Sugared & Stirred

dairy-free. still delicious.

peanut butter chocolate cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Whipped Ganache

by 1 Comment

Small, soft-baked Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies made extra delicious with an easy, whipped dark chocolate ganache filling. The perfect combination of sweet cookie and rich, decadent frosting!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I’ve got to start this off by saying that these peanut butter cookies are good enough for their own post. No ganache. No gimmicks. Just straight up, tried and true peanut butter cookies. They’re soft, simple to make, and not too sweet or greasy. But because I’m looking to make my life harder (okay, not quite), I just had to add a whipped chocolate ganache frosting (I promise it’s easy!)! I got the idea for these sandwich cookies from the lovely Lee from Lane & Grey Fare – she has beautiful photos for her Wow Butter Sandwich Cookies that surely inspired me.

Now onto the whipped ganache – it’s so easy to make. With a few simple steps, and a bit of waiting for the ganache to set, you’ll have a rich, silky-smooth dark chocolate frosting made with zero powdered sugar. If dark chocolate isn’t your thing, and your sweet tooth needs a little more sugar, you can totally make this whipped ganache with your favorite semi-sweet or milk chocolate (if you aren’t dairy-free). I ever-so-mildly adapted this ganache recipe from Baking A Moment, so head to her blog for more detailed tips on making the whipped ganache.

What You’ll Need

  • Plant-based butter adds moisture and a soft, non-greasy texture to the peanut butter cookies. You can use regular butter or plant-based butter, but make sure it is stick form.
  • Light brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture. A dark brown sugar can be used in its place.
  • White or unrefined cane sugar also adds sweetness and lends a hand to the perfect cookie texture. I recommend using a white cane sugar or an unrefined cane sugar.
  • Natural peanut butter brings peanut butter flavor and moisture. I like to use a room temperature runny peanut butter (made with just peanuts) for this recipe. Feel free to use one with or without salt.
  • Egg binds the ingredients together, while the extra egg yolk keeps the cookies soft and a bit chewy.
  • Vanilla extract adds flavor.
  • Corn starch helps the cookies stay soft for multiple days.
  • Baking soda leavens the cookies.
  • Salt enhances flavor.
  • All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the cookie dough. Feel free to use a bleached or unbleached variety.
  • Dark chocolate is used to make the ganache filling. Feel free to use any level of chocolate for this recipe – dark, semi-sweet, or milk (if you aren’t dairy-free). A semi-sweet or milk chocolate will lend to a sweeter filling.
  • Oat milk turns the chocolate into ganache and helps whip the ganache into a smooth frosting. I haven’t tested this recipe with any other milks.

More Peanut Butter Recipes

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Inside Out Peanut Butter Blossoms

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

Yield: 15 Sandwich Cookies

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Whipped Ganache

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Whipped Ganache

Small, soft-baked peanut butter cookies sandwiched together with an easy, whipped dark chocolate ganache. The perfect combination of sweet cookie and rich, decadent frosting!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1/4 cup (58g) plant-based butter stick, softened

  • 1/2 cup (86g) light brown sugar, lightly packed

  • 1/2 cup (110g) cane sugar

  • 1/2 cup (128g) natural peanut butter (made with just peanuts), room temp
  • 
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 

1 tsp corn starch
  • 
1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 
1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 1/4 (163g) cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Ganache Filling

  • 6oz (170g) dark chocolate, chopped

  • 2/3 cup (160g) oat milk
  • ~1-2 extra oat milk

Instructions

Make the PB Cookies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the plant-based butter (or regular butter) and sugars. Beat in the peanut butter and then the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat in the corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Finally, use a large spoon or spatula to stir in the flour until all is combined.
  3. Scoop cookies 1 Tbsp in size, 8-10 per baking sheet. Roll the dough balls smooth and then press each one down slightly (you can use a fork if you prefer).
  4. Bake at 350°F for 6-7 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat until all cookies are baked, making sure to only bake on a room temperature baking sheet.

Make Whipped Ganache & Assemble Cookies

  1. Chop the chocolate into tiny pieces/slivers and add to a small bowl; set aside.
  2. Heat the oat milk to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Allow the chocolate and hot milk to sit for five minutes and then stir until everything is smooth and combined.
  3. Allow the ganache to sit at room temperature until it firms up enough to be considered solid (this will take a while).
  4. Once the ganache is solid, scoop it into a medium bowl. Begin beating the ganache with a handheld or stand mixer, adding extra oat milk 1 tsp at a time until the ganache forms a silky frosting.
  5. Add the whipped ganache frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip (I used a large round tip). Pipe a thin layer of frosting onto half of the peanut butter cookies and top each with a plain cookie as you go along. Continue until all sandwich cookies are assembled.
  6. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Sandwich cookies inspired by Lane & Grey Fare and the ganache recipe is slightly adapted from Baking A Moment

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies

by 1 Comment

My favorite fudgy brownie cookies elevated with a simple peanut butter swirl. If you’re a fan of peanut butter + chocolate then these Peanut Butter Brownie Swirl Cookies are exactly what you need to bake!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies

Calling all chocolate peanut butter lovers!! These Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies are dreamy little cookies perfect for snacking at home or taking to your next get-together. They’re deliciously fudgy when slightly under-baked and have perfect swirls of natural peanut butter on top. I love how simple this recipe is. The peanut butter flavor is just enough without overwhelming the chocolate brownie cookie. These cookies are so good.

