Fluff-stuffed Peanut Butter “Fluffernutter” Cookies

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter. There I said it. It’s one of those flavours that just never really “wowed” me. It always needs a companion flavour like jam. Or chocolate. Or marshmallow fluff. So when I made these fluffernutter cookies and fell in love with them, I was surprised to say the least. 

My history with Fluff

Many years ago, when I was baking chocolate fudge (one of my favourite recipes with marshmallow fluff) with my mom at Christmastime, I was scooping out the jar we had just added to the mix and I noticed a picture of a Fluffernutter sandwich on the label.

With dazzled eyes, I looked up at my mother and inquired if people really made sandwiches with this magically sweet jarred cloud and she nodded, “Yes, marshmallow with peanut butter. We used to eat them all the time as kids.” 

Now if you’ve never heard of a Fluffernutter sandwich, it’s a simple combo like a pb+j, but instead of jam you slather on a thick layer of marshmallow fluff. To date, I’ve never actually tried a fluffernutter sandwich, but apparently in New England and Maschacusettes, these sandwiches are a really big deal.

I’m not the biggest fan of peanut butter. So on the rare occasion when I find myself baking with peanut butter, the recipe has to be amazing. Years ago during one of my Christmas baking sprints, I came up with the idea of a gingerbread man but made with peanut butter (what compelled me to make them I’ll never know). 

The cookies turned out to be perfectly balanced in flavour. And I decided forever more to give peanut butter cookies another chance at being in my life. 

Do you also find most peanut butter cookies to taste almost like you’re eating a spoon of peanut butter? Maybe it’s just me, but that’s never the outcome that I’m into. But peanut butter cookies with marshmallow? Now that’s a taste combo that I’m down for.

My Secret Ingredient for the Perfect Cookie

This recipe produces a unique soft peanut butter cookie with a smooth crunch. My secret ingredient to achieve this texture is cornstarch! I learned this from years of making shortbread cookies at Christmas (if you’ve never made shortbread cookies with cornstarch, you need to make them after you make these cookies).  

I also make my peanut butter cookies with brown sugar, which adds a soft chewiness because it has more moisture than white sugar.  

Going out on a limb here, but I’ll dare say these are the best fluffernutter cookies around. I’ve made them 3 times in the last month. And with only two of us in the house, that works out to be 1.5 batches per person. And I’ll confirm that the cookies are so delicious that every single one gets eaten every time they’re made. 

That’s correct, a gal who isn’t very fond of peanut butter has baked these peanut butter cookies and has eaten approximately 30 of them in the last month. That’s how good these are.

I hope you love them as much as I do.

Fluff-stuffed Peanut Butter “Fluffernutter” Cookies

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Yield

30

Cookies

Prep time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup all purpose flour (fluffed with a spoon before measuring)

• ¼ cup cornstarch

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ c butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup of peanut butter (you can use natural, if stirred)

• 1 ¼ cup of brown sugar, packed lightly

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup of marshmallow fluff
  

Directions

• In a small bowl mix flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter together. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat again.
• Gently add the dry mixture to the wet, stirring to just combine. Once smooth, set in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight.
• Once your dough has been chilled, preheat your oven to 375˚F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Using a cookie scoop (mine is just under 2” wide), scoop the peanut butter dough. Before dropping onto the baking sheet, make a small teaspoon sized hole in the dough. Add about 1tsp of marshmallow fluff to the centre of the cookie and cover with more dough.
• Drop the stuffed dough ball onto the cookie sheet, repeating with each cookie. Cookies will spread, so keep to 6 per cookie sheet.
• Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies have puffed in the oven (they will become flatter as they cool out of the oven. Be sure the cookies do not brown or the marshmallow will become chewy and burnt.
• Let cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool further.
• Serve cookies while still a bit warm or store them in an air-tight container for up to one week.

Notes

• Use smooth peanut butter for the best results. If using natural, stir before measuring.