Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
These Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies take my classic peanut butter cookie recipe and turn them extra with a creamy peanut butter filling in the middle.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (200g) peanut butter, (shelf stable; not natural)
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¾ cups (217g) all purpose flour
- Filling:
- ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (134g) peanut butter
- 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or silpat baking mats.
- Cream butter, peanut butter, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Slowly add flour and mix until dough comes together.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Place on cookie sheet 2-inches apart. Press each cookie down with the tines of a fork to flatten and create the criss cross pattern.
- Bake for 9-14 minutes, until they just begin to brown. Cool completely on cookie sheets.
- Make the filling: beat butter and peanut butter until smooth using a hand mixer. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, mix until crumbly. Add extract. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream or milk, then add more 1 teaspoon at a time until you have the desired thickness for filling.
- Turn half the cookies upside dow and spread with filling. Sandwich with the remaining cookies.
I’ve made so many peanut butter cookie variations over the years, and this is one way to make that recipe feel completely different. Start with a peanut butter cookie base and add creamy peanut butter frosting and suddenly you have a bakery-style sandwich cookie without any complicated ingredients.
The best part is the contrast between the soft cookies and creamy center. If you already love peanut butter cookies you’re going to love how peanut buttery this recipe is!
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie Ingredients
- The best cookies use real peanut butter frosting(salted butter can be substituted) but don’t use imitation butter or shortening.
- This recipe has been tested with regular, shelf-stable peanut butter (a no-stir brand), like Skippy or Jif. You can use Skippy Naturals, which is a no-stir version of natural peanut butter.
- The secret to the best soft peanut butter cookies is adding milk to the dough. I’ve been doing that for so many years and everyone always loves the texture of the cookies. (Nondairy milk works too!)
- The frosting is a thinner, silkier version of my peanut butter icing made with peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk. I just use more milk than if I was frosting a cake, so the filling is creamier.
Dorothy’s Testing Notes & Tips
- It’s best to use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop for these so they’re the perfect size. While my normal recipes use 2 tablespoon balls of dough, that’s a hefty cookie sandwich.
- Always use the criss cross marks when making peanut butter cookies like this. On their own, these cookies won’t flatten much, so unless you’re making blossom cookies, you want to flatten them before baking.
- You know peanut butter cookies are done baking when they’re light golden around the edges, slightly puffed, and no longer glossy on top.
- Be sure to add the milk slowly to the frosting; the perfect consistency is reached more by feel than measurement. You want it a bit thinner than piping consistency but not so thin that it’s runny.
- Remember that if you use nonfat milk or something with more fat than whole milk (i.e. heavy cream) you’ll need to adjust the amount used. Nonfat milk is thinner and runnier, meaning you’ll need less. The opposite is true for milk with more fat.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
How to make Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches
- The cookie dough will be thick and brown once mixed.
- Roll the balls between your palms for perfectly round cookies.
- Always flatten with a fork by making criss cross marks.
- The frosting should be smooth and easily spreadable.
Variations
- Roll the sandwiched cookies in sprinkles or mini chocolate chips for decoration.
