Last week I got an email from Melinda over at Look What Mom Found…And Dad Too. She wanted to tell me about a great new weekly series they are doing called Kids in the Kitchen and ask me if I’d like to participate.
I told her that cooking with my kids is right up there with root canals on my list of favorite things to do, but that I thought this might force me to try to let them help out a little more often.
Ironically, last week I also received a recipe book called Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats
I started looking through the book for a recipe that was: a) easy b) the boys and I could do together c) didn’t take too long. I didn’t have to look far because the very first recipe was for Nutter Butters and my kids are CRAZY for peanut butter.
Book: Classic Snacks Made From Scratch
Author: Casey Barber
Recipe reprinted here with permission
Time: 2 hours, including chilling time
Cookies:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 pinch kosher salt
8 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup creamy peanut butter
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in the egg and vanilla on low speed. Add the peanut butter and stir on medium speed for 2 minutes. On low speed, stir in the dry ingredients ½ cup at a time until just incorporated.
Spread 2 large sheets of plastic wrap on a clean surface and divide the dough into 2 equal pieces on the sheets. Wrap each piece tightly to form a rough cylinder about 8 inches long and 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place the dough logs in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the chilled dough into thin (no more than ¼ inch) slices and place on the prepared baking sheets. Put the sheets in the oven for 30 seconds, then remove and form each cookie into a rough peanut shape by squeezing the sides gently in the middle to form grooves.
Return sheets to the oven and bake 13 to 16 minutes, until the cookies are dry and no longer shiny on top but not yet browning at the edges. They will seem slightly underbaked, but remove them anyway. Cool the cookies completely on wire racks.
Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
¼ vegetable shortening
While the cookies cool, make the filling. Cream the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and shortening together until fluffy – first on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then on high speed to fluff it up.
Spread the filling evenly on the flat side of half the cooled cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.
Enjoy!
While you’re eating your cookies, check out the other blogs linking up for Kids in the Kitchen series (click on the Kid in the Kitchen image to take you there).
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Classic Snacks Made From Scratch. All opinions are 100% my own.