Spread creamy chocolate ganache in between two soft and chewy peanut butter cookies to make the most amazing peanut butter sandwich cookies. These cookies are simple enough to make for an afternoon snack or a weeknight dessert.
Batches of peanut butter cookies come out of my oven on a regular basis. If I ask my husband what cookies he wants me to make these are always at the top of his list.
This is not the first time I’ve shared this recipe. I’ve used it to make adorable 3-D Turkey Cookies and festive Jack-O-Lantern Cookies. I even used it as the base of a delicious Peanut Butter Cookie Sundae.
I’ve had this recipe in my recipe box since childhood. It makes soft and chewy cookies that are loaded with peanut butter flavor.
To make them taste even more amazing I love to sandwich two cookies together with chocolate ganache filling.
The fudgy filling makes the cookies even softer and adds a decadent chocolate flavor which balances beautifully with the peanut butter.
The best part about this recipe is its simplicity. The cookies are easy to make and the chocolate ganache filling is too.
Let’s bake cookies.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Supplies:
- 1-ounce cookie (ice cream) scoop
- baking sheets
- parchment paper or silicone mats
Instructions:
- Beat the butter until light and fluffy then add the peanut butter and beat until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until well combined.
- Add the eggs and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour it into the wet ingredients and blend just until combined.
- Scoop out 1-ounce portions of the cookie dough and arrange on a baking sheet.
- Flatten using a fork then rotate the cookies and flatten with the fork again.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies no longer look wet.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking tray.
- Then you can move them to a cooling rack to cool completely or you can just leave them on the tray.
NOTES:
- I like to use my stand mixer to make this cookie dough.
- You can use a hand-held mixer for the wet ingredients but once you add the flour, you should mix the dough by hand so you don’t burn out the motor in your mixer.
Make chocolate ganache filling.
Making chocolate ganache is quite easy, but you can have trouble if you overheat or underheat your cream. You can see my very detailed tutorial including troubleshooting tips for making smooth and creamy chocolate ganache, here.
Here are the basics.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
- Pour finely chopped chocolate into a shallow bowl.
- Create a well in the center of the chocolate ( a hole where you can see the bottom of the bowl). This will allow the cream to get under the chocolate more easily.
- Heat your cream over medium heat to a simmer on the stove, just until bubbles begin to form.
- Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate, making sure it covers all of the chocolate.
- Set aside undisturbed for 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to begin to melt.
- Then begin stirring the mixture in small circles in the center of the bowl.
- As the chocolate and cream start to darken and come together you can begin to make your circle bigger.
- Continue stirring until the cream and chocolate come together then widen the circle again and continue until the entire bowl of cream comes together.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Then quit stirring as soon as the chocolate and cream come together to create a silky smooth ganache.
- If you overmix the ganache it can become grainy.
- Cover the bowl of ganache with a tight-fitting lid or press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top surface of the ganache and set it aside at room temperature until it thickens to a frosting-like texture.
Add the filling.
- Either fill a pastry bag with the chocolate ganache and pipe it onto a cookie or simply spread it on using a knife or spatula.
- Gently press another peanut butter cookie on top.
You’ll get a nice even amount of filling if you use a pastry bag. If you use a star-shaped tip you’ll have some ridgelines in the filling too which looks nice.
Recipe
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Beat the butter until light and fluffy.
-
Then add the peanut butter and beat until creamy.
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Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until well combined.
-
Then stir in the eggs until combined.
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In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
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Scoop out 1-ounce portions of the cookie dough and arrange on a baking sheet with a few inches in between.
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Use a fork to flatten the cookies using a criss-cross pattern.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies no longer look wet.
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Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet then place them on a cooling rack until cooled completely.
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Pour finely chopped chocolate into a shallow bowl.
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Heat your cream over medium heat to a simmer on the stove, just until bubbles begin to form.
-
Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
-
Set aside undisturbed for 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to begin to melt.
-
Then begin stirring the mixture in small circles in the center of the bowl.
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As the chocolate and cream start to come together you can begin to make your circle bigger, stirring until all the chocolate and cream emulsify.
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Cover the bowl of ganache with a tight-fitting lid or press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top surface of the ganache and set it aside at room temperature until it thickens to a frosting-like texture.
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Either fill a pastry bag with the chocolate ganache and pipe it onto half of the peanut butter cookies or simply spread it on using a knife or spatula.
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Gently press another peanut butter cookie on top.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe or do you just think it is super cute? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.
I love making fun food for parties and special occasions and sharing my creative ideas with you.
If you make this recipe and share it online be sure to link back to this post and use #hungryhappenings.
Thanks and have a sweet day! – Beth
If you like this peanut butter cookie recipe you might also like these other cookie recipes…
Soft and Chewy Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gumdrop Cookies & Cookie Exchange Party Ideas
Chocolate Sandwich Cookie with Peanut Butter Fudge Filling
Sounds delicious, one of my favorite combos…peanut butter and chocolate!