Chocolate Peanut Butter Bat Cookies are a perfect combination of Halloween candy and cookie in one delicious treat. These adorable bat-shaped cookies are made with shortbread, peanut butter filling, and milk chocolate, topped with chocolate sprinkles.

Picture this, a buttery shortbread sandwiched between a peanut butter layer, topped with milk chocolate, and made adorable with white chocolate eyes and sprinkles? Yes please. They'd be perfect on a spread with our spooky easy ghost cookies, and oreo ghost pops.

I know you will think I'm batty when I say this but .... I don't like reccess peanut butter cups! Now don't get me wrong, chocolate and peanut butter are made for eachother. But, get this - there is actually no peanut butter in reeses peanut Butter cups. They are always melty. And they are way too sweet.

I know everyone thinks they are the the best Halloween candy. They definitely are not the worst. I wanted to enjoy chocolate PLUS peanut butter in a cute way, without simply replicating peanut butter cups. So I made these cute "hairy" chocolate bats instead.

About the recipe:

We started with our signature shortbread cookie. Then, we made a delicious peanut butter filling. Finally, we sandwiched the cookies together, dipped them in milk chocolate, and gave them cute little features, like sprinkle "hair" and white chocolate eyes to give them some charm.

Ingredients:

Shortbread bats:

1 cup butter softened (unsalted) (227 grams)
½ cup icing / powdered sugar (60 grams)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup corn starch (68 grams)
1 pinch salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Peanut butter filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon salt

Chocolate coating:

1 12 ounce package milk chocolate chips or melting chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil for thinning

How to make them:

Shortbread bats:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cornstarch until well blended. Sift the flour mixture into your creamed butter; you will likely need to use your hands to form a ball. The dough will be somewhat soft.
Cover your dough with plastic or beeswax wrap and refrigerate for a few minutes while you heat your oven. (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out to ½ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. You want these shortbread cookies to be a little bit thick, which will help prevent them from breaking.
Cut into bat shape with cookie cutter.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden at the edges.
Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Move cookies to the freezer while you make peanut butter filling and melted chocolate. The bat shape makes them delicate, and handling them cold makes them less likely to break.

Peanut butter filling:

Stir peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract and powdered sugar together until smooth. It should not be too thick or too runny.

Assembly & topping:

Take a small amount of peanut butterfilling and add it to the top of a shortbread bat. Add another bat on top to create a sandwich. Move them to the freezer again while you melt your chocolate. The colder the are, the less likely they are to break.
Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper. If you have a roasting / cooling rack that