Homemade Pirate Cookies

Any guesses on what my absolute favourite cookie of all time is??? No, it’s not custard creams, oreos, chocolate chip or even shortbreads . . .

It’s the humble, peanut butter filled, peanut butter flavoured oat cookie from Canada called . . . “Pirate Cookies!” I just love that wholesome crisp oatmeal cookie (slightly peanut butter flavoured) and that yummy peanut buttercream filling. Oh, nothing on earth tastes better with a glass of milk.

I like to pull them apart and lick up the frosting and then eat the cookie part.  I like to dip them in milk and let them get soft and then eat that scrummy milk soaked goodness . . .

I like to eat them just as they come . . . two crispy layers . . . soft filling . . . Nom Nom!
I love to eat them anyway I can get them . . . only problem being . . . there is no such thing as a Pirate Cookie here in the UK . . . there is not even any biscuit that it close to being a Pirate Cookie.

My waistline is completely ok with that fact . . . but oh boy . . . you never know just how much you are going to miss something until it’s way beyond your reach. I have been missing Pirate Cookies for nigh onto 12 years now . . . that’s a long time to miss something.

Ok . . . so I  have had the occasional fix when I happen to fly home for visits  . . .  but its not near often enough, truly. I love them that much. I’ve tried bringing some home with me in my baggage . . . but they can get all crushed . . . not nearly as satisfying as crunching down your own biccies!

This week I decided to try to make my own . . . I baked oatmeal cookies largely based on an old recipe . . . I substituted some of the butter with peanut butter. It worked. I had some lovely peanut butter flavoured oatmeal cookies.I created a peanut butter flavoured buttercream filling.
I sandwiched that yummo peanut butter flavoured buttercream filling betwixt two of those scrummy oat cookies.

I fell in love. Mr Christie . . . you DO make good cookies . . . but these are better.

The end.

*Homemade Pirate Cookies*
Makes 18
Printable Recipe

Something which I have always missed from home . . . now I don’t have to miss them anymore.

For the cookies:
75g of plain flour (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature
90g of creamy peanut butter (1/2 cup)
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
100g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
1 large free range egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
81g of quick cooking oats (1 cup)

For the filling:
3 TBS unsalted butter
90g of creamy peanut butter (1/2 cup)
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
3 TBS heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk togethet the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture and then stir in the oats, beating briefly to combine. Scoop out using a small cookie scoop (approximately 1 heaped TBS) and drop onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches in between each for spreading. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown and the edgese are set. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for five minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Make the filling by beating together the butter, peanut butter and icing sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add the cream and beat until fluffy. Put together the cookies into pairs with some of this filling in between. Press the filling to the edges. Store in an airtight container.

Oh yes . . . I will still be induging my fill the next time I fly back to Nova Scotia, but  . . .  it’s nice to know that in the meantime I can still create a fabulous almost there substitute!!!

Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/