You know it’s a good week when it begins and ends with chocolate.
I’ve been hoarding chocolate ideas for months leading up to Valentine’s Day, and they all turned out so well I couldn’t cut any. Next week I’ll probably make something lighter—soup, salad or chicken—but right now I’m fully committed to chocolate and peanut butter.
All I want to do is cannonball into that peanut butter cream filling. It’s outstanding. Think of everything you could spread it on—cookies, toast, brownies, or straight from a spoon. Ready? Go.
These chocolate cookies almost didn’t get filled because the cookies themselves are sensational: deeply chocolatey, crisp around the edges and still satisfying in texture. They’re reminiscent of shortbread but richer and more chocolate-forward—so even if you’re not a shortbread fan, these might change your mind.
I’d usually pick something more decadent over plain shortbread—cheesecake, fudgy brownies or a classic chocolate chip cookie—but these are a better, more luxurious take on chocolate shortbread.
We’ve been sharing recipes and favorites here since 2009, so I know some of you do love shortbread. If that’s you, these will be right up your alley—especially if you also have a soft spot for Girl Scout cookies and their buttery shortbread.
Back to these sandwich cookies: while the exterior has the satisfying crunch of a classic sandwich cookie, the peanut butter filling is a homemade cream rather than an exact Oreo replica. The flavor is wonderful and the filling is creamy and smooth, but it won’t have the perfectly stiff, shelf-stable texture of commercial sandwich-cookie fillings—likely because store-bought fillings include stabilizers and preservatives to hold that shape.
That’s perfectly fine. There’s a time and place for store-bought Oreos, but occasionally a homemade chocolate peanut butter version is a much better choice. Let’s make our own.
Peanut Butter Oreos
Yield:
30
oreos
2 hrs
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Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
peanut butter cream filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Sift the cocoa, flour and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Slowly add the cocoa mixture and mix until just combined.
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Bring the dough together and divide it into two pieces. Roll each piece between sheets of parchment to 1/4-inch thickness and place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
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After an hour, preheat the oven to 325°F. Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut rounds and arrange them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes before baking.
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Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until the edges look darker. Cool completely before filling and sandwiching with the peanut butter cream.
peanut butter cream filling
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In the mixer bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until creamy. Pipe or spoon onto cooled cookies and sandwich together.
Notes
Dessert
American
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I appreciate you so much!
I might even drink some milk with these—maybe with a splash of Kahlúa for grown-up cookies.