Recipe: X-Files Chocolate Sunbutter UFO Cookies

New X-Files episodes are almost here!  Let's celebrate with cookies!

Though I recall watching many episodes during the X-Files initial run ("Home" certainly sticks with an eleven year old), I didn't officially sit down and watch the entire series until just a couple years ago.  And, let me tell you, not only does it hold up, but I think it's even more impressive to watch now.  

The X-Files was a great show straight out of the gate.  The chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny is evident from the pilot, and the atmosphere of mystery and conspiracy saturates the screen.  So often we give new tv shows a few episodes to "work out the kinks" or find their bearings, but the X-Files is proof that you don't need more than a single episode to hook an audience.

So I burned through the X-Files on Netflix, and then I went back and watched many of them again, as I started following along with Kumail Nanjiani and his podcast, The X-Files Files.  Kumail hosted an X-Files marathon at Cinefamily here in Los Angeles last weekend, and I was waiting in line for hours with fellow X-philes to get in.  Totally worth it.  

We watched 6 classic episodes of the series, heard from writers Glen and Darin Morgan and creator Chris Carter, and were even treated to an early screening of the 3rd episode, "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster".  I left in a happy daze with an X-Files t-shirt and several new Facebook friends.  I may have been too young to take part in much of the X-Files fanfare in the 90's, but I'm having a lot of fun with it now.

For my X-Files cookies, I knew I had to incorporate some sunflower seeds, Mulder's favorite snack.  Luckily sunflower butter, a favorite allergy-friendly alternative to peanut butter, is available almost everywhere these days (I got some at Target).  And, like peanut butter, it goes great with chocolate.

 

X-Files Chocolate Sunbutter UFO Cookies

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

3/4 cup sunflower seed butter

2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Dough:

In a large bowl, mix together canola oil, sugar, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract.  In a separate boil, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until a dough forms.

For the Sunbutter Dough:

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well-combined.

To make cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Scoop and roll the sunbutter dough into teaspoon size balls.  Refrigerate for for about 10 minutes.

Scoop the chocolate dough out by heaping tablespoons.  Flatten into a disc and place a sunbutter ball inside.  Form the chocolate dough around the sunbutter and roll into a ball.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.