
I had made and photographed these about 20 months ago, and I’m now just getting to the write-up. I think these are based on an Epicurious recipe.
Instead of making them the iconic peanut shape, I went with simple rounds and the cool cookie imprint tool that my wife bought. I remember these being good, though I had overmixed the batter a bit, making the cookies a little tough. Keep that in mind if you make these.
Enjoy!
What you’ll need for the cookies
- 9 oz. (255g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 6T (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature (fake butter makes these vegan)
- 0.33 cups (85g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 0.25t baking soda
- 0.25t Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half as much if using table salt)
- 2 large egg whites (use a substitute, such as apple sauce, for vegan)
What you’ll need for the peanut butter crème
- 6T (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature (fake butter makes these vegan)
- 0.33 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1T honey
- 1t vanilla extract
- 0.25t Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half as much if using table salt)
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
What to do for the cookies
Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and cream the mixture until fluffy and light—about 5 minutes. Beat the egg whites with a fork until they’re foamy and thin, then add them to the butter and sugar in four additions, letting each incorporate before adding the next. Scrape the bowl with a flexible spatula, then resume mixing on low. Sprinkle in the flour, mixing to form a soft dough.
Once you have a soft dough, knead it against the sides of the bowl to form a smooth ball, then divide it in half, flattening the two halves into discs. If not using right away, the dough stays good wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Just let it sit at room temperature before kneading it back into smoothness before using.
To make the cookie wafers, put your oven rack in the middle position and begin heating the oven to 350°F. While the oven is heating, on a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough until it’s about 0.5-inch thick. Sprinkle it with flour, turn it over, sprinkle the other side with more flour and roll to about 0.12-inch (1/8 inch) thick. Slide an offset spatula under the dough to loosen it, then cut it into whatever shapes you want. Move the cutouts to a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet, leaving about a quarter inch between them. At this point with mine, I imprinted them with the design shown in the photos. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the dough it used.
Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until firm and dry. Let them fully cool on the baking sheet when they are done. If not using right away, they’ll keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Now that the cookies are done, it’s time to make the crème: Combine the butter, peanut butter, honey, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then sprinkle in the powdered sugar a little at a time. When everything is fully incorporated, increase the paddle speed to medium and beat until the crème is soft and light—about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl, as needed, when the crème is beating.
With the crème done, it’s time to assemble the cookies. Using a table/soup spoon or a pastry bag with a small plain tip, add the crème to the inside of a cookie wafer, adding enough to make about an eighth inch of crème when flattened. Add the top wafer to the crème and gently move it around to evenly distribute the crème. Repeat for the rest of the wafers.
Voilà! Now you have a batch of really good cookies.

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