Happy Friday! Today is International Picnic Day and I’m celebrating with two of my favorite mice–Mickey and Minnie! Picnicking is one my typical summer activities as I love bringing some sandwiches and treats to the park for a fun afternoon. So to celebrate this fun day, I’m excited to share Mickey’s PB&J Sandwich Cookies! Inspired by a classic picnic food, these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are filled with thick peanut butter filling and raspberry jelly!
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Growing up, PB&J sandwiches were the classic picnic, road trip, or outdoor adventure food as they were easy to make, easy to pack, and kept well in a variety of temperatures. Therefore, I used them as my inspiration for these fun sandwich cookies. These cookies have three parts, but you only need to make two of them–the cookies and the peanut butter filling. For the jelly layer, just use your favorite store bought jelly!
To make the cookies, first preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter and beat until well-mixed. For this recipe, I used a creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif.
Beat in the egg and vanilla and then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined.
Next, use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measuring spoon to make dough balls. To make the dough less sticky, I rolled the dough balls in granulated sugar. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten them using the palm of your hand. To add the hidden mickey, gently press a silicone Mickey head into the tops of the cookies. For this, I used the silicone spoon from the Bumkins Disney Mickey Mouse Bowl and Spoon Set.
Place the cookies in the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes. This will help reduce spreading and keep the Mickey design. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 F. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the peanut butter filling, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a medium bowl. Again I used creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. Beat until the filling is smooth and spreadable. It will be thick. Transfer the filling to a piping bag.
For the jelly layer, transfer about 1/4 cup of your favorite jelly into a piping bag. I used Smucker’s seedless red raspberry jelly as it’s one of my favorites for PB&J but you could also use more classic flavors like grape or strawberry.
To assemble the cookies, pipe some of the peanut butter filling onto the backs of half of the cookies and pipe some of the jelly onto the backs of the other half of the cookies. Use an offset spatula to flatten and spread the fillings as needed. Gently press the cookies with jelly and the cookies with peanut butter together to make a sandwich.
Once Mickey’s PB&J Sandwich Cookies are assembled, grab your picnic basket, some friends, and head outside to enjoy!
Mickey’s PB&J Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, soft
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Peanut Butter Filling
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk
Jelly Filling
- ¼ cup your favorite jelly (grape, strawberry, etc.)
Decoration
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Equipment
- 2 piping bags
- 1 small silicone Mickey head, for imprinting
- cookie scoop
- offset spatula
Instructions
Peanut Butter Cookies
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter and beat until well-mixed.
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Beat in the egg and vanilla.
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Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined.
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Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure to make dough balls. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets.
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Using the palm of your hand, gently flatten each dough ball. Press the Mickey head into each flattened cookie.
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Place cookies in the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes.
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Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Filling
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In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
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Transfer the filling to a piping bag.
Jelly Filling
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Transfer ¼ cup of your favorite jelly into a piping bag.
Assembly
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Pipe the peanut butter filling onto the backs of half of the cookies. Use an offset spatula to flatten and spread the filling as needed.
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Pipe the jelly filling onto the backs of the other half of the cookies. Use an offset spatula to flatten and spread the jelly as needed.
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Gently press the cookies with jelly and the cookies with peanut butter together to make a sandwich.