Peanut Butter Espresso Shortbread Cookies

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Peanut Butter Espresso Shortbread Cookies

These peanut butter espresso cookies are made with a simple shortbread cookie dough infused with espresso powder and a touch of cocoa powder.

Yield: makes 2 ½ dozen cookie sandwiches

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Chill Time30

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: (2 sandwich each serving)

Author: Maryanne Cabrera

Ingredients

Espresso Shortbread Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter (226 g), softened, room temp
½ cup confectioners' sugar (60 g), sift if clumpy
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (6 g)
2 cups all-purpose flour (260 g)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling:

¾ cup smooth peanut butter (200 g)
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened (57 g)
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar (75 g), sift if clumpy
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth.
In another bowl, whisk together espresso powder, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Add flour dry mixture to creamed butter mixture. Mix until almost combined. Add vanilla and continue to mix until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about ¼-inch. Punch out rounds using a 1 ½ inch circle cutter. Gather dough scrapes and press together. Roll to ¼-inch thickness and continue to punch out additional rounds. Place rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing rounds about an inch apart.
Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together peanut butter and butter until combined. Add confectioners' sugar and salt. Mix until filling is smooth.
To assemble: Pair together espresso shortbread cookies. Place about 2 teaspoons of peanut butter filling on half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. If desired, drizzle melted white chocolate over the tops of the cookie sandwiches and sprinkle with cacao nibs.

Notes

Ingredients:

Use smooth, no-stir, homogenous peanut butter for best results.
Instant coffee powder may be used in place of espresso powder. You may omit cocoa powder if desired.

Storage: Be enjoyed the same day they are baked and assembled. Store assembled espresso cookie sandwiches in an airtight container at room temperature (away from direct light or heat) for up to four days.

Storing the assembled cookies in a covered container in the fridge will extend it's shelf life. However, refrigeration will cause the shortbread cookies to loose their crispness. For optimal texture and flavor, enjoy the cookies within a week of baking.

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