Yield: 36 sandwich cookies
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
These Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies are the perfect recipe for when you want to mail treats to family around the holidays! So easy to make, these cookies stay soft and fresh for days.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shortening, butter flavored
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus additional sugar for rolling
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
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Instructions
- Cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer, beat together shortening and peanut butter. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, cream together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract, beating till combined. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and stir until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. The dough will be a soft dough.
- Place a few heaping tablespoons of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl or saucer. Then roll 1 tablespoon worth of dough into balls, toss in sugar, and place on prepared baking sheet. Using the bottom of a flat glass, or the palm of your hand, evenly press on the dough balls to flatten till about 1/2 inch thick. Leave about 1 inch between each cookie for spreading.
- Bake for 8 minutes, rotating half way through, or until the cookies have slightly spread and risen a little. They will not brown or change much color because of the peanut butter. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
- Filling: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat to combine, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape filling into piping bag with a plain circle tip, or in a ziplock baggie with the top cut off. Pipe filling into the center of every other cookie, and then sandwich together. Serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: These sandwich cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 to 6 days in an airtight container at room temperature! If you refrigerate them, they should last even longer – a week or more.
Use Shortening: I know that shortening is not a commonly used ingredient anymore these days, but it really does create the best texture in peanut butter cookies. If you swap it for butter, your cookies will be less soft and chewy.
Measure Flour Carefully: To achieve the right texture, it’s essential to measure your flour accurately. With flour, you want to measure it loosely. Don’t pack it into your measuring cup. Instead, fluff the flour and then spoon it into the measuring cup, and then level it off with a butter knife.
Evenly Space and Flatten the Cookies: When placing the dough balls on the baking sheet, ensure you leave enough space between them for spreading, and flatten them down so they bake correctly.
Add Chocolate: If you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan, you can swap out the creamy peanut butter filling for this chocolate buttercream frosting. You can also melt chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies or dip them directly into the chocolate. Lastly, after filling the cookies, you can roll them in mini chocolate chips so that the chips stick to the filling.
Peanut Butter Pretzel: Instead of mini chocolate chips, roll the finished cookies in crushed pretzels for a sweet-and-salty version you’ll crave!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 283kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 242mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 99IU, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg