I am steering the summer season in the wrong (but oh-so-right?!) direction with today’s recipe.
These cookies are the kind you want to eat in the dead of winter, when you still have months and months before anyone needs to see you in a bathing suit.
I apologize.
But not really…because these are incredible.
How do you feel about peanut butter cookies? I have been on the fence about them for years. Not because I don’t enjoy them, but because they can vary SO VASTLY in quality. I love a salty-sweet peanut butter cookie with a little chew and a little crunch. Sometimes they are so hard you could crack a tooth! Sometimes they’re so soft, they don’t taste like anything (kinda like grocery store sugar cookies). THESE peanut butter cookies, however, are the best of all worlds. Sweet. Salty. Chewy. Crunchy. And nutty! Both from the peanut butter and the oats I add in for texture (and, er, for health reasons. Sure…). They are peanut butter perfection.
To take things to an insane level (again, I apologize), I decided to sandwich salted caramel buttercream in between these perfect peanut butter cookies and call it a day. Except I didn’t call it a day.
I went ahead and dunked those suckers in dark chocolate ganache! And then I had the audacity to sprinkle the chocolate with sea salt!
I know. I have no self control. I just have a major thing for that sweet-salty combo, and these definitely fit the bill in that regard.
We had a family BBQ this past weekend to celebrate two birthdays and a belated Father’s Day. I pawned these off on family members to keep myself from eating them all. They were well received to say the least. My sister took one bite and said “holy shit.”
Yeah, that about sums it up.
Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Salted Caramel Filling
(makes roughly 15-20 cookie sandwiches)
For the Cookies:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Salted Caramel Filling:
Recipe and instructions can be found in this post
For the Chocolate Dip:
2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
Sea salt, for sprinkling
For the Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using a stand or handheld mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Take about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a cookie ball. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling while the cookies are baking/cooling.
For the Salted Caramel Filling:
Follow the linked instructions above. Fill each cookie sandwich evenly with the filling.
For the Chocolate Dip:
Place the formed cookie sandwiches on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before dunking in the chocolate.
While the cookies are in the freezer, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave until hot and then pour over the chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Dip each semi-frozen cookie sandwich into the ganache, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with sea salt while still tacky. Continue until all the cookies have been dunked in the chocolate and sprinkled with salt. Allow the cookies to set for at least 10 minutes.
Leftover cookies are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Chocolate Caramel and Peanut Butter is a dream combo. I’m obsessed with the truffles from Trader Joes! These cookies look and sound utterly fantastic! Definitely saving these for the dead of Winter..I would probably eat every last one!
Thanks! The flavor combo is pretty insane!
And I’ll repeat “holy shit.” Hehe 🙂
<3
these look divine. love the filling!
Thanks, Dina!
Oh my god. Yum. I’ve never seen salted caramel/peanut butter but I’m instantly sure it’s an amazing combination!
Thanks, Medha! The flavor combo is incredible…it’s like layers of salty and sweet! Highly recommend! 🙂
This is crazy insanely delicious flavor combo!! Love!!
Thank you! 🙂
I found your recipe on Pinterest. And have made it twice in the past week! I believe these are the best things I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
So I don’t really do chocolate (so I haven’t tried a finished one), but these looked like a perfect birthday treat for my co-worker (one of the few I like, HA!) and I have been hearing RAVE reviews – lots of ‘best cookie I’ve ever had’ – thanks for the tasty recipe! Like I said, I didn’t try a completed one since I’m not a big chocolate fan, but I eat my way through baking – the cookie dough was glorious, and the salted caramel is so decadent I want to dip everything in it!
I just finished making these. They are delicious! My caramel filling came out thinner than I think it was supposed to (it looks thicker in the pictures, like a fluffy buttercream whereas mine was more icing texture). It still tastes delicious but made it a little more difficult to work with, since it was dripping off the cookies and getting everywhere as I was putting it on. I worked around this by sticking the open-faced cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before putting the top cookies on to complete the sandwich and avoid making the whole kitchen a mess. My boyfriend loved them and requested that I make them every day! Definitely a hit!
So glad you enjoyed them, Alexis. Sorry to hear that the filling didn’t quite work for you – next time, keep adding powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Sometimes outside factors (like the weather! or the type of salted caramel sauce you’re using) can affect how thick or thin a frosting/filling is, so the quantities in the recipe may need to be adjusted. When in doubt, always add more sugar! 😉
made these a few times and they are so delicious! thx for the recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you freeze these ahead of time? They look AMAZING
Hi Devon! I’m sure you could, although I’ve never tried. I’m not sure how the filling would hold up during the freeze time. The cookies could be made and frozen, but I might hold off on making them into sandwiches (and dipping them in chocolate) until you’re ready to eat them.