Bouchon Bakery's Nutter Butter Cookies

Photo Courtesy of Culinary Trends and Bouchon


Photo One Perfect Bite

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm not given to hero worship and will never understand the commotion that surrounds some icons in the cooking world. I have respect for the very best of them and an amused tolerance for the "wannabes". Sure, I have a favorite chef or two, but my admiration never approaches adulation. It's muted and controlled, and based on an honest assessment of their food that, I hope, is detached from the cult of personality that's so prevalent today. I've obviously had some disappointments and tend to be unforgiving when that happens. This is not, however, going to be an expose. I want, instead, to focus on a chef who consistently delivers - in his food, his restaurants and his books. Many of you know of my admiration for Thomas Keller. I have featured several of his recipes on One Perfect Bite, have read all of his books and eat in his restaurants whenever possible. I have not, until today, baked any of the cookies that are sold at his Bouchon Bakery. I chose the Nutter Butter cookies because I knew the Silver Fox would love them. I decide to use the recipe from the New York Times. After I had finished my baking, I found a more exact recipe for them on Culinary Trends. I plan to use that recipe, found here, the next time I make these cookies. The recipe below comes from the New York Times, but I've changed the ingredient's list to make only half a batch of the cookies. While they are quite homely in appearance, they are surprisingly light and crisp and very, very good. My only criticism is that the cookies are way too large for mere mortals to consume. Mine were saucer-size and next time I'll make them smaller. If you bake and you love cookies, you'll really enjoy these. If you are a serious baker, I urge you to visit Culinary Trends. Here's the New York Times recipe scaled to make half a batch of cookies.

Nutter Butter Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of the New York Times and Bouchon Bakery

Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts (omitted and used crunchy peanut butter)
1-1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
Cookie Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) To make cookie dough: In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and beat at medium speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping down bowl twice. At low speed, add egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until well mixed, frequently scraping down bowl. Add peanuts (if using) and oats, and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop 2 inches in diameter or an extremely heaping tablespoon, place balls of dough on parchment-lined baking sheets at least three inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and turned very light golden brown, about 10-14 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool and firm up, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before filling.
3) To make filling: Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth.
4) To assemble cookies: Spread a thin layer (about 1/8 inch) on underside of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Yield: 12 large cookies.

Cook's Note: A specific peanut butter is listed in the ingredient list, both here and at Culinary Trends. Interestingly, not all peanut butters taste the same. Apparently the staff at Bouchon prefers Skippy. It is not an advertisement.

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