peanut butter sandwich cookies

I'll admit that peanut butter just isn't my thing. I don't eat it straight out of the jar, I don't slather it on toast, and I usually only have it around for cooking purposes. I had a jar of the nutty stuff sitting in my pantry that I wanted to use up, so I decided to make these. And I liked them. Chewy peanut butter and oat cookies filled with a not-too-sweet peanut butter filling, they kind of reminded me of those Pirate cookies from when I was a kid, but chewy. I may even make these again soon.

cookies:

3/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C butter, room temp

1/2 C creamy peanut butter

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 C quick-cook oats

filling:

3 tbsp butter, room temp

1/2 C creamy peanut butter

3/4 C icing sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to mix evenly.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can probably do this with a hand mixer too), cream together butter, peanut butter and both sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg and vanilla and mix.

3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Sit in the oats by hand until evenly distributed.

4. Use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop out about a tablespoon and a half of dough for each cookie. Roll into a balls and place on baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even cooking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Make the filling by creaming all of the ingredients in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy. Spread filling on the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with another.