Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3- 1/4 cups cake flour (or use all purpose flour but replace 2 TBS per cup with cornstarch)
1 (12 oz) bag Reese's Peanut Butter chips (no substitutions)

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350℉ degrees and place rack in center of oven.

2.  Cream together butter, sugars, salt, baking soda and powder.  Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

3.  Add flour and peanut butter chips. Mix just until flour and chips are blended together.

4.  Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, or just a large spoon, scoop into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 4 inches apart.  About 8 cookies per sheet.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, soft-room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (not natural)
milk to thin to proper consistency (whole milk is best)

1.  Cream together room-temperature butter and powdered sugar. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. Add milk a tablespoon at time, just until frosting is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter or 1/2 and 1/2 blend butter/margarine
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (or less if you like a lighter cocoa frosting)
1 TBS vanilla
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

1.  Cream butter and 5 cups powdered sugar. Add cocoa and vanilla.

2.  Add milk a tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more powdered sugar.

After cookies are cooled, frost with peanut butter frosting. Then frost on top of the peanut butter frosting with the chocolate frosting. When spreading the chocolate frosting on top of the peanut butter frosting, be very gentle and leave a small space between the edge of the peanut butter frosting and the chocolate frosting for a layered frosting look (I found it easier to pipe the the chocolate frosting on top of the peanut butter frosting.)


From A Bountiful Kitchen and Cutlers