blend until the consistency is even. The filling will still be chunky, since you've used chunky peanut butter & the peanut butter chips. Preheat oven to 350º F.



To build your Fat Jeremies, scoop out about pingpong-ball-sized ball of dough. Flatten the dough between the palms of your hands until the dough is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Place a scoop of peanut butter filling (about the size of a quarter & 1/4 inch thick) in the center of your round of dough. Add three or four mini marshmallows (we used a whole marshmallow, cut in half) on top of the pb filling. Fold up the edges of the dough so that all the filling is covered. (Freezing the marshmallows prevents them from melting entirely & disappearing during baking, so keep those 'mallows cold. When you've built one batch of Fat Jeremies, be sure to put your marshmallows back in the freezer.)



Bake marshmallow side up on a well-greased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.



If you're going all out & adding the caramel, drizzle it on top of the cookies while they are still warm. These are fairly tender cookies, so let them cool for at least 8 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.

Fat Jeremies require a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Photo credit to Mr. Jeremy Penrod himself, for whom these cookies are named.