Recipe: Not Nutter Butters (peanut butter sandwich cookies)

NOT NUTTER BUTTERS

FOR THE COOKIES:
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, divided use
1 vanilla bean
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
3/4 cup natural, chunky-style unsalted peanut butter, excess oil
poured off and discarded
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
FOR THE FILLING:
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural, chunky-style unsalted peanut butter

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
In a medium skillet, melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat.

Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise. With the back of the knife, scrape out pulp and seeds and add the scrapings and pod to the butter.

Add the oats and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oats are lightly toasted and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl, discard the vanilla pod and chill the oat mixture.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining butter, the baking soda and salt on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the butter is softened. Add the sugars and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the peanut butter, and mix to combine. Turn the mixer off; add the oat mixture and flour. Turn the mixer to low and mix for another minute, until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and comes together into a ball.

TO SHAPE AND BAKE THE COOKIES:
Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls. On the work surface, roll one of the balls back and forth, tapering the ends to form a 1 1/2-inch-long football-shaped oval with slightly pointed ends. Continue in the same manner with remaining dough.

Place two of the oval shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with points touching. Using the palm of your hand, and applying even pressure, flatten the shapes so the adjacent ends of the two ovals join together at the center, creating a peanut shape about 3 inches long and just under 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough, placing the cookies 2 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Using a knife, mark diagonal crisscross patterns over each cookie's surface. Chill for about 15 minutes, until firm.

Adjust the oven racks to the lower and middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the cookies for about 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow to cool.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and salt on medium speed for about 1 minute, until the butter is softened. Add the sugar and peanut butter, and mix for another minute to combine them.

TO FILL THE COOKIES:
Roll a teaspoon of filling into a ball and, using your fingertips, press it into a disc. Continue with the remaining filling.

Flip half of the cookies over to make the bottoms. Place a disc of filling on each end of the peanut shape. Place the top cookies over the filling, pressing the sides together gently to sandwich them together.

Adapted from source: Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile by Nancy Silverton with Teri Gelber