Copycat Nutter Butter Cookies

The perfect afternoon snack or late night treat

Prep: 28 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Total: 38 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Yield: 12 cookies

Nutter butters are the ultimate after school cookie. They’re salty, sweet, crunchy, and creamy all at once. Peanut butter shortbread cookies are sandwiched with a fluffy yet rich peanut butter filling. The cookies are super easy to make and don’t have many ingredients. If you don’t have the whole wheat flour, you can substitute for all-purpose. The whole wheat gives some extra texture and flavor, but it’s not totally necessary. The filling is very simple with no special tools or equipment required.

Serve these cookies for a snack or as a dessert with some vanilla ice cream. They’re the perfect treat for any time of day. 

Ingredients

• For the Cookies:
• 8 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• For the Filling:
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Cookies

1. Gather your ingredients. 

   

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

   In a medium bowl, beat together the softened butter, peanut butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla using a hand mixer until totally combined and smooth.  You can also prepare this in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, using the paddle attachment.

   

3. Add in both flours, baking powder, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dough comes together into one large ball. The dough should not be sticky, if it is, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour and mix again. Be careful not to overmix the dough.

   You can refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to help the dough balls hold their shape better.

   

4. Using a teaspoon as a scoop, divide the dough. Roll each scoop into balls. They will be about the size of a large marble.

   

5. Press two of the balls together onto one of the parchment-lined baking sheets.

   

6. Flatten the balls with a greased glass so they are flat and resemble the shape of a peanut.

   

7. Using a fork, create a cross-hatch pattern on each flattened section.

   

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

   

Prepare the Filling.

1. Gather your ingredients.

   

2. Beat together the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl using a hand mixer. The filling should be creamy and a little stiff.

   

3. Once the cookies have cooled, spread the filling onto half of the flat bottom side of the cooled cookies.

   

4. Place the remaining cookies on top of the filing with the cross-hatching facing up. Serve on their own or they go perfect with a cold glass of milk.

   

Recipe Tips

• Make sure the 2 balls are pressed closely together so they do not separate when baking.
• You can chill the dough if you're looking for it to hold its shape really well. If it is super hard it won't stick well to the other ball, so make sure they don't stay in the refrigerator for too long.

Recipe Variations

• You can easily make these cookies in just a simple round shape. No need to make the peanut shape if you're looking for a smaller cookie or you just don't care about the peanut shape.
• Try dipping them in melted chocolate for an extra indulgent peanut butter chocolate treat!