Since these are brownie cookies, the dough will come together just like a homemade brownie batter; that’s because it is brownie batter (with a bit of extra flour + leavening)! To make sure your cookies turn out just like mine, I have a few important tips…

  • Use room temperature eggs for proper “fluffing”
  • Don’t allow the chocolate mixture to cool too much (more than 5 min) or the cookie dough will be stiffer than we want it to be
  • Sift the cocoa powder and flour to avoid any unwanted lumps in the dough
  • Let the dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 min to allow it to stiffen (so you can scoop it!)
  • Take your time when swirling the peanut butter, making “C” an “S” shapes with a small utensil (like a chopstick), being careful not to over-swirl
  • Pull the cookies out of the oven when the centers look slightly wet – this way they’re nice and fudgy! Over-baking will produce cakey cookies

How to Get the Perfect Swirl

Once you’ve mixed up your cookie dough and let it sit for 30 minutes, it’s time to scoop your cookies and swirl them with peanut butter! The best kind of peanut butter to use is a room temperature runny peanut butter. I like to use a “natural” PB with only peanuts. I get it all stirred/mixed and use it while it’s still very runny (not refrigerated!). You’ll scoop your cookies onto your prepared baking sheet. Then, you’ll use a 1/2 teaspoon to spoon the peanut butter around the top of each dough “ball” (this dough is looser than traditional cookie dough).

After each dough ball has peanut butter spooned on top, you’ll take a chopstick (or similar item) and swirl the peanut butter into the tops of the cookies. I like to make “C” and “S” shapes with the smaller end of a chopstick. It’s important not to swirl too much as you want the peanut butter to have some small pools. After you’ve swirled the PB, you can gently re-shape the cookie dough if necessary – I like to take a spoon and just push the edges a bit until the dough balls are more round.

More Brownie Cookies!

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Rocky Road Brownie Cookies

Olive Oil Brownie Cookies

Peppermint Brownie Sandwich Cookies

Yield: 24 Cookies

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Cookies

My favorite fudgy brownie cookies elevated with a simple peanut butter swirl! These delightful cookies are perfect for weekend snacking or taking along to your next get-together.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 3/4 cup (171g) unrefined cane sugar (or 3/4 cup/175g white granulated sugar)
  • 1 cup (190g) chocolate chips (dairy-free if needed)
  • 1/3 cup (74g) plant-based butter (see Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules or espresso powder (optional - see Note 2)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup (20g) Dutched cocoa powder (see Note 3)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (114g) all-purpose flour
  • ~1/4 cup (64g) runny, natural peanut butter (see Note 4)

Instructions

  1. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. Add the room temp eggs and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and looks foamy and thick. This can take a few minutes (usually no longer than 5).
  3. Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the instant coffee or espresso powder; set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.
  4. Return to the sugar/egg mixture to see if it's thick and foamy. Once it's ready, stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Fold the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the sugar and egg mix until totally combined. Stir in the salt and baking powder. Finally, sift in the cocoa powder and flour. Gently stir until all is combined.
  6. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes - this thickens the batter so you can easily scoop it with a cookie scoop.
  7. Prepare your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350°F.
  8. Scoop cookies, 8 per baking sheet, using a 1.5 Tbsp scoop.
  9. Using a 1/2 teaspoon, spoon the runny peanut butter over the cookie dough "balls". Take the small end of a chopstick (or similar item) and gently swirl, making "C" and "S" shapes, the peanut butter into the dough. Be careful not to over-swirl as we like to have some thicker pools of peanut butter.
  10. Bake cookies at 350°F for 5-6 minutes or until the centers look slightly wet. You want to avoid over-baking these as that will lead to cakey cookies. It's better to take these out when they're slightly under-baked. If your cookies are slightly lop-sided you can immediately use the back of a spoon to gently press in the edges for neater, more circular cookies.
  11. Allow the cookies to cool on your baking sheet for 2 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack. Repeat steps 8-10 until all cookies are baked.
  12. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature. Covering these cookies with foil, plastic wrap, or parchment paper may lead to the peanut butter topping transferring - avoid this by storing in a single layer.

Notes

  1. Butter: you can use tub or stick plant-based butter. Regular butter, or your favorite oil, will also work in these cookies. I don't, however, recommend coconut oil.
  2. Instant coffee: this deepens the chocolate flavor but is totally optional - don't fret if you don't have any on hand!
  3. Dutched cocoa: this has a deeper flavor and darker color than regular cocoa powder. The easiest to find in the US is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa.
  4. Peanut butter: I only recommend using a room temperature, runny peanut butter. It's thin and easy to drizzle/swirl. The kind I use has only peanuts on the ingredient list.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred