Bouchon Bakery's Nutter Butters

Ingredients

• For the cookie dough:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 pound butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
• 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• For the filling:
• 1/4 pound butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
• 1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. For the cookie dough, stir the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl, then put that aside. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the peanut butter until creamy. Add both sugars and mix on medium speed for 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl twice. Turn the mixer to low, then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and continue on low until everything is fully combined, scraping the bowl often. Mix in the peanuts and oats until evenly distributed.
2. With an ice cream scoop 2 inches in diameter, portion the dough into balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread out and are a pale golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave them on the sheets for 5 to 10 minutes so they can cool and set. Move the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely before adding the filling.
3. For the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar together until the mixture is completely smooth.
4. To assemble, spread a thin coating of filling, about 1/8 inch, over the flat side of a cookie. Top it with another cookie to make a sandwich. Continue the same way with the remaining cookies.