Peanut butter sandwich cookies

A long while back, I saw an episode of America's Test Kitchen featuring a recipe for peanut butter sandwich cookies.  It promised full-on peanut butter flavor, which caught my attention as I suspect it would any other PB lover.  Not long after that, Tricia from Saving Room for Dessert did a beautiful rendition of those cookies. That did it!  They left an impression on me and I would think of those cookies often, particularly at breakfast times when I'd be enjoying a nicely toasted English muffin slathered with crunchy peanut butter.  

Peanut butter sandwich cookies with peanut-butter and milk chocolate-peanut butter filling

What took me so long to finally make these?!  I don't know...maybe I was just torturing myself.  I have no real excuse for the delay so I'll just move on and say I finally made them recently and they did not disappoint.  There's so much peanut butter goodness wrapped up in one of these sandwich cookies!

The cookies themselves were better than I expected.  They are meant to be crisp and I worried about them being hard but they turned out crispy and...airy.  I would readily enjoy these cookies, imbedded with their bits of toasted peanuts, all by themselves...but the filling...it amps up the peanut butter flavor several notches and really drives it home! 

The simple peanut butter filling is made with creamy peanut butter, a little butter, and confectioners' sugar.  It's easy to make and easy to love for any PB fan (it's hard to stop eating it, actually).  In fact, the whole sandwich cookie package is rather easy to make!  You don't even need to use the mixer.

Besides the peanut butter filling, I couldn't resist trying a second, chocolate-peanut butter, one as well.  You know me with my chocolate obsession so I wanted to give it a try (hoping I'd get a Reese's pieces effect) but this is one case where I should have stuck with my gut and gone with the all-out peanut butter story.  My family and I all unanimously agree that the plain peanut butter filling was better.

Peanut butter and chocolate-peanut butter fillings.  The plain PB won hands-down!

There's no knowing without trying so the chocolate-peanut butter filling was worth a try.  We just thought it was a bit too sweet and the milk chocolate muted the peanut butter flavor more than we wanted when the theme here is definitely peanut butter, and more peanut butter!

You know something though?  When we ran out of the cookies with peanut butter filling, the chocolate-peanut butter ones started tasted better and better.  Maybe the key is to not offer/eat them together because everything's relative!

This is my way of showing some peanut-butter love and appreciation today.  I've been making up for lost time when it comes to PB.  I didn't grow up eating a lot of it and didn't really re-discover my love for PB until a few years ago when I started eating better and looking into healthier fats.  I began to trade my Nutella in for peanut butter (though both occupy its own space in the kitchen cupboard) and it's just a staple I need to have around.  I may not always enjoy peanut butter in cookie form but when the mood strikes, these cookies are a must-try!


It's a pleasant and welcomed surprise when sandwich cookies turn out to be easy to make!  I always expect a bit of a project and while there's obviously the additional step of making a filling, these cookies were not at all rigorous to put together.

No stand mixer needed to make the cookie batter.

You do have to toast and grind up some peanuts.  In my case, I couldn't find raw peanuts and settled for buying and using dry roasted peanuts (I should have been prepared given how long I waited to make these cookies!  And once the moment for action came, I was eager to get to it).  I made half the recipe (somewhat regretfully) and used my mini chopper for grinding the nuts; it may not result in the most evenly chopped bits of peanuts but I love the convenience.

The best part?  No rolling or cutting the dough!  Scoop cookie batter into 1-tablespoon size rounds, then use your wet fingers to mold them into 2-inch circles.  

Bake until cookies are nice and dark golden brown.  You'll have lovely crunchy, yet airy, peanut butter cookies.  They are very tasty on there own but a lot of the promised peanut butter flavor is in that "uncooked" filling.  So for the full PB experience, whip up the filling of your choice (I'd stick with the plain PB going forward).  The filling is very easy to make and requires little more than a spin in the microwave and some stirring.  When it's combined, and the cookies come together with the filling, you end up with a wonderfully satisfying cookie for any peanut butter lover.

Looking at these makes me want to make another batch!  Half the recipe made 11 sandwich cookies in my experience and they kept very well in an airtight container for 3 days.

This is another terrific America's Test Kitchen recipe.  Special thanks to Tricia for making the cookies so beautifully that I couldn't get them out of my head.  I knew I'd make them eventually and I'm so glad I did!

Recipe:

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

From America's Test Kitchen

- Makes 22 sandwich cookies - 

For cookies:
1 1/4 cups (6.25 ounces) raw peanuts, toasted and cooled
3/4 cup (3.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed (3.5 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg

For peanut butter filling*:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Make cookies: Adjust oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats. 

Pulse peanuts in a food processor until finely chopped, about 8-10 pulses (be careful not to over grind them or the peanuts will turn into a paste).  Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, and egg.  Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture until just combined.  Stir in the peanuts until just incorporated.

Using a tablespoon measure (or a #60 scoop if you have it), scoop 12 evenly spaced mounds onto each prepared baking sheet.  Using damp hands, flatten mounds into 2-inch diameter rounds.  

Bake until deep golden brown and firm to the touch, about 15-18 minutes (I would keep a close eye on it near the end), rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.  Remove from the oven, let cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

Make filling: Microwave peanut butter and butter until butter is melted and mixture is warm, about 40 seconds.  Using a rubber spatula, stir in the confectioners' sugar until combined.  (You are looking for a spreadable yet firm filling.  You can try to hold back on some of the sugar at first, check for the right consistency, and use amount you find necessary.)  Use filling while warm since it was stiffen as it cools.

To put sandwich cookies together, place 1-level tablespoon of warm filling onto the flat (bottom) side of a cookie and placing another cookie (right side up) on top.  Press gently to spread the filling to the edges.  Allow the filling to set for 1 hour before serving.  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

* Alternate milk chocolate-peanut butter filling: Gently melt 6 ounces of chopped milk chocolate in the microwave.  Warm 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter in the microwave.  Stir chocolate into peanut butter, then stir in up to 1 cup confectioners' sugar (start with about 3/4 cup and add enough to make a spreadable but warm filling).  Use while warm.