CHOCOLATE CHIP & PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE SANDWICHES

I'm on the Women's Auxiliary for His Caring Place, a crisis pregnancy program that provides for the physical, emotional, spiritual and educational needs of these young mother's who often grew up in homes of abuse or neglect.  We have several fund raisers every year, one of them being Dessert Night.  I love this night because: this event introduces many new people to His Caring Place, a couple of the girls will share their stories of how their lives (and ultimately that of their babies) have been redeemed, and because...hello, it's dessert!

Look at all that sweetness!  This is just some of the desserts ready to go out.

There are my cookies on the silver tray, they were more artfully arranged when I left the house!

I also made a triple batch of these Lemon Blondies. 

 They are fellow blogger Tricia's recipe.  Please visit her wonderful blog, Saving Room For Dessert her recipes are TDF and her photos are beeeautiful!  While these blondies tasted a-maz-ing, my photo doesn't do them justice, I was in a rush to get out the door.  Tricia's photos are waaay more appetizing and waaay prettier!

Dessert Night was a success on all levels; everbody had a great time, the girls moved us all to tears with their stories, and there was not  a slice of cake remaining.  Woo hoo for Dessert Night!

 Here's what you do to make the cookie sammies!

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and set it to the side.

I was indecisive, so I used both milk and bittersweet chocolate chips.

Stir about a tablespoon of the dry ingredients into the chocolate chips.  Set that to the side.

Since I was making a large batch of cookies, I took out the big guns!

If using a stand mixer, go ahead and put the paddle attachment on.

Cream the softened butter and brown sugar together, until it gets light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg goes in.

Add the vanilla with the last egg.

Add half of the dry ingredients, and mix just until it's incorporated.  Then add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until it's incorporated.

 

Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to stir in the chocolate chips.

 

I used a scoop so that my cookies would be the same size.  The scoop is a little less than a tablespoon in size.

Drop the cookies about 2 inches apart.  

I prefer to use an insulated pan for cookies.

 

Allow the cookies to cool just a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now for the Peanut Butter Filling.

Cream the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter together. 

I forgot to take the butter and cream cheese out the night before, so in the morning I cut it into cubes to help it to soften quicker.  It softened in about an hour, but if you don’t have that long, use a box grater to grate the cold butter and cream cheese, then you can use it almost immediately.  Please don’t use the microwave to soften the butter, the consistency is never right, and it changes the texture of whatever you’re baking.

I like to beat in the confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time, just that it doesn't make a big sugar cloud.

The filling will be light and fluffy when it's done.

Now to assemble.

I use roasted and salted peanuts because they're the perfect juxtaposition to the sweetness and softness of the cookie and filling.

Go ahead and chop those pretty small.

I tried to use a food processor to chop the peanuts, and it created too much powder, so learn from my mistake and chop them by hand.

Spread the filling on half of the cookies.

 

Then put another cookie on top to make a cookie sammie.

Give it just a gentle squeeze.

 

Roll the cookie sandwiches in the chopped peanuts so that the peanuts stick to the filling on the sides.

Now if you don't care about being fancy, instead of rolling the sides in the peanuts, you could stir the peanuts straight into the filling.

Put the cookies into the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.

I love peanut butter, however I'm not nuts about peanuts; but the peanuts are what make this cookie for me.  I think it's that whole sweet & salty, as well as the soft thing.  This has become my favorite new cookie!

CHOCOLATE CHIP & PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE SANDWICHES

Makes about 3 dozen cookie sandwiches

FOR THE COOKIES

3 1/3       cups       All-purpose flour

1 ½         tsp.        Salt

1 ½         tsp.        Baking soda

1 ½         cups       Butter; softened at room temperature

2             cups       Brown sugar, lightly packed

3                          Eggs

2             tsp.        Vanilla extract

2             cups       Chocolate chips

   1.       Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

   2.       In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients, being the flour, baking soda and salt, mix well.  Set to the side.

   3.       Mix 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients into the chocolate chips.  Set to the side.

   4.       In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy.  A mixer works well for this.

   5.       Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

   6.       Beat in the vanilla.

   7.       Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until incorporated.

   8.       Add the remaining dry ingredients, mix just until incorporated.

   9.       Stir the chocolate chips into the dough with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

   10.   Drop or scoop the dough a little less than a tablespoon size, 2 inches apart, on to an ungreased cookie sheet.

   11.   Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.

   12.   Cool on the sheet pan for a couple of minutes, and then transfer the cookies on to a wire rack to cool completely.

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

½             cup         butter; softened to room temperature (1 stick)

4              oz.          Cream cheese, softened to room temperature (1/2 block)

½             cup         Creamy peanut butter

2 ½           cups       Confectioner’s sugar

   1.       In a large bowl cream the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter together with a handheld mixer, until light and fluffy.

   2.       Beat in the confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time, until it’s completely mixed in.

TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIE SANDWICHES.

¾             cup         Roasted, salted peanuts

   1.       Chop the peanuts pretty fine with a sharp knife.  Put those into bowl or a plate.  (Don’t use the food processor, it makes the peanuts too powdery)

   2.       On one half of the cooled cookies, spread about 2 tablespoons of the filling.

   3.       Place the remaining cookies on top of the filling to make a cookie sandwich.  Gently press the cookies together.

   4.       Roll and press the edges of the cookies in the chopped peanuts.  The peanuts should stick to the filling.

   5.       Allow the cookies to set up in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

   6.       Store in an air tight container, in the refrigerator.

*Note:  I rolled the cookies in the peanuts so that people would know that peanuts were present.  If you don’t want to do that step, go ahead and mix the peanuts into the Peanut Butter Filling instead.

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This recipe was shared at:

My Turn (for us) Freedom Fridays