Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

You didn't think I'd go a whole "food" week without posting at least one sweet, did you? Truthfully, I would have if it hadn't been for the fact that we had some cream that we had to get rid of before it went bad. I just haven't had the energy to do any baking lately after all the work we've been doing around the house--plus we have great neighbors who bring us chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting!

Darrell raved sooo much about the sweets I made for our one year anniversary that I thought I'd try something similiar, and when I saw that these guys had some cream in them I was sold! They were super easy to make, although my one complaint would be the ratio of the cookie softness to the filling softness. The cookies were just a little on the chewy side, so when I bit into one the filling started to come out at the sides. But, it tastes just as good when licked off my fingers, so I can't complain too much!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
(found here--and yes, her picture is a million times better than mine)

Cookies3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats

Filling3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla.  Beat to incorporate.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.  Finally, add the oats and beat briefly to distribute evenly.

Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and puffed, and the edges are set. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer then to the wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat to bake all dough.

To make the filling: Combine the butter, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and beat until fluffy.  Match the cookies in pairs by size. Spread the frosting onto the flat side of one of the cookies and press together (if you are more patient than me you could put the frosting into a bag and pipe it onto the cookie. I just wanted to get them done so I could eat one--not take an award-winning picture of them).