- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter Filling, recipe follows
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- For the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets, and set aside.
- Cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture until fully incorporated.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets 1 tablespoon at a time, about 2 inches apart. Press the cookies flat with the back of a fork dipped into remaining sugar. Sprinkle the cookies with any remaining sugar, and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around edges. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, spread about 1 tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of 12 cookies, and top each with another cookie, flat-side-down, to make a sandwich.
- For the Chunky Peanut Butter Filling:
- Cream together the cram cheese, peanut butter, butter and confectioners’ sugar until thoroughly blended and smooth.