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My family has treasured this chunky peanut butter sandwich cookie for generations. When you mix chewy peanut butter cookies with smooth filling, you get an amazing sweet treat that never lasts long at family events.
I came up with these cookies during a stormy afternoon when my little ones wanted something sweet. This simple baking project turned into our family's signature dessert that even the fussiest eaters ask for specifically.
What You'll Need
- All-purpose flour: Creates the ideal cookie texture with the right amount of softness
- Baking soda: Adds just enough rise to keep the cookies from getting too heavy
- Salt: Brings out every taste and cuts through the sweetness
- Unsalted butter: Adds a buttery taste and lets you manage the saltiness yourself
- Creamy peanut butter: The key ingredient in both cookie and filling; pick a quality brand for best results
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps make those crispy edges
- Brown sugar: Brings moisture and rich flavor from its molasses content
- Egg: Holds everything together and adds richness
- Vanilla extract: Gives both cookie and filling a deeper, more rounded flavor
- Powdered sugar: Makes the filling super smooth without any sugar grains
How To Make Them
- Get Ready:
- Heat your oven to 350°F and put parchment on your baking sheets. This temp makes cookies with golden edges and soft middles. The parchment stops sticking and makes cleaning up super easy.
- Mix Dry Stuff:
- Stir the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl until they're fully mixed. This helps spread all the flavors evenly through your cookies.
- Blend Fats And Sugars:
- Mix the soft butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until everything looks lighter and fluffier, around 3 minutes. This step puts air in the mix for the right cookie feel.
- Add Liquid Ingredients:
- Stir in the egg and vanilla just until they're mixed in. The batter should look smooth with no egg streaks showing.
- Put It All Together:
- Slowly add your dry mix to the wet stuff, stirring just until you can't see flour anymore. A few small lumps are fine – mixing too much makes tough cookies.
- Form The Cookies:
- Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls and put them on your baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between them since they'll spread while baking.
- Add The Pattern:
- Press each ball with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. This isn't just for looks – it helps them bake evenly by making them all the same thickness.
- Bake Them:
- Cook for only 10-12 minutes until the edges turn golden but the middle still looks a bit soft. They'll finish cooking from their own heat after you take them out.
- Whip Up The Filling:
- Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter until it's completely smooth. You want it thick enough to stay put but easy enough to spread.
- Put Them Together:
- After the cookies cool completely, spread filling on the flat side of one cookie and place another on top. Press lightly to spread the filling without pushing it out the sides.
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The smooth peanut butter really makes these cookies special. I've found that regular store brands work better than natural varieties for consistent results. My little girl once called them happiness pillows, which fits perfectly – soft cookie outside with a surprise creamy center.
Keeping Them Fresh
These sandwich treats actually taste better a day later when flavors have blended together. Keep them in a sealed container at room temp for up to a week. If you want to save them longer, they freeze really well. Just put them in a freezer container with parchment between layers and they'll keep for three months. Let them sit out for about an hour before eating.
Different Ways To Make Them
If you love chocolate, try dunking half of each finished cookie into melted semisweet chocolate and letting it harden. You can also mix tiny chocolate chips into the dough for extra texture. Another hit at my house is adding a thin smear of strawberry jam to the filling for a grown-up PB&J cookie that brings back childhood memories.
Adjustments For Allergies
You can tweak these cookies for different diets. For folks who can't have gluten, swap the regular flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mix. If peanuts are a problem, try using almond butter or sunflower seed butter instead. Just know that sunflower seed butter might turn greenish when baked because it reacts with baking soda – it's still totally safe and tastes great.
Ways To Enjoy Them
These sandwich cookies go great with cold milk or hot coffee. For a fancy dessert, crumble one over vanilla ice cream and drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. They also make wonderful gifts when wrapped in pretty containers lined with parchment paper.
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FAQs About the Recipe
- → How do I keep my cookies soft and chewy?
Don't leave them in the oven too long and make sure you put them in a sealed container at room temp when they're done.
- → Will natural peanut butter work in this recipe?
Sure thing, just stir it up really well first so the oils are mixed in and you get the right texture.
- → What can I use if I don't have powdered sugar for the filling?
You can take regular sugar and run it through a blender until it's super fine to make your own powdered sugar.
- → Should I cool the dough in the fridge before I bake?
If your dough feels too gooey, pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes so it's easier to roll into balls.
- → Any ideas to make these cookies different?
Try adding some melted chocolate on top or putting a bit of your favorite jam inside with the peanut butter filling.