Giant Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients

Directions

• 01

  Place a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the peanuts and toast, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.

• 02

  To make the cookies, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the peanut butter, butter and sugar. Beat on medium-low speed at first to combine, then increase to medium-high speed and whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until incorporated, 15-30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

• 03

  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing each for about 15-3o seconds or just until incorporated. Add in the oats and pulse on low speed just until incorporated. Add in the peanuts and pulse to combine. Mound the dough and transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap. Form into a 5 x 7-inch rectangle. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.

• 04

  When you are ready to bake the cookies, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out into a ¼-inch thick sheet. If the dough begins to soften, return it to the fridge on a sheet pan until it is firm enough to cut. Using a round 3¼-inch cutter, cut rounds from the dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Recombine and roll out the dough scraps and cut out more rounds (you should have at least 12 total.) Place the baking sheets with the cut rounds in the freezer and chill for at least 2 hours or until firm.

• 05

  Heat the oven to 325˚ F. Bake the cookies until golden brown, about 16-18 minutes total, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the pans to the rack to cool completely.

• 06

  To make the filling and frosting, combine the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and stiff peaks form, being careful not to over mix.  Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl.  In the now empty mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.  Add the remaining 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high.  Blend in the vanilla extract and salt, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Use a large spatula to gently fold about a third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter frosting.  Once the first addition has been evenly incorporated, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain.

• 07

  Put the cookies in pairs. Use a pastry bag fitted with a large star or round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

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