Peanut Butter Cookies

One of my favorite breakfast items as a child was peanut butter on plain white bread. I enjoy everything about peanut butter, and always felt that crunchy peanut butter was the best sandwich spread after smooth peanut butter.
This recipe by Broma Bakery could also be called the “Recipe of Halves,” because nearly every ingredient is measured in a 1/2 cup, 1/2 tsp, or other 1/2 measurement. That makes this Peanut Butter Cookies recipe easy to remember, as well as delicious.
I’ve just added an optional variant, you can add in the peanut in the filling or chocolate chips, I did and really loved it!
Once you taste these cookies, you’ll probably want to stop buying the store-bought version!

For the cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey roasted peanut butter (you can find it freshly ground at Whole Foods. all it is is honey roasted peanuts ground into peanut butter, which gives it a slightly sweet, roasted honey flavor)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  (optional)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted peanuts
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate (or mini semisweet chocolate chips)

Steps:

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter, both sugars, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla.
2. Pour oat mixture into peanut butter mixture, stirring until just mixed. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of batter on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 centimeters between each one.
3. Using your finger, pat dough down so they form small flattened circles. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. Let cool completely on cookie sheet.
5. While the cookies are baking, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and peanut butter, butter ( and if you want to add peanuts and chocolate this is the time to do it) about 5 minutes.
6. On a work surface, place half of the cookies upside down.
7. Whisk the filling to lighten it. Dollop
8. 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each upside down cookie.
9. Place second cookie on top of filling and press together until filling just comes to the edges.