Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Raise your hand if you like peanut butter. Ah, yes, I see. You all do. That's good. I do too. In fact, I really like peanut butter. I didn't always, though. You see, when I was little, the only thing "peanut butter" that I'd eat was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. No PB & J sandwiches, no PB cookies, and certainly not a scoop right from the jar! The horror.

One time I remember I had the hick-ups and my sister told me that if I wanted to get rid of them I'd have to eat a spoonful of peanut butter from the jar. I must have been pretty desperate for a cure because I somehow summoned the courage and did that thing where you plug your nose so you can't taste what's in your mouth. As soon as the peanut butter was down, I unplugged my nose and remember immediately tasting what I then thought was a repulsive flavor. (Annnnd it didn't even cure my hick-ups! What a crock.)

I'm not sure what remedied my dislike of peanut butter, though I do remember an instance when I realized it might not be too bad. I was probably in the 5th grade when I came home from school one day to quite the surprise. Mom had just pulled fresh cookies out of the oven and there they sat, warm on the counter. I was so excited because this pretty much never happened. Mom said they were Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Immediately I fell from pure elation at the fact that Mom had made cookies to utter disappointment that they were peanut butter. "She finally makes cookies for an after school snack and she makes peanut butter cookies?!" Well, I was somehow convinced to try one and lo and behold! I liked it. Loved it, actually. And that was that. Now I would eat Reese's and Mom's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Progress...

Which brings us to today. I'm happy to report that I've made even more progress. (I feel like I'm reporting to some recovering addict group or something when I say that...) Though I don't find myself practicing restraint when a jar of peanut butter is near and I have a spoon in hand, I do like me some peanut butter. Preferably with a little oatmeal, flour, butter, and sugar. But that's the best way to have most things, wouldn't you agree?

I think it would now be appropriate for me to share the recipe for Mom's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. But we have a problem, because I didn't make them. Soooo, I'll make them soon-ish and then you'll all see why they cured me of Peanut-Butter Hate. But for now, these little sandwich treats are amazing. You're not receiving the short end of the stick by not getting Mom's cookie recipe today, I promise.

I've made these little guys many, many times and they do not disappoint. Consider them a more-refined version of peanut butter cookies. These cookies are delicate yet full of peanut butter flavor. They are nutty and creamy and crumbly and they melt in your mouth like only a good peanut butter cookie can do. I don't really know what else to say about them except that they are SO good. And I really want you to make them because, as we have just established, we all love us some peanut butter, right?

Notes: I've made my regular substitutions to the original recipe, but if you don't have whole-wheat pastry flour or sucanat, you can use all-purpose and brown sugar in their place. The filling recipe makes more than I've ever needed for one batch, but I suppose it all depends on how much filling you like in your cookies. Try the whole recipe for the filling and if you have left-overs, hey, you've got an excuse to make more cookies, right? Also, I discovered that I prefer these straight from the freezer. They don't get rock-hard like most cookies do when you freeze them for some reason, they just get really good. How's that for vague? :) Of course, they're lovely at room-temperature, too. Enjoy!

Adapted from Martha Stewart