Carla Hall’s Giant Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich Recipe

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Carla Hall,

AARP

Published September 11, 2026

Chef Carla Hall’s Giant Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich is shown in a photo

The Giant Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich stays chewy to its edges, even after baking for a full 20 minutes.

Doaa Elkady/Courtesy Penguin Random House

I’m already on record as a tiny-cookie stan. But I love a giant one as well. There’s nothing more fun than bringing a huge cookie to the table, cutting it into wedges, and giving everyone their own slice.

My husband, Matthew, loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so I developed this recipe for him. He also loves chewy cookies and is less enthusiastic about crispy ones, so I had to make sure my giant cookie had the desired texture. Coming up with the right formula cost me only a few sleepless nights. This is a cookie that stays chewy to its edges, even after baking for a full 20 minutes. Matthew, you’re welcome.

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Make-Ahead Tip: The jam will keep in an airtight container or lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Giant Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwich With Plum Jam and Peanut Butter Buttercream

Makes one 10-inch cookie (12 to 16 wedges)

Ingredients

For the plum jam:

1¼ pounds red plums, coarsely chopped

½ cup sugar

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt

¼ cup agave nectar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

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For the peanut butter buttercream:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

1½ tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Make the plum jam: In a heavy medium saucepan, toss together the plums, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, in a few minutes. With an immersion blender, puree (in the pot) just until the skins are mostly broken down but some small chunks of fruit still remain visible.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture deepens in color, thickens, and coats the back of a spoon, 45 to 50 minutes. Scrape into a bowl to cool completely; it will thicken further. The yield is about 2 cups. (At this point, the jam may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)

Make the giant cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed just until incorporated, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. Add the agave, eggs, and vanilla, beating just until incorporated. The mixture will be stiff.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, beating just until no trace of dry ingredients remains. Stop to scrape down the bowl again. Gradually add the melted/cooled butter, beating just until incorporated. Do not overmix; the dough will be shiny and thick.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have two sheets of parchment paper and two sheet pans at hand.

Using a digital kitchen scale, divide the dough in half (you can plop equal amounts onto the center of each sheet of parchment, then finesse to make sure they weigh exactly the same). Working with one portion of dough, slip the flat bottom of a 10-inch round springform pan under the parchment. Using the bottom of the pan as a guide, pat out the dough into an even layer that’s not quite 10 inches across. Transfer the round of dough, still on its parchment but without the springform pan bottom, to a sheet pan. Place the unlocked ring of the springform pan around the dough.

Bake the first cookie until it is a deep golden brown and the edges look set, about 14 minutes. (If your oven bakes unevenly, you may want to rotate the pan front to back halfway through.)

Meanwhile, repeat with another piece of parchment, the springform pan bottom, and the remaining piece of dough, pressing the length of a wooden skewer into that dough round to create a crosshatch pattern — like the top of a peanut butter cookie — before transferring it to the sheet pan and putting the unlocked ring of the springform pan around it. Place the second dough round in the freezer for 10 minutes while the first round bakes.

Remove the first cookie from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Don’t worry if the cookie feels soft. It will continue to bake slightly on the sheet pan as it cools. Remove the springform pan ring and transfer the cookie, still on its parchment, to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place the unlocked ring of the springform pan around the second dough round. Bake the second cookie until it’s the same color as the first cookie with set edges, 16 to 17 minutes. Check the crosshatch marks halfway through the bake time; reinforce them with the skewer as needed. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the cold butter and salt, beating on medium-high speed until smooth but still firm, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl. Add the peanut butter and beat on medium-high until creamy with no more visible bits of butter, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl again.

Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. By hand, stir in the vanilla and then the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the buttercream is spreadable but still holds its shape. The yield is a generous 1 cup.

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