It's Peanut Butter Time!

For as long as I can remember I have loved peanut butter.  Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter on toast, Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut butter right out of the jar, and of course peanut butter cookies.  Growing up I didn't do as much baking as I did cooking with my dad but when we did, it was usually something from a box or bag of cookie or cake mix.  Normally I am not a fan of cookie mixes but there was one that my dad and I made that not only tasted delicious but were fun to make.  Our cookie mix of choice was Betty Crocker's Peanut Butter Cookie Mix.  They were fairly easy to make, just add oil, water, an egg, and mix until combined.  You'll have homemade cookies ready in 20 minutes.  My favorite part was creating the crisscross pattern in the cookies.  They were not complete until that final step.  As we pulled them out of the oven it was hard not to eat them straight off the pan but we let them cool slightly and shared them with a tall glass of milk.

Recently when looking for a new dessert recipe to bring over to a friend's dinner party I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's website...Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.  It was a new twist on the traditional peanut butter cookie and it reminded me of the cookies I had when I was a child.  They turned out to be a great hit and it was hard to stop at just one.  I think the next time around I will change it up with mixing in chocolate chips to the filling or maybe even strawberry jam to make it like a p&j sandwich.  However you choose to prepare these cookies I know they will be a big hit!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
     from Joy the Baker
     makes about 30 sandwich cookies


Ingredients:

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

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Grease with butter or cooking spray. (Skip this part if you're using a Silpat mat.)
2. 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.
3. 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.  
4. Scoop out a level tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2-inches apart.  Use the tines of a fork to press the cookies flat.  (I found that dipping the fork in water after every other cookie prevented the fork from getting stuck to the cookies.)  Bake for 7-10 minutes until the cookies are a deep golden brown along the edges. (Mine were ready after 8 minutes.) 
5. 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.  
6. To make the coating:  Melt the chocolate pieces in the microwave, or over a double boiler.
7. 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.  
8. The cookies last up to 3 days in an airtight container, or 2 weeks in a container in the fridge.

 

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies dipped in dark chocolate and honey roasted peanut

 

 ***On another note I took a trip to Charleston with a few good friends last weekend and we ate at an amazing french restaurant downtown called 39 Rue De Jean.  I highly recommend stopping by for dinner the next time you're in town.