She'll be doing the peanut butter cookie macarena with these. Rec: Not Nut Butters
Oh man, these sound so good, Mar. Send me one pleez.
)
Not Nut Butters
I knew my days as a Girl Scout had finally paid off when I was able to duplicate my favorite peanut-butter cookies. Whether peanut-shaped like a nutter butter or cut into circles as do-si-dos, their comforting flavor and soft crunch is like no other. And you’ll never have to wait and wonder when Girl Scout cookie season is coming again.
3 sticks (12 oz) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
3/4 cup natural, chunky-style unsalted peanut butter, excess oil poured off and discarded
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For The Filling:
6 tbsp (3 oz) unsalted butter
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp natural, chunky-style unsalted peanut butter
To make the cookies:
In a medium skillet, melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat. Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise. With the back of the knife, scrape out the pulp and the seeds, and add the scrapings and the pod to the butter. Add the oats, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oats are lightly toasted and a golden-brown color. Transfer to a bowl, discard the vanilla pod, and chill the oat mixture.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining butter, the baking soda, and salt on low speed for 2-3 minutes, until the butter is softened. Add the sugars, and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter, and mix to combine. Turn the mixer off, and add the oat mixture and the flour. Turn the mixer to low speed, and mix for another minute until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and comes together into a ball.
For the peanut-shaped cookies:
Using your hands, roll the dough int o1-inch balls. On the work surface, roll one of the balls back and forth, tapering the ends to form a 1-1/2 inch long football-shaped oval with slightly pointed ends. Continue in the same manner with the remaining dough.
Place 2 of the oval shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with the points touching. Using the palm of your hand, applying even pressure, flatten them so that the adjacent ends of the 2 ovals join together and create a peanut shape, 3 inches long and just under 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the cookies 2-1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Using a straight-edge razor blade or a knife, mark diagonal crisscross patterns over the surface of each cookie. Chill them for about 15 minutes, until firm.
For the round cookies:
Roll 2 tsp of the filling into a ball and, using your fingertips, press it into a disc. Continue with the remaining filling.
Flip half of the cookies over to make the bottoms. Place a disc of filling in the center of each. Place the top cookies over the filling, pressing gently to sandwich them together.
Yield: 36 cookies
Source: Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book
