Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies: The Ultimate Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie Recipe
There’s nothing quite like the comforting taste of a classic peanut butter cookie, but what if you could elevate that experience? Our Homemade Nutter Butters are not just cookies; they are an indulgent journey into soft, chewy, and intensely flavorful peanut butter goodness that far surpasses any store-bought version. Sweet, perfectly balanced, and bursting with rich peanut butter, these copycat Nutter Butter cookies are destined to become a household favorite and a guaranteed hit for any occasion.
Imagine crafting this exquisite peanut butter cookie recipe using simple, wholesome ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. With creamy peanut butter and essential baking staples, this delightful treat comes together quickly, making it an ideal choice for busy days or impromptu baking cravings. These Nutter Butter cookies are incredibly versatile: perfect for packing in lunchboxes, thoughtful gifts for neighbors, or serving as a fun and satisfying weekend dessert. Their irresistible taste and texture will leave everyone asking for more!
What are Nutter Butter Cookies? Understanding This Iconic Treat
Originally, Nutter Butters are known as distinctive hourglass-shaped sandwich cookies, famous for their intense peanut butter flavor. When you think of classic sandwich cookies like Oreos or the cakier texture of whoopie pies, Nutter Butters carve out their own niche with a signature rich, nutty taste. The traditional store-bought versions often boast a crispy, crunchy texture. However, our homemade Nutter Butters offer a delightful twist. We’ve perfected a recipe that yields cookies that are wonderfully soft and irresistibly chewy, providing a more comforting and satisfying experience than their mass-produced counterparts. This recipe truly captures the essence of a beloved classic while enhancing its texture to an unparalleled degree of deliciousness. You’ll be amazed at how simple and straightforward it is to recreate these iconic peanut butter sandwich cookies right in your own kitchen. In just about 45 minutes, using mostly a single bowl for mixing, you can whip up a batch that is not only fresher but arguably even tastier than the original!
Expert Tips and Tricks for Crafting Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
Achieving bakery-quality homemade Nutter Butters is easier than you think, especially with a few insider tips:
- Cooling is Crucial: One of the most important steps for any sandwich cookie is proper cooling. It’s absolutely essential to allow the baked cookie halves to cool completely before you even think about adding the luscious peanut butter filling. If the cookies are still even slightly warm, the butter and powdered sugar in your filling will melt, causing it to run and create a messy, unappealing result. Patience here will be rewarded with perfectly assembled, beautiful cookies.
- Customize Your Crunch: Do you lean towards a slight crunch in your peanut butter experience? While our recipe is designed for a soft and chewy cookie base, you can introduce a textural contrast by swapping out the creamy peanut butter for crunchy peanut butter in the cookie dough. This simple alteration adds delightful little pockets of nuttiness and a satisfying bite.
- Mastering the Filling Consistency: The peanut butter filling is the heart of these cookies. When you’re whipping it up, be mindful of the milk addition. Add the milk slowly, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture reaches your desired consistency – smooth, creamy, and spreadable, but not runny. If you accidentally add too much milk and the mixture becomes too thin, simply add a bit more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it thickens up to perfection. If it’s too thick, a tiny splash more milk will do the trick.
- The Power of Parchment Paper: Always line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This simple step prevents sticking, ensures even baking, and makes for incredibly easy cleanup. It also helps the cookies maintain their shape and provides a non-stick surface for transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Don’t Overmix Dry Ingredients: When adding flour and baking soda, mix just until combined. Overmixing gluten in flour can lead to tough cookies, and we want these Nutter Butters to be wonderfully soft and tender.
Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich Ingredients: What You’ll Need
Creating these delightful cookies starts with a careful selection of ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving that perfect Nutter Butter taste and texture:
Butter: You will need ¾ cup of high-quality salted butter, softened to room temperature. Butter provides the rich, tender texture and contributes significantly to the overall depth of flavor in the cookie base. Using salted butter also helps to balance the sweetness and enhance the peanut butter notes.
Sugar: Incorporate ½ cup of white granulated sugar. This finely ground sugar helps to tenderize the dough, contributes to a delicate crispness on the exterior, and ensures the cookies are delightfully sweet and chewy in the center.
Brown sugar: A generous ¾ cup of light brown sugar is key. Its molasses content not only adds moisture, ensuring a soft and pliable cookie, but also imparts a rich, caramel-like depth of flavor that complements the peanut butter beautifully.
