Have I introduced you to my little sister Lauren?
Lauren… this is everyone.
Everyone… this is Lauren.
Lauren and I grew up in the kitchen together. We made brownies, we burnt cookies, we frosted crooked cakes, and we could plow through a box of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch in 10 minutes flat. We were always in the kitchen either creating or consuming. True.
Things aren’t all that different for me and Lauren these days. We spend a lot of time baking up treats, talking about Paula Dean, and arguing about which awkward teenage phase was worse: my Blossom Hat Phase or her Sweatpants and Vest Wearing Phase. Just typing those out… they each seem like equal tragedies. Thank heavens we’ve moved past that.
I’m introducing you to my sister because these two things are true:
1. If Lauren were not in the world, I would surely be unable to breathe… that’s how much I love this girl.
2. I shoved my camera in Lauren’s hands last week, told her to bake something and take pictures of it. In her unending brilliance, she returned to me a camera full of pictures (including the self portrait below) and six of these cookies. Holy heck! A food blogger could get used to this kind of treatment. For real.
Open wide. Nope… wider. And still, just a teensy bit wider. These cookies are a mouthful. A mouthful of holy-heckballs-peanut-butter-heaven. The cookies are crisp and buttery. Combined with the peanut butter filling, I’m pretty sure I nearly put myself in a peanut butter coma. Yes… a peanut butter coma sounds like a good thing. Oh! These cookies are even better if you can get someone else to make them for you. True story.
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
from The Pastry Queen Christmas
makes about 30 sandwich cookies
For the Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Filling:
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Optional Coating:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Grease with butter or cooking spray.
Using a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until well combined. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Drop the dough by the scant tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet about 1 1/2-inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to press the cookies flat. Bake for 7-10 minutes until the cookies are a deep golden brown along the edges.
To make the filling: Use a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment to beat the butter, peanut butter and heavy cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and beat on medium speed until combined.
To make the coating: Melt the chocolate pieces in the microwave, or over a double boiler. Easy!
To assemble the cookies: Use a spatula or small knife to spread generous amounts of the filling onto the flat bottom of a cookie. Top with another cookie, ridge side up. Set a wire rack on top of a sheet of waxed paper to catch the chocolate drips if you choose to dip your cookies in chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped nuts immediately after dipping so they stick. Let stand for 1 hour to harden, or pop them in the fridge for a few minutes.
The cookies last up to 3 days in an airtight container, or 2 weeks in a container in the fridge.
[…] 3.2.2807 Adapted from Joy the Baker […]