pâtisserie natalie

March 16, 2010

Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Peanut Butter Sandwiches [one]


As you may have noticed, Girl Scout Cookie season has arrived. For most people, that is great news. For me, not so much. I find them pretty gross and artificial-tasting. The only thing I think Girl Scout cookies are good for is reinvention. I think the cookies sometimes have good flavor combinations and can be used in other desserts. This idea got me thinking about taking other commercial baked goods with bad quality ingredients and remaking them using good recipes and ingredients. I would be lying if I said I didn't like Nutter Butters. They're good. But they could taste so much better. The filling in a Nutter Butter tastes kind of like an Oreo's: bleck. Using natural peanut butter that has only two ingredients (peanuts and salt) makes for a healthier and tastier filling.




I want to apologize for how few posts I've been doing. Believe me, I would do more if I could. I expect the next several weeks (months) to be equally as busy, so there won't be an abundance of posting in the near future. I will do posts whenever I can.

Peanut Butter Shortbread

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 300 F. Beat butter and peanut butter together until thoroughly combined. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy and smooth. Add vanilla extract and salt, then flour. Beat until a dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Once chilled, roll on a floured surface until the dough is 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the cookies are firm to the touch. Let cool for 2 hours before filling.

Peanut Butter Filling
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup cream peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine butter and peanut butter well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large circular tip, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Sandwich two cookies together, with filling in between.

12 comments:

Thilly said...

hey i actually needed a peanut butter cookie recipe to make for friday!!! perfect timing!! these look delish
(ps i thought you were sick today?... baking? :))))

-Theo

Natalie said...

i made the cookies and took photos last weekend. i just put the post together today :)

paula said...

agree 100% re: GS cookies. (why do people get so excited?) great job on the reinvention. now i just want to know how we can order our boxes of PN Cookies. :-)

feel better!

Anne's Kitchen said...

Wow, I just stumbled upon your site via taste spotting and I just really have to say I think your stuff is great! Your photos are so professional, I was stunned to read you're still in high school!
Just one question about the pictures: do you use a light box? Or how do you manage to get such nice white and bright pictures?

Gala said...

Yum, love the double peanut butter effect. Gorgeous pictures too!

Natalie said...

Anne's Kitchen: thank you! And no, I do not use a lightbox. I use natural light and white posterboard for reflectors.

Gala: thank you :)

Natalie said...

Oh, I suppose I should also add that I use Photoshop to adjust exposure, brightness, temperature, etc.

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Stunning photos and delicious sounding cookies.

Natalie said...

thanks, xiaolu

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

U have beautiful photography...when u have nothing to post how about posting a whole post on ur tryst with photography.....will look foward ot it some day...on this lovely blog:-)))
have a super day and hope ur better...

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

And yeah the s'whches are rocking good too:-)))

Natalie said...

vanillastrawberryspringfields- thanks, that's a great idea! i would love to do a post just about photography sometime.

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