Well, what have we here – peanut butter and chocolate? Sigh. What can I say? I’m a sucker, a magnet really, for anything that combines these two ingredients (no surprise for my long time readers…). And you, my friends, will just have to suffer through my peanut butter-chocolate dreams. Should we count the ways that I’ve loved this combo in the past?
There’s the Peanut Butter Swirl Bar ode to my childhood, a Peanut Butter Blondie (whole grain of course), another whole grain offering in Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, and my search for a soft pb cookie ended with Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies. You’ll find peanut butter in the frosting of Chocolate Topped Oatmeal Bars, and most of the time I use the peanut butter and mini chocolate chip versions of our staple Granola Bites and No-Bake Granola Bars.
But the most delectable is probably the awesome Peanut Butter-Chocolate Celebration Cake. Although if we’re celebrating an event or the simply the cake’s combo of peanut butter and chocolate, it’s anybody’s guess.
So when I saw this recipe by Donna Hay, well, it was only a matter of time before I adapted it to add to my ‘collection.’ Part of that was upping the chocolate and decreasing the sugar, which makes these more of a dark chocolate brownie – if there is such a thing.
Oh, and I made the cookies a bit smaller, too, because these are rich when they’re all put together. And we are having two at a time after all, so we just do what we can, right?
Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies:
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (a 12-ounce bag)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
Instructions
Make the Cookies:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees; melt the chocolate chips with the butter until semi-smooth with some lumps of chocolate remaining (it's okay if it's totally melted and smooth, but leaving some of the chips unmelted creates little bursts of chocolate in the finished cookie) - either in a saucepan or microwave. Let cool.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together in a stand mixer for 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining cookie ingredients, stirring until completely mixed. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Line two cookie sheets with silicone or parchment. Using a small cookie scoop (or just under a tablespoon), drop the dough onto the sheets. Flatten a bit with your hand - they won't spread much, so you can space them fairly close.
- Bake 7-8 minutes only - the tops will look cracked like brownies. Cool for 10 minutes on the trays before cooling completely on a wire rack.
Make the Frosting:
- Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. If the frosting seems too stiff, add more milk or cream - but only 1/2 tsp. at a time.
To Assemble:
- Match up pairs of cookies roughly the same size and spread a couple of teaspoons of frosting on one half before topping with the other half.
Notes
Nutrition
I’m taking part in the 2015 Christmas Cookie Exchange hosted by The Everyday Home!
It’s an open party where bloggers can share their cookies – new or old – so be sure to stop by for lots of cookie ideas!
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Jenny says
March 16 at 9:18 amI made these and my husband loved them, the neighbors loved them, and the knitting group loved them. I loved that there weren’t a jillion left after that for me to eat!
I don’t bake cookies very often, and these were just fussy enough that I won’t do them unless there is a special occasion. But they were very good!
Kim F says
March 14 at 5:48 pmMade these cookies today. They are amazing. I live at high altitude and my cookie batter was very loose and my cookies spread out much more than yours. This is common with high altitude baking. Next time I’ll just add a tad more flour. My family tried the cookies and loved them even before I added the PB filling so I am skipping the filling. I think these brownie cookies would also be great with some toasted, chopped walnuts! Thanks for sharing this great recipe. Such a delicious, rich treat!
Kim F says
March 4 at 12:32 pmI cannot wait to make these!
Primrose says
March 3 at 3:36 pmOh boy…these look amazing! And, I love that all the ingredients are normal…and already in my food cupboards 🙂 We’re having a special event on Friday for “Women’s Day” and these might just end up on the menu!! I love having new ‘tried and tested’ recipes to make for special occasions like this.
Jami says
March 4 at 7:31 amI’m sure your group will enjoy them – I shared them with our home group and they were a hit as well. I’m so glad it’s not just me who likes the pb-chocolate combination, ha! And using your precious chocolate chips in this way I think will prove worthy. 🙂
Primrose says
March 4 at 1:36 pmA test run has been planned for tomorrow evening – we need a test run, right?! No chocolate chips in my cupboards any more though…it’s too long since we’ve been in the land of chocolate chips, so it’ll be chopped-up chocolate bars 🙂 A little more work, but the same result.
Jami says
March 5 at 2:03 pmOf course, duh, chopped chocolate. 🙂
Liz says
March 2 at 1:20 pmHere I am trying to get ready to make the cinnamon rolls and you hit me with these? killin’ me woman, killin’ me!
Jami says
March 4 at 7:33 amHa! I know, I’ve gotta plan for a ‘regular’ food post this next week. 🙂
Crystal says
March 1 at 12:48 pmYummy!! I love frosting between cookies!! Can’t wait to make these!! Thanks so much!
Tori says
March 1 at 12:33 pmI just had 7 teeth pulled yesterday and this shows up in my email. Pure torture! Can’t wait until I’m all healed up so I can make these delightful-looking sandwiches.
Jami says
March 2 at 7:24 amOh my that’s a lot of teeth! I hope you feel better soon. 🙂
Tori says
March 2 at 8:16 pmThank you! It is. I had my 4 wisdom teeth out, plus 3 others as part of my orthodontic treatment. It’s what happens when you don’t get braces until you’re 25. I’m actually healing very quickly, but I’m starving on this liquid/soft foods diet 🙂