If you’re a fan of Nutter Butters, you’ll love these soft and chewy peanut butter sandwich cookies with sweet and salty peanut butter cream filling.
The cookies are simple yet overflowing with nutty goodness. The edges are lightly crunchy, and the centers are impossibly soft and fudgy,
As for the filling, it’s a rich and creamy peanut butter-infused dream come true. Seriously, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful!
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Pure Peanut Butter Perfection: It’s in the cookies and the filling, so there’s no escaping the flavor. Not that you’d want to, of course!
Quick and Easy Treats: The dough does not need to be chilled, so it’s in the oven before you know it. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool.
Perfect for Sharing: Ideal for various occasions, from holiday cookie platters to everyday snacks, these cookies can be enjoyed anytime, making them a versatile addition to your baking repertoire.
Ingredients
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Use standard, smooth PB for the best taste and texture in the cookies and the filling.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and helps create the perfect cookie texture. It’s also in the filling.
- Granulated, Brown, and Powdered Sugar: A trio of sweetness! Granulated for crunch, brown for depth, and powdered for a smooth filling.
- Large Eggs: The binding heroes that hold these cookies together.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the flavors and adds a subtle, sweet aroma to the cookies and filling.
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the cookies, providing structure and texture.
- Baking Soda: For a bit of lift.
- Salt: A pinch to balance the sweetness and enhance the peanut butter flavor.
- Heavy Cream: The secret to a luscious, creamy filling that’s easy to spread.
How to Make Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Move over Nutter Butter, there’s a new cookie sandwich in town! And they’re insanely easy to make.
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. BEAT the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla on low speed.
3. STIR the dry ingredients separately, then mix it into the wet by hand until just combined.
4. Bake in 1 tablespoon-sized balls, rolled in some extra sugar, for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned and centers are puffy. Set aside to cool.
5. BLEND the frosting ingredients until thick and smooth. Add the cream as needed until it’s thick but pipes well.
6. ASSEMBLE two cookies with a dollop of filling between them. Gently press to spread the filling to the edges. Serve and enjoy!
Tips For the Best Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
While this recipe is super straightforward, I do have a few tips to remember.
- Peanut butter. Use a creamy, no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy for the best texture and flavor. Avoid natural peanut butter, which can be too oily and actually dry out the dough.
- Cream well. Cream the butter and peanut butter together until light and fluffy, and remember to scrape the bowl! This will help create a soft and chewy cookie.
- Skip the extra sugar. They’re not overly sweet cookies, but you can skip the sugar roll if you prefer.
- Chill the dough. I know I said you don’t need to, but it will help the flavors mature and keep the cookies from spreading too much.
- Be gentle. Mix by hand when adding the dry ingredients to keep from overmixing. Or use a paddle on low and mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour. I don’t recommend using an electric mixer for this part.
- Use a cookie scoop. This ensures evenly sized cookies.
- Bake carefully. I find 8 minutes is the sweet spot. They’ll be very pale but should be puffy in the middle. Don’t bake for longer than 10 minutes, or they won’t have a soft center. Remember, they’ll keep baking on the tray.
- Fun extras: Mix in finely chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips to the cookies. 1 cup should be enough.
- Filling options. Instead of peanut butter, try chocolate ganache, Nutella, marshmallow fluff, or a peanut butter and jelly combo for a tasty twist.
How to Store
Whether you’re whipping up a batch for a casual get-together or simply because you need a peanut butter fix, these peanut butter cookies are sure to hit the spot.
And you can even make them ahead if you need to!
To Make Ahead: Make, cover, and chill the dough for 2-3 days. Or portion the dough and freeze until solid. Then, transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
To Store: Store assembled peanut butter sandwich cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
To Freeze: Freeze unfilled cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. For filled cookies, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag; thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
More Cookies Recipes We Can’t Get Enough Of
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
12
servings15
minutes12
minutes463
If you’re a fan of Nutter Butters, you’ll love these soft and chewy peanut butter sandwich cookies with sweet and salty peanut butter cream filling.
Ingredients
- For the Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the cookies: In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then beat again until smooth. Blend in the egg and vanilla on low.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the butter-sugar mixture and stir by hand until just combined.
- Portion the dough into 1 tablespoonful balls and roll each in the extra sugar, if desired. Arrange on the baking sheets with 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned on the edges and puffy in the middle. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar on low until smooth, then blend in the vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and beat until thick, about 30 seconds. If needed, add the heavy cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Assemble: Dollop or pipe the frosting onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently press to spread the filling to the edges. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Peanut butter. Use a creamy, no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy for the best texture and flavor. Avoid natural peanut butters, which can be too oily.
- Bake carefully. I find 8 minutes is the sweet spot. They’ll be very pale but should be puffy in the middle. Don’t bake for longer than 10 minutes, or they won’t have a soft center. Remember, they’ll keep baking on the tray.
