Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Filling. Add the sprinkles to the filling - and you have festive cookies perfect for Birthdays, holidays, or any special occasion!
I've spent so much time thinking about and cooking Fall and Thanksgiving recipes, I did not even notice that the Christmas season was slowly creeping up on all of us! Don't you feel like you have to urgently switch gears now and get yourself into a Christmas mode? I do! And, conveniently, these peanut butter sandwich cookies with Nutella filling and colorful sprinkles seem like a perfect way to kick off a Christmas cookie season around here! 🙂 I love Christmas for many reasons, not the least of which are the cookies! You have to check out other Christmas cookies I've made such as these almond cookies with Amaretto or chocolate covered hazelnut shortbread cookies - they all became my family's favorites!
Here, I am using a recipe from a wonderful Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I've already made these peanut butter sandwich cookies before, and this time instead of making a chocolate filling from scratch, I am taking a shortcut and using Nutella spread. Cookies did not suffer a bit - Nutella is delicious with these crumbly, light-textured, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies! Dress them up with sprinkles, and they become perfect, easy-to-make Christmas treats!
How to properly aerate and measure flour
The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. There are 2 ways to aerate flour:
- Sift the flour.
or
- Aerate the flour by fluffing it up and whisking it well in a large bowl. Then spoon the flour into the measuring cup, carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for.
Peanut butter sandwich cookies with nutella filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter , room temperature
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature (let the butter from refrigerator sit on the counter for about an hour or so)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar , firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted or aerated (*see important note below!*)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup Nutella spread
Instructions
Important note about properly measuring flour using measuring cups:
- The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour, or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough! 🙂
How to make the cookies:
- Beat butter and peanut butter in a large bowl until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until combined. Add egg and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt).
- Add dry ingredients from step 2 to the wet ingredients from step 1 and beat on low speed until just incorporated.
- Divide dough into 4 parts: the dough will be crumbly. Form a rectangular shaped log out of each cookie dough part and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes until cookie dough firms up.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil.
- Slice each log of cookie dough (after it’s been in the freezer for 30 minutes) into ¼ inch thick slices.
- Carefully place sliced cookies onto the prepared baking sheet (remember the dough is very crumbly). You don’t have to space them too far apart because these cookies won’t flatten. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly puffed and just a little bit golden brown at the edges.
- Transfer to the cooling rack and cool completely before filling.
Assembly:
- Place about 1 teaspoon (or more) of Nutella spread on top of a cookie and place a second cookie on top of the Nutella filling. Press 2 cookies together. Repeat with the rest of cookies. Easy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Peanut butter cookies are my favorite 🙂
wow...these cookie sandwiches are absolutely addictive...heavenly good 🙂
Love pb cookies! The sprinkles on these make them so festive!
Oh yes! The Christmas season has arrived! The beautiful Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies would be a scrumptious way to begin the cookie baking frenzy!
SOOO pretty and omg they sound sooooooo yummy!! PB shortbread?YUM. Nutella filling? DOUBLE YUM!
Did you say shortcut?! Yes, please! I feel exactly how you do - where did Christmas season come from? I feel like I am still recovering from Thanksgiving!
These cookies look chewy and amazing! I'll have to give them a try!
Julia: They look fabulous and playful...My children would be crazy over them!!!! I am so sharing these cookies.
I love the sprinkles you added. They make the cookies so cheery and festive. 🙂
Peanut butter and nutella...these are definitely the perfect holiday treat.
These are adorable - almost like fairy cookies!
I love Christmas cookie baking, but I like it even better if it involves nutella, sprinkles and peanut butter. These look delicious 😀 x
You are making me want to grab those straight off the computer screen!!! They look heavenly 🙂
Thanks, Natalya! 😉
Nutella AND sprinkles? These are totally my kind of cookie!
Beautiful cookies, Julia! Happy Christmas cookie baking, my friend. 🙂 Pinned and will pin some more! xo
I just started my baking today:-)
I want to add these..so cute with the sprinkles and my alphabet boys love Nutella..thank you.