Peanut butter: The star of the show! Add 1 cup of creamy peanut butter to the dough. Using a good quality, creamy peanut butter (avoiding natural varieties that separate easily for baking) is crucial for achieving the signature nutty flavor and the optimal, chewy texture.
Egg: Just 1 large egg is needed. The egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together, and contributes essential moisture, fat, and structure to the cookie dough, resulting in a richer, more cohesive cookie.
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract is indispensable. It doesn’t just add its own sweet aroma; it enhances and rounds out the complex nutty and salty flavors of the peanut butter, bringing a warm, comforting note to every bite.
Flour: The structural base of our cookie dough is 2 cups of all-purpose flour. This provides the necessary body and texture for the cookies to hold their shape while remaining tender. Be sure to measure it correctly, preferably by weight, or spoon and level for accuracy.
Baking soda: You need 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking soda. This leavening agent reacts with the acidic brown sugar and other ingredients, creating gases that give the Nutter Butters their characteristic fluffy and wonderfully chewy texture, preventing them from becoming too dense.
Filling Ingredients: The Creamy Core
The luscious filling is what transforms these cookies into true sandwich delights:
Butter: Use ¼ cup of salted butter, softened. Like in the cookie dough, butter is vital for a smooth, creamy texture and imparts a rich, decadent flavor to the filling, making it utterly irresistible.
Peanut butter: You’ll need ¾ cup of creamy peanut butter for the filling. This ensures a concentrated peanut butter flavor in every bite and provides the essential base for the creamy frosting.
Milk: Adding in 3 tablespoons of whole milk helps to thin out the filling mixture, allowing it to become wonderfully smooth and spreadable to the perfect consistency. Start with a little and add more if needed, as directed in our tips.
Powdered sugar: For just the right sweetness and to achieve that smooth, velvety texture, you will want to use 1 ¼ cup of powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar). This finely milled sugar dissolves easily, preventing graininess in the filling.
How to make Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies: Step-by-Step Guide
Prep
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures the oven is at the correct temperature for even baking. Next, prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze. Set these prepared sheets aside, ready for your cookie dough.
Cookie dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened salted butter, white granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and creamy peanut butter. Using an electric handheld mixer, cream these ingredients together on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes. You’re aiming for a light, fluffy, and well-combined mixture, where the sugars are dissolved and the peanut butter is fully integrated.
Once your butter and sugar mixture is beautifully smooth and creamy, crack in the large egg and add the vanilla extract. Continue to whisk the mixture on high speed, ensuring the egg is fully incorporated into the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Finally, gently whisk in the all-purpose flour and baking soda. Switch to a low-medium speed for this step. Mix just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.
Shape
Now for the fun part – shaping your cookies! Divide the prepared cookie dough into individual balls, each approximately 2 tablespoon in size. The dough should be soft enough to work with but firm enough to hold its shape. Take each ball of dough and roll it gently between your palms to form a cylinder, about 2 inches long. Then, delicately pinch the cylinder in the middle to create the iconic “peanut” or hourglass shape that Nutter Butters are known for. Finally, take a fork and gently press down on each cookie twice, in a crisscross pattern, to create that classic textured look.
Bake
Carefully place your shaped cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, ensuring you leave about 1 ½ inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be lightly golden, but the centers will still be soft. This ensures a chewy texture. When baking is complete, remove the sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This allows them to set slightly before you move them. After this initial cooling, transfer them carefully to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the delicious filling.
Filling and Assembly
In a medium-sized mixing bowl (feel free to use the same one from the cookie dough to save on washing!), combine the softened salted butter, creamy peanut butter, whole milk, and powdered sugar. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk these ingredients together until the mixture is beautifully smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. Remember our tip: add the milk slowly to achieve your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add more milk; too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Once your filling is ready and your cookies are completely cool, it’s time to assemble! You can use a small spatula, a butter knife, or even a piping bag with a round tip for a neater finish, to generously spread or pipe the creamy peanut butter filling onto the flat side of half of your cooled cookies. Then, gently place the remaining cookies on top, creating perfect sandwich cookies. Press down slightly to ensure the filling spreads evenly to the edges.
Serve these incredible homemade Nutter Butters immediately with a tall glass of cold milk, or your favorite plant-based milk, and savor every delightful bite. Enjoy!
Homemade Nutter Butters
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Ingredients
COOKIE Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
Peanut Butter Filling
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup peanut butter
- 3 TBSP whole milk
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Use an electric hand mixer to cream together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl for 3-4 minutes.
