Giant Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 3.5 cups of premium flour, plus extra for rolling
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 220 g butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
• 165 g butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. CookieCombine the flour and baking soda in a bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until pale in color, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Continue beating until the vanilla extract is incorporated. Pour in the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until incorporated.
2. Divide the dough into 2 parts, form them into 2 rectangles, wrap them in cling film and place in the refrigerator to harden (about 1 hour).
3. Cut a 12-inch (30 cm) peanut-shaped shape out of parchment paper. This will serve as a template. Roll one piece of dough between two sheets of parchment paper to form a rectangle slightly larger than the template. Remove the top sheet of parchment and, using a pizza cutter or vegetable peeler, cut out the peanut-shaped shape from the dough. Save the scraps. Repeat with the remaining dough. Form the scraps into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze with the cut-out peanut-shaped cookie halves until firm (about 30 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
5. FillingIn a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating between additions until fully incorporated.
6. To collect cookiesRoll out the frozen dough scraps into a large rectangle about 0.6 cm thick. Using a sharp pizza cutter or vegetable peeler, cut into long strips about 1 cm wide. Transfer the parchment sheets with the peanut cookie halves on them to 2 baking sheets. Place the dough strips on top of one of the baking sheets, crisscrossing them. Don't worry about getting straight lines; you want to mimic the pattern on the peanut shell. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten and seal the strips.
7. Bake the cookie halves until lightly golden around the edges and crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the baking sheets on a wire rack.
8. Turn the cookie half without the stripes over so it's flat side up on a flat serving platter. Spread the filling evenly over it, filling to the edges. Top with the other cookie half, stripe side up. Use a serrated knife to cut into squares for serving.