Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Peanut butter is something that is always around in my kitchen.  I usually have not only the creamy but the crunchy as well.  With such an abundance of peanut butter, I thought it was fine time that I bake something with it.

Like most bloggers, we all have something in our mind of what we do like and what we do not like when it comes to certain baked goods.  Regarding sandwich cookies, these did have some good qualities.  The cookies were less greasy than most homemade peanut butter cookies.  I think this can be attributed to the dry oats in the cookie batter.  As far as the filling, it was very creamy-unlike the solid type of filling you get with oreo cookies.  Homemade should always be better anyway.

There are special steps in this recipe and the simple fact that they are sandwich cookies keep them out of the quick fix recipe category. However, I feel that the time is well worth the results.  Be sure to read through all the recipe so you will know how much time is involved in creating these delicious cookies. This recipe makes about 2 dz large sandwich cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
adapted from the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients/ Peanut Butter Cookies
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup natural chunky peanut butter (well mixed)
1 cup and 2 tbs butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients/Cookie Filling
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (whichever brand-Jif, Skippy etc)
2 tbs honey
6 tbs butter (softened)

For the cookie batter, place butter and peanut butter in bowl of a stand mixer.  Add both types of sugars.  Then beat on medium high speed for 1 minutes.  Scrape down sides of bowl, beat for another minute and repeat for one last minute. 

Add one egg and beat on medium low speed for 30 seconds.  Do the same with the additional egg. Lastly, beat in the vanilla extract and set aside.

In another bowl sift together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.  Then mix in the oats. Using a wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter until no dry streaks remain.

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.  Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of batter and place it on the prepared sheet.  Continue with this process, only making sure that the scoops of batter are not touching.  You will space them properly just prior to baking.  Chill the scooped batter by placing the pans in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

While the scoops are chilling, the filling can be made.  Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and beat for about 30 seconds with a hand mixer to make sure it is all blended.  Then cover bowl of filling with plastic wrap and also place it in the refrigerator to chill.

During the last 15 minutes of the chilling time, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Once the scoops have firmed up from the chilling stage, remove pans from refrigerator.  Place each scoop of batter on the parchment lined pan, filling each pan with 8 scoops.  Also, each cookie sheet should be double panned (one baking sheet inside another) prior to going in the oven.

Bake pans of cookies for about 10-12 minutes, stopping at the halfway point to rotate each pan set.  Once the cookie turns a golden hue, remove and place pans on cooling rack to sit for 10 minutes.  Then transfer cookies to the rack to finish cooling.  Once completely cool, they are ready to be sandwiched.

Match cookies by size in pairs.  Take the bowl of filling out of the fridge. Place a scoop of filling (measuring right under 2 tsp) on the flat side of one of the paired cookies.  Press the other, flat side down, on top of the filling.  Repeat the process until all the sandwich cookies have been assembled.

Tips and Notes:
1. Mixing up the natural peanut butter before measuring is important to the texture of the cookies
2. The longer the chill time for the filling the harder it becomes, which could make the assembly process more difficult.
3. Someone raided my stored cookies from the freezer and they still were soft enough to eat.
4. If you want a little extra with your cookie, try adding chocolate by drizzling it on top or dipping one half of each in chocolate before sandwiching.
                                           **LAST YEAR:Peach Tarte Tatin**
                                                     

Virginia Matties

Since these cookies are not exactly the traditional Madeleine cookies, I did not to call them that.  The flavor of these cookies are peanut butter and chocolate, I did some research and found out that the first peanut farm in the US was in Virginia, so I named them accordingly.

When I set out to do these, I wanted a cookie that really had some pop of peanut flavor.  With all the different flours out there, I could not resist in trying the peanut flour.  I have used nut flours before with wonderful results.

The peanut flour really did the trick.  I made these with regular flour and peanut to compare.  I have to say that I would not make these without the peanut flour.  It adds such a depth of flavor to these, it was well worth seeking out and finding this unique ingredient.

