Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

"Have another Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cooooookiiieeee!"

For us old-timers, that song sure can get stuck in our heads. But this peanut butter cookie is the cure. And it's gluten-free! (Too bad almost all of my gluten-free family members hate peanut butter.)

You can make these as plain-old peanut butter cookies or fill them with vegan icing (recipe below)--which makes them taste like a gluten-free fluffernutter sandwich!

Or...you could fill them with ice cream! (It's also usually gluten-free.)

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Makes 27 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups crunchy or smooth peanut butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup coarsely chopped salted party peanuts

• ½ cup Earth Balance vegan shortening, softened
• ½ cup Earth Balance butter flavored vegan shortening
• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¼ cup soy, almond, or coconut milk
• Pinch of salt

To make the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all cookie ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Roll dough into 27 tablespoon-size balls and do the fork press thing (press down across the top of the balls with a fork). Spray fork with coconut oil if it's too sticky. Arrange pressed balls on a cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 9 minutes. Leave cookies on the cookie sheet to cool.

5. If you're going to fill them with icing, wait until the cookies are completely cool, then ice and make into a sandwich--27 divided by two equals 13 cookie sandwiches...plus one for just-plain eating!

To make the icing:
1. Blend the shortening together in a bowl for 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add the powdered sugar and blend for another 3 minutes.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. And the vanilla, milk, and salt and blend for 6 minutes. Done!

For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com