Aunt Lenore’s Sandwich Cookies
These aren’t really cookies by any true definition of the word, but my Aunt Lenore always made them for our annual family cookie exchange, and we have always been at a loss for what else you might call them. “Chocolate-covered-peanut-butter-and-cracker-sandwiches?” Yeah, not so much. I mean, it’s what they are, but that’s kind of a clunky mouthful of a name. So I’ve always called them Aunt Lenore’s Sandwich Cookies, and when I do, my family knows exactly what I’m talking about. That’s what they’ve always been, and that’s what they’ll always be, in our house anyway. If you can come up with a better name, by all means, send it to me.
I can’t impress upon you how yummy these are. They’re salty and sweet at the same time, with a nice crunch. And listen – I’m not a white chocolate person in any way (it’s too sweet on its own for my taste), but the combination of the white chocolate candy coating with the salty crackers and the peanut butter is really mouth-watering. Everyone in my family loves these, and I’m lucky if a batch of them lasts two or three days.
As well, they’re both simple and fun to make. If you’ve never worked with melting chocolate or almond bark before, don’t be afraid. They make certain kinds of candy coating especially for recipes like this, and it’s quite easy to work with.
I’ve found the trickiest part of this recipe to be the crackers, actually. I use Keebler Town House crackers, and if you’re too heavy-handed while spreading on the peanut butter, they will snap in half like nothing. So you need to be gentle. Use a light touch.
The candy melts are available at any craft store that sells baking and candy-making supplies, like Michaels, A.C. Moore, or JoAnn. They come in tons of colors. I like to get red or green for Christmas. You can also use white almond bark.
Aunt Lenore’s Sandwich Cookies
4 dozen Keebler Town House crackers (about 1-1/2 packs)
1 cup peanut butter (for these, it’s best to use a commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy, that will not separate, and which has a little sugar added)
12 ounces (1 package) Wilton Candy Melts, any color, or white almond bark, broken into pieces
Sprinkles
First, make the cracker and peanut butter sandwiches. Spread half of the crackers with a thin layer of peanut butter, and place another cracker gently on top of each, forming a sandwich. If any peanut butter oozes out the sides, just gently wipe it away with a fingertip.
In the top of a double boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl placed over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water, stir the candy melts or almond bark until fully melted.
One at a time, dip each cracker sandwich into the melted candy, using a fork or a pair of small tongs to help you turn it and get it completely coated.
Lift it from the bowl, and gently – very gently – shake a bit and let any excess candy drizzle off. If you have open spots where the candy slides away, you can fix that in the next step.
Place the candy-coated cracker sandwich on waxed paper, and fix any spots where the crackers might be showing through, using a toothpick. Immediately shake a few sprinkles on top. *Note: do not place them on a rack as shown in the photo. Put them right on the waxed paper. I used the rack for about six cookies, thinking it would allow excess candy coating to drip off, but it caused issues because the chocolate started to harden around the grids, and when I went to lift off the cookies, the candy came away from the cracker and stayed on the rack. I had to re-dip the bottoms of the sandwiches. Lesson learned! I would have taken new photos, but my photographer had run away. Anyway, do as I say, not as I do!
Give the candy melts a quick stir before you dip the next sandwich, to keep them as thin as possible. Keep the water simmering, not boiling, and if the melted candy appears to be hardening, just stir some more – do not increase the heat under the pan!
Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.
*Alternate method: melt the candy in the microwave, in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval. You will have to reheat for 30 seconds between every few sandwiches.
Makes 2 dozen.
Here’s the printable recipe.
Cheers,
