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Irresistibly soft and chewy Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies stuffed with melt in your mouth creamy peanut butter filling!
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Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

These Peanut Butter Cookies are Irresistibly soft and chewy with the option to create SANDWICH Peanut Butter Cookies  stuffed with melt in your mouth creamy peanut butter filling -  because two cookies are better than one!  These Peanut Butter cookies are easy to make without any dough chilling required and they're make ahead and freezer friendly too!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 22 -24 cookies

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened,
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Peanut Butter Filling

  • 1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Line baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick mats.
  • Peanut Butter Cookies: In a stand or electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter together until very smooth. Add sugars and continue to beat until very creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Mix dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture just until combined – don’t overmix!
  • Roll dough into 1 tablespoon balls* and place 2-3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Press down with fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or just until edges are golden (mine took exactly 11 minutes). Let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. If you like crispier cookies, simply bake longer.
  • Peanut Butter Filling: Meanwhile, make the Filling by beating peanut butter and butter together until very creamy. Gradually mix in powdered sugar. Mix until well blended. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2-3 more minutes until very smooth and fluffy, drizzling in more heavy cream if needed to reach desired consistency.
  • When cookies have cooled, spoon a heaping tablespoon of Peanut Butter Filling onto the bottom side of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies right side up and push down to spread filling. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days then refrigerate after that.

Notes

*For larger sandwich cookies, roll dough into 2 tablespoon balls and bake for approximately 14 minutes. Makes 10-12 larger cookie sandwiches.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE VARIATIONS

There are SO MANY possibilities when it comes to this easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe!  You can make the cookies without the filling for simple soft and chewy Peanut Butter Cookies and/or dress them up with:
  • Chips: Add in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel chips, Reese’s peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
  • Candy: Add chopped candy such as Twix, Butterfinger, KitKat, Snickers, Skor, toffee bits or Reese’s. You can also add whole Rollos or America's favorite - a Hersey kiss on top!
  • Nuts: chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or even peanuts.
  • Sweet and salty:  try adding chopped pretzels or crushed potato chips for a sweet and salty treat.
Non-cookie uses for peanut butter cookies:
  • Crumble on top of ice cream or chocolate pie
  • Use dough as a pie crust
  • Mix into brownie batter

HOW TO FREEZE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH:

  • Roll balls per instructions and flatten with the criss-cross pattern.
  • Fit as many dough balls as you can on a parchment/nonstick lined baking sheet without touching.
  • Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze the balls until outsides are hard (about 1-2 hours).
  • Transfer to a freezer size plastic bag and freeze.
  • Peanut Butter Cookie dough should freeze well for up to 3 months.
  • To BAKE:  Place frozen cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake according to instructions, adding a couple extra minutes to cook time.

HOW TO FREEZE BAKED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: 

  • Fit as many COOLED baked Peanut Butter Cookies on a parchment/nonstick mat lined baking sheet without touching.
  • Place the baking sheet(s) in the freezer and freeze until solid (about 1 hour).
  • Transfer to a freezer size plastic bag and freeze.
  • To EAT:  When you want to enjoy a Peanut Butter Cookie, take it out and let it sit at room temperature, warm in the microwave at 10 second intervals or warm it in the oven for a few minutes.