My college sweetheart loves peanut butter. Actually, I don’t think the word love does justice to the adoration my ex-boyfriend has for the creamy peanut concoction.
Not long after we started dating he revealed that for nearly 20 years his mother made him the same birthday cake… from scratch. He called it the Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cake. Whenever we would stroll by a bakery or eat at a restaurant he’d talk about his favorite cake. By our first anniversary I could have probably made the recipe from memory (it was a triple layer angel food cake with peanut butter, chocolate, and those famous Butterfinger bars incorporated in the cake batter and the frosting).
I dated him for nearly five years and I never once baked him the cake. I wouldn’t dare. And have him compare it to his mother’s (who happens to be one of the best bakers I have ever met)? Puh-leeze. I wasn’t going there. However, one Easter I did break down and made him a batch of peanut butter filled peanut butter cookies.
I ran across the recipe the other day when I was looking for something to make for an upcoming Christmas party. The cookies are super simple to make and if you have a peanut butter lover on your holiday gift list, this recipe might come in very handy.
Peanut Butter-Filled Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
Directions:
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.
Cream butter with sugars. Add peanut butter; blend. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well incorporated. Add flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are incorporated.
Divide dough in thirds and roll each in waxed paper to form a 2-inch diameter log. Refrigerate 2 hours (I leave it in overnight).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place peanut butter filling in plastic sandwich bag and cut a small piece from one corner.
Cut logs into thin slices and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Squeeze a dollop of filling onto each slice and top with a second slice. (If filling squishes out, let dough sit to soften a bit.) Mark a crisscross on top of each cookie with fork dipped in sugar. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, until golden.
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