Friday Delight - Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Filling

I found this amazing recipe from Bunny's Warm Oven and have been counting the days to Thursday so I could make it for Friday Delight. Superman's team is in for a treat this time, that is for sure. This recipe was so easy, I couldn't believe it. Even if you decide to forgo the chocolate filling, these make fabulous stand-alone peanut butter cookies and they're flourless.


So, from Bunny's Warm Oven to yours, these are definitely worth trying!

Flourless Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Fine Cooking (sourced by Bunny's Warm Oven)

Ingredients;

2-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate filling:

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Tip:
Substitute semisweet chocolate for the bittersweet in the filling for a sweeter kick.

Make the cookies:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line four cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, and baking soda on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until just blended, about 25 seconds.

Shape level tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Arrange the balls 1-1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Do not press down. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed and crackled but still moist-looking, about 11 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack to cool about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, move the cookies to the rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Make the filling:

Melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave or in a medium heatproof bowl set in a skillet with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool and slightly thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
Assemble the sandwiches:

Turn half of the cooled cookies over so they are flat side up. Spoon 2 tsp. of the chocolate filling onto the center of each cookie. Top with the remaining cookies, flat side down. Press gently on each cookie to spread the filling almost to the edge. Set on the rack until the filling is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

Erin's Notes: These cookies don't spread much, so you can place them relatively close together on the cookie sheet. I used my handy-dandy Pampered Chef scooper and didn't smoosh the cookies down at all. Next time, I would smoosh them just a little. All in all, these were a quick and easy cookie that yields a worthwhile dessert treat that gives you credit for working harder than you did!