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Once the butter mixture is smooth and creamy, add the egg and vanilla. Whisk the mixture on high speed until the egg is fully incorporated into the batter.
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Gently whisk in the flour and baking soda on a low-medium speed until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
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Divide the cookie dough into balls the size of 2 tablespoons. Roll the balls of dough into cylinders and pinch them in the middle to create a “peanut” shape. Use a fork to give each cookie a criss-cross pattern.
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Place the cookie dough on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie, and bake for 12 minutes.
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Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
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In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the filling ingredients using an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
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Use a spatula or piping bag to top half the cookies with filling. Top with the remaining cookies to form sandwiches, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
How to Store and Serve Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies?
While we highly doubt you’ll have many of these incredibly nutty, soft, and chewy cookies left over, it’s always good to know how to properly store them to maintain their freshness. For short-term storage, place your homemade Nutter Butters in an airtight container at room temperature on your kitchen counter. They will stay wonderfully fresh and delicious for up to 4 days. If you prefer to extend their life, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer enjoyment, these cookies freeze beautifully; simply place them in a freezer-safe airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. When it comes to serving, these peanut butter sandwich cookies are versatile. Enjoy them straight from the fridge for a firmer bite, at room temperature for maximum chewiness, or warmed up slightly in the microwave for a few seconds to achieve a gooey, melt-in-your-mouth experience.
Homemade Nutter Butters are a delectable treat that shines on its own. However, if you’re looking to elevate your dessert experience, consider pairing them with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, a dollop of freshly whipped cream, or a drizzle of rich chocolate sauce for a truly decadent dessert creation. You also can’t go wrong serving these classic sandwich cookies with a refreshing glass of plain milk, a plant-based alternative like almond or oat milk, or for an extra treat, a glass of cold chocolate milk. They’re perfect for any time of day!
What kind of peanut butter do they use in Nutter Butters?
Interestingly, store-bought Nutter Butters are indeed made with real creamy peanut butter, much like the one we recommend for this delightful copycat recipe. The key difference lies in the overall ingredient list. Our homemade recipe proudly features fewer, simpler, and generally cleaner ingredients than the mass-produced version. This means you get to enjoy that authentic peanut butter flavor without any unnecessary additives, allowing the natural goodness of the peanuts and other ingredients to truly shine through. Choosing a high-quality, creamy peanut butter without added sugars or oils for both the cookie and the filling will give you the best, most wholesome flavor.
Is Nutter Butter a healthy snack?
While incredibly delicious, Nutter Butters, whether homemade or store-bought, are best enjoyed as an occasional treat rather than a daily healthy snack. They are, at heart, a sweet, rich, and nutty indulgence. Like many desserts, they contain sugar and fats that contribute to their irresistible taste and texture. However, the advantage of making them at home is the control you have over the ingredients. You can make these peanut butter sandwich cookies a bit healthier by considering alternatives such as swapping out refined sugars for natural sweeteners like coconut sugar or maple sugar. While this might alter the flavor profile slightly, it allows for a more mindful indulgence.
Can Nutter Butters be made vegan?
Absolutely! While I haven’t personally tested a vegan version of these homemade Nutter Butters yet, I’m confident that with a few smart substitutions, you could easily adapt this recipe to be entirely plant-based. You would need to swap out the salted butter in both the cookies and the filling for your favorite plant-based butter alternative (look for sticks that are suitable for baking). The large egg in the cookie dough could be replaced with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes) or another egg replacer. For the whole milk in the filling, any plant-based milk like almond, soy, or oat milk would work beautifully. The texture might have slight variations compared to the original, but the rich, delightful peanut butter flavor will undoubtedly remain delicious and satisfying!
Love peanut butter? Try more great PB cookie recipes here:
- PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER BANANA COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE RECIPES
- NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS
- NUTTER BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- FIVE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES
- FUDGE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPS
- OREO PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER BANANA COOKIES
- GRANDMA’S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
In conclusion, these **Homemade Nutter Butters** are truly an incredible treat, offering a soft, chewy, and intensely satisfying experience that elevates them far beyond their store-bought counterparts. Overflowing with delightful peanut butter flavor and made with wholesome ingredients, these **easy peanut butter cookies** are destined to be adored by everyone who tries them. Whether you’re a lifelong Nutter Butter fan or simply seeking a new favorite peanut butter dessert, this recipe promises delicious results every single time. Get ready to bake, share, and enjoy the ultimate homemade cookie!
