By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 45 minutes
- Rating
- 4(230)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Inspired by two recipes in Maida Heatter’s “Book of Great Cookies,” these crisp treats are the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever tasted.
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Ingredients
Yield:24 to 28 cookies
- 5ounces (1¼ cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 4ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Heaped ½ cup smooth organic peanut butter, with no salt or sugar added, plus 2 tablespoons for filling the cookies
- 5ounces (¾ cup) raw brown sugar
- 1egg
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (26 servings)
109 calories; 7 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 54 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Step
2
Cream the butter and ½ cup of peanut butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the raw sugar and beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gradually add the flour mixture, beating at low speed.
Step
3
Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on your work surface and spoon the dough onto the paper in a strip 12 to 14 inches long and about 2 inches thick. Fold the paper over the dough and shape the strip of dough into a log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate several hours or, preferably, overnight.
Step
4
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with racks positioned in the middle and lower portions. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Rewrap one half and return to the refrigerator. Cut the remaining half into thin rounds, no thicker than ¼ inch, and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart, with the rows staggered. Place ¼ teaspoon of peanut butter in the center of each round. Remove the other half of the dough from the refrigerator and slice in rounds. Place each round on top of a peanut butter-topped round. When all of the rounds are covered, lightly flour your fingertips and seal the cookies by pressing down gently all the way around. It won’t matter if the top cracks a little. Your rounds should be about 2½ inches in diameter.
Step
5
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 16 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly colored and semi-firm to the touch, switching the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before eating. They won’t be crisp until they cool.
Tip
- Advance preparation: These will keep for 3 or 4 days, if you can keep them around for that long.
Ratings
4
out of 5
230
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Cooking Notes
David Look
From Martha: You can substitute regular all purpose flour for the ww pastry flour.
Healthy Cook
I did try freezing the dough, then thawing before slicing and baking. Worked beautifully.
Rita
What if you don't want to use whole wheat flour? What substitutes for pastry flour?
Healthy Cook
I made these, substituting coconut oil for the butter. Absolutely delicious!
PrivateChef
I made these using half AP and half sprouted WW flour. I added 1 tsp cinnamon to the mix. I used my smallest cookie scoop to portion and then flattened them using a small square of parchment and the back of a half cup measure. I pressed them to about 1/8". baked 12-14 min. Once they cooled I filled with WF Nutella and made sandwich's. They got great feedback from my client who happen to be cookie connoisseurs. I think the cookie is borderline bland and really needed the cinnamon and Nutella.
Cook from Chapel Hill
These worked just fine veganized. Used Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter plus Bob’s red mill egg replacer. Very, very good recipe. A keeper.
Kate S
Delicious and cozy! The second time I made these, I also pressed a disc of dark chocolate into the bottom layer before sandwiching. Would recommend.
JLE
Hs anyone tried making an ice cream sandwich with these cookies?
norma jean
I love this recipe. The key is letting the dough set for a good amount of time in the fridge then cutting the slices very thin to get a crispy cookie. I substituted half cashew butter for the cookie and used crunch dark roasted PB for the filling and sprinkled with smoked maldon sea salt. I was out of eggs so subbed 1/4 cup of apple sauce for the egg. I love pb&j so I added thumbprints immediately after baking and dolloped my favorite jam in the center. Perfection!
Cook from Chapel Hill
These worked just fine veganized. Used Miyoko’s cultured vegan butter plus Bob’s red mill egg replacer. Very, very good recipe. A keeper.
Delz
Perfect texture for a peanut butter cookie. Would recommend much more peanut butter filling, perhaps 1/2 up to 1/3 teaspoon for each cookie.
Joe A.
Delicious. Used half AP flour and whole wheat flour. Takes a little longer to cook than specified to get slightly brown. Will make again.
PrivateChef
Addition to my first comment - I also used coconut sugar in place of the raw brown sugar which likely led to a more bland cookie but overall yielded good results with the addition of the cinnamon and Nutella.
PrivateChef
I made these using half AP and half sprouted WW flour. I added 1 tsp cinnamon to the mix. I used my smallest cookie scoop to portion and then flattened them using a small square of parchment and the back of a half cup measure. I pressed them to about 1/8". baked 12-14 min. Once they cooled I filled with WF Nutella and made sandwich's. They got great feedback from my client who happen to be cookie connoisseurs. I think the cookie is borderline bland and really needed the cinnamon and Nutella.
Mary
Wow. Crispy and chewy. The grains of the raw sugar give this great texture. Excellent peanut flavor.
Paula
The whole wheat flour made them taste like cardboard. Maybe I’ll try again with all purpose
Sarah
Baked these today as written, except we used organic almond butter. They turned out better than expected! I am gonna take another baker’s suggestion the next time we make these, and use coconut oil. What a terrific idea....
Deborah
After reading notes below, I skipped PB schmear in center & instead used bittersweet chocolate discs (El Rey Gran Saman 70%) which worked well. Cookies were full of PB flavor and appealingly crisp without being dry. I liked the rustic texture. PB lovers won't be disappointed.
cindy
Can I use almond butter or other nut butter?
sandra
What makes them a sandwich?
Heather
It is a "sealed" sandwich. There is PB filling in the center.
Jacqueline
I made these quite a few times, also with slight variations: replacing (half of the) peanut butter by tahini, filling them with chocolate (or a mixture of melted chocolate and crème fraîche), and each time they are just delicious.They belong to my favourites.
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