Virginia Matties
by flourtrader

Special Equipment
2 madeleine pans, 12 cavities each

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs creamy peanut butter
6 tbs butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
6-8 oz of bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease pan cavities with melted butter.

Sift together flour and salt, set aside.  In a separate bowl, whip eggs for about 1 minute or until frothy.  Add the sugar and whip for 5 minutes.  Mixture should become pale and thick.

Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt butter.  Add the peanut butter and extract, mixing until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the whipped eggs and stir until blended.  Continue with this process for 2 more intervals until all the flour is mixed in.  Then pour in the peanut butter and stir until smooth.

Fill each cavity 3/4 full with the batter and smooth the top.  After all 24 cavities are filled place each pan on top of a cookie sheet.  Put in oven to bake for 7 minutes.  Then rotate pans from top to bottom and back to front.  Bake for an additional 6-7 minutes.  Tops will spring back when lightly touched.

Remove and invert onto rack to finish cooling. 

Once the cookies have cooled, set up a double boiler and melt chocolate.  Dip the cookies or drizzle chocolate on top. Place on wax paper.  Let cookies set for about 2 hours for the chocolate to harden and then they are ready to eat.

Tips:
Only make enough batter for pans you can fill and bake at one time.  Due to the melted butter in the batter, leaving it sit and letting it cool will cause it to seize.

If you have a non-stick pan, lightly spray with cooking spray.  Over doing it will make for a greasy cookie.

Make sure your batter is smoothed out in the cavities.  Uneven batter will produce cookies that do not lay flat.
                       **LAST YEAR: Cheddar Soda Bread**     

Little Buddy Cakes

I would say that the classic flavors of  peanut butter and chocolate have been buddies for a long time.  These little cakes bring those flavors together to form a cake version of the Reese cup. Measuring only 1 1/2 inches in diameter, they have 2 layers of vanilla cake and a peanut filling.  Then they are dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with coarse salt.

The unusual ingredient in the cakes is bread crumbs.  If you did not know it was bread crumbs, you would say there was ground peanuts in cake layers.  The bread crumbs in the cake, when layered with a peanut filling actually mimics a nutty texture and taste.

This recipe on makes 1 dozen.  After I tasted them, however, I regretted that there was so few! Now on to the recipe:

Little Buddy Cakes
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Cake
1/4 cup vanilla pudding mix
1/4 plus 2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Ingredients/Peanut Filling
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp butter

Ingredients/Chocolate Coating
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tbs plus 2 tsp shortening
coarse salt for sprinkling

To make cake, grease an 8X8 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Cream together the butter and sugar in a small bowl.  Add the vanilla pudding mix and beat until evenly distributed.  Then beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract.  Lastly, fold in the bread crumbs until no dry streaks remain.

Spread batter into pan and smooth out evenly with damp hands or a knife.  Bake for 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack.

While cake is cooling, the filling can be made.  Put the peanut butter and butter in a microwave bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove and stir in the confectioners sugar. If it seems too thin, add more tablespoons of sugar until preferred consistency is met.  Set aside.

Invert cake onto smooth surface rack and remove the parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2 inch cutter, cut out 24 circles, or cut into 24 even squares.  Smooth the peanut filling on 12 of the cut outs and then stack each of the cut outs on top, like a sandwich cookie.  Taking a knife, smooth the sides of the filled cake.  The filling should be flush with the cake.

For the chocolate coating, set up a double boiler and let water come to a simmer.  Then fill the top section with the chocolate and shortening. Lay a sheet of wax paper over a baking sheet and place it close by the boiler on a flat surface. Once the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, it is time to dip your cakes.  Using a spoon, dip each cake into the chocolate. Roll around to make sure all sides are coated and no cake shows through. Spoon it out of the chocolate and let the excess drip off.  Then place each cake right side up onto wax paper.

Let all cakes rest on pan at room temperature for 15 minutes.  Then sprinkle the tops with coarse salt and place baking sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set.  After that, they are ready to serve!
                                  **LAST YEAR: Tahiti Blondies**