Peanut Butter Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Dark Chocolate Filling

Shortbread:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup plus one tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 teaspoons vanilla

2-4 tbsp confectioner’s sugar, for sprinkling wax paper

Filling:

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

2 scant teaspoons unsalted butter

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat together peanut butter, brown sugar, flour, soda, egg and vanilla. Scoop dough onto a piece of wax paper sprinkled well with confectioner’s sugar, roll into a log about 1 ½ inches in diameter, and chill well (at least one hour to overnight).

Preheat oven to 375. Slice cookies very thinly (about ¼ inch thick), and place on parchment covered cookie sheets. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until edges brown and cookies are cooked through. Cool completely on parchment then remove to a rack. (Be careful; cookies are very short and tender.)

To make filling, melt bittersweet chocolate and butter in microwave or over simmering water and stir well. Spoon about a teaspoon of filling onto bottom of cookie and top with another to form sandwiches. Makes about 20-22 filled sandwich cookies, depending on thickness and size of rounds.

Note: these are like tender shortbreads but without any butter in the dough; the touch of bittersweet chocolate sets off the cookies perfectly. We used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chips for the filling. This recipe is one of our family favorites; these cookies are best eaten in a day or two for crispness’ sake, but that’s never a problem at our house. My daughter has made these and they are easy enough for beginning cooks.

Second Prize Winner:

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar, slightly packed
1 egg
1/3 cup dark molasses
Granulated sugar for rolling.

Directions

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl, mix with wire whisk and set aside. On medium low speed beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture until soft dough forms. Chill in fridge for one hour. Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into one inch balls and roll in sugar. Place sugar coated balls on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until lightly browned, approx 6-8 minutes. Makes about 3 doz.

Third Prize Winner:

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Topping:
1 cup butterscotch chips

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For filling, in a mixer bowl, beat together all ingredients until smooth. Set aside. Prepare cake layer.

Cake:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.
In a mixer bowl, beat together oil and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and pumpkin. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.

Place two-thirds of the cake batter in the prepared pan. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter. Carefully smooth the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter. Top with the remaining cake batter, knowing that it is okay if bits of cream cheese are showing. Evenly scatter the butterscotch chips over the top cake layer. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown and set. Allow to cool fully before cutting. Store covered in the refrigerator. Taste best after being refrigerated for at least 4 hours.

Cookie Contest Winners (view in PDF-format)

We had over 200 recipes submitted and reviewed.  Those recipes were narrowed down to a Top Ten and three winners were chosen by our panel of judges.  The judges based their selection on flavor, texture, originality and appearance.
Congratulations to our winners:

Grand Prize: Jessie Grearson of Falmouth, ME’s Peanut Butter Shortbread Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Second Prize: Joanne Spencer of St. Johns, FL’s Ginger Molasses Cookies

Third Prize: Tanna Richard of Cedar Rapids, IA’s Butterscotch Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Thank you to everyone who submitted recipes.

Who says that people don’t bake anymore?

Send us your favorite original cookie recipe for a chance to win $1,000 for first place, $600 for second and $400 for third.

Submit your favorite original cookie recipe using at least a ¼ cup of sugar – any kind. All types of cookies are welcome – drop cookies, bar cookies, refrigerator cookies, no-bake cookies, and brownies. Recipes will be judged on taste, originality, and ease of preparation.

Send us your recipe, and accompanying photo of your family enjoying your recipe (if available), between August 17, 2009 and September 15, 2009. Send entries to: miller@sugar.org. Include the following information:

• Name
• Email address and street address
• Phone number
• Recipe with picture (if available)
• Please tell us where you heard about this contest

Contest is open to US residents who are 18 years of age and older. The contest is not open to chefs, test kitchen professionals or anyone associated in any way with the Sugar Association.

Here is how the judging works: Ten recipes will be chosen from all the entries for testing in the US Sugar Association test kitchen. The field will be narrowed down to six semi-finalists by the Sugar Association staff. Then, a panel of chefs, authors and editors will judge the semi-finalist recipes and select the three winners.

Winners will be announced the first week in October, which is National Cookie Month. First prize is $1,000, second prize is $600 and third prize is $400.

This contest is sponsored by The Sugar Association.

Read the Contest Rules

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