Peanut Butter Wafers Recipes

Steps:

• Bring milk and cream to simmer in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk egg and yolk in a medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch and flour, and whisk until very well incorporated and almost fluffy.
• Whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan, and return heat to medium. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly, or until thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk peanut butter into hot pastry cream.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, stir in salt, then cover with plastic wrap directly on cream to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Prepare the cake layers: Bring a wide pot of shallow water to a very gentle simmer over low heat.
• Place 2/3 of chocolate shards plus solid shortening in a clean 10-inch skillet set over the gently simmering water, and melt slowly. Bring the mixture to 110 degrees, and stir well to create a glossy, uniform consistency. Seed in remaining chocolate shards, and stir until completely melted and glossy, and chocolate tempers to 91 degrees. Remove from heat or turn off simmering water (or both).
• Pulse peanuts in food processor until they're a coarse meal. Remove, and stir in confectioners' sugar.
• Drop one wafer sheet into chocolate, giving it a tiny swirl to make sure the entire surface underneath is coated. Retrieve the wafer with tongs, tweezers or two forks, and hover it over the chocolate until dripping stops, then invert wafer, chocolate face down, on a baker's rack set over parchment to "drain." You want a film of chocolate to glaze the waffling, but you don't want to fill the holes enough to pave them over entirely. Repeat with remaining wafer sheets, tempering the chocolate if needed. While chocolate is still tacky, turn wafers chocolate-side up to finish cooling. (Use an offset spatula if needed to gently release wafer from rack.) Before chocolate sets fully, heavily ring edges of two of the chocolate-dipped wafer sheets by sprinkling the prepared peanut mixture in a 1-inch rim. Allow to cool and harden in a cool, dry place.
• To assemble: Pipe or spread 1/3 of the peanut-butter pastry cream uniformly among three of the wafer sheets (on the chocolate-filmed side to prevent sogginess later), reserving one of the peanut-edged sheets as the topper.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, stack the sheets chocolate-side up, using the peanut-crusted sheet on the bottom, the other two plain sheets in between, and top with the last peanut-crusted chocolate wafer sheet.

Steps:

• For the filling: Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with some butter.
• Using a stand or electric hand mixer, mix together the butter and chunky peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the sugar a cup at a time.
• Add the vanilla wafers to a food processor and process until they are in crumbs. Then add the crumbs and mini chocolate chips to the peanut butter mixture. Spread it evenly into the buttered pan and set aside.
• For the frosting: Using a double boiler or a microwave, melt the chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then pour over the base. Spread the frosting out evenly and sprinkle over the chopped peanuts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then cut into 20 bars.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center of oven (these will bake 1 sheet at a time).
• Preheat oven to 400°.
• If you have cookie sheets with only one raised rim (best for recipe) or use any cookie sheet turned upside down.
• Line sheets with foil, shiny side up. (Don't use heavyweight, or cookies won't bake well) set aside.
• Pour 1 cup of peanuts in bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade.
• Add a few tablespoons of the sugar and briefly pulse machine 10 times to chop nuts into coarse pieces.
• Some will be powdery, some coarse, and some whole, it is okay, set aside.
• Melt butter in a small pan over moderate heat; set aside for now.
• Combine sifted flour and baking soda; set aside.
• Place egg, milk, melted butter, and remaining sugar in small bowl of an electric mixer.
• Beat until mixed; add sifted dry ingredients and the peanuts. Beat again until mixed.
• Transfer to shallow bowl for ease in handling. Spray a foil-lined sheet with Pam.
• Place dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls (not heaping) on sheet, placing the mounds 3 inches apart. Try to keep shapes neat.
• Top each with a few of the peanuts (if you like or with as many as you can fit on the top each cookie).
• Bake 1 sheet at a time. After 5 minutes, reverse sheet front to back.
• Cookies will rise, spread out, then flatten into very thin wafers with bumpy tops.
• They will spread out to 3 1/2 to- 4 1/2-inches in diameter.
• Cookies should bake until golden brown, then remove from oven.
• If cookies have run into each other, cut apart immediately while very hot.
• Cool on sheet for 1 or 2 minutes, then slide foil off sheet.
• Let cookies stand until firm enough to be removed.
• Will be easy to peel the foil away from backs.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough:
• Sift flour (if using a cup measure, spoon into the cup and level with a knife before sifting).
• Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and cream until fluffy and light, about 5 minutes. Beat the whites with a fork until foamy and thin, then add to the butter and sugar in four additions, letting each incorporate before adding the next. Scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then resume mixing on low. Sprinkle in the flour, and mix to form a soft dough.
• Knead against the sides of the bowl to form a smooth ball, divide in half, and flatten into discs. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 week; soften for 30 minutes at room temperature, then knead on a bare work surface until pliable and smooth.
• Make the wafers:
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F. On a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough until 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with flour, flip, sprinkle again, and roll just shy of 1/8 inch. Slide an offset spatula under the dough to loosen. Cut into "peanuts" with a 3-inch bikini cookie cutter (see Cooks' Note) or into simple 2 1/4-inch rounds and arrange on a parchment-lined aluminum baking sheet, leaving 1/4 inch between them. If you like, gently score the cutouts with a bench scraper to make a diamond pattern. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut as before. The remaining scraps can also be baked, to grind for crumbs.
• Bake until wafers are firm and dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheet. Use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and store for up to a week at room temperature or a month in the fridge.
• Make the creme:
• Combine butter, peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then sprinkle in the powdered sugar a little at a time. Once fully incorporated, increase to medium and beat until the creme is soft and light, about 5 minutes, pausing to scrape the bowl and beater halfway through. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
• Sandwich the cookies:
• Pipe 1/4 ounce (2 teaspoons) creme into the center of half of the rounds or 1/8 ounce (1 teaspoon) into each "lobe" of a peanut. Sandwich with the remaining wafers; there are extras to account for breakage. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until the filling has set, about 15 minutes. Store up to 1 week at room temperature or up to a month in the fridge; serve at room temperature.
• Mix it up!
• Cookie Crumbs: Grind broken wafers and scraps in a food processor until fine; freeze in a quart zip-top bag for up to 6 months. Use to replace the graham cracker crumbs in Souffléed Cheesecake or bake into a crumb crust.
• Vegan: Replace the butter in the dough and filling with an equal amount of refined coconut oil and omit the egg whites in the dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before rolling the dough.
• Gluten-Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with 4 ounces (1 1/4 cups) oat flour, 3 ounces (2/3 cup) white rice flour, and 2 ounces (1/2 cup) coconut flour.