Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

When I first saw these cookies, I immediately thought of Do-si-dos.  As a kid, I'd open them up and eat the filling first (or save it for last, because it was the best part of the cookie).  My second thought was - I bet these would be good half dipped in chocolate.  I decided to test that thought.

I had committed to making the recipe before I realized I was low on powdered sugar.  So I made a half batch - which was 19½ sandwich cookies.  Trust me, that half a cookie got the full measure of filling.  Yum!

I don't know if it was because I skimped on sugar or that I used whole wheat flour, but my cookies ended up a whole lot puffier than the ones pictured.  I will need to flatten them a bit, or somehow compensate when I make these again.  It's rather comical - one needs to be able to take a big bite to eat these.  But they rapidly disappeared, so it was a challenge we both accomplished.

Dipping them in chocolate was an experiment.  I picked milk chocolate because someone in this household complains every time I use dark chocolate.  When I make these again, I'm using dark chocolate.  The milk chocolate got lost (even the philistine agreed).  But I liked the extra crunch biting into it.  I enjoy food with different textures; this ended up being a crisp, chewy cookie, with a creamy filling and a but of crunch.  Excellent!

The cookies were great all by themselves, although I really like the filling.  We both agreed they were better after being in the refrigerator for a day.  (I always refrigerate or freeze my whole wheat cookies or risk them going moldy.)

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
(Adapted from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary)

½ cup creamy peanut butter
4 Tbls butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg at room temp
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

Filling
½ cup + 2 Tbls creamy peanut butter
3 Tbls butter, room temperature
¾ cup + 2 Tbls powdered sugar
1-2 Tbls milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
5 oz chocolate (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream peanut butter and butter together until smooth.  Add sugars and continue to beat until creamy.  Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda together.  Mix dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture just until combined.  Don’t over mix.

Roll dough into 1 tablespoon balls and place 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling by beating peanut butter and butter together until creamy.  Gradually add in powdered sugar and mix until well blended.  Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time until mixture becomes soft and spreadable.  Add in more milk if needed to reach desired consistency.

When cookies have cooled, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom side of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies right side up and push down to spread filling.

If you wish to dip the cookies:  melt the chocolate over a double boiler until it's mostly melted.  Take off the heat and continue to stir until all of the chocolate is completely melted.  Dip half of the cookie into and place onto waxed paper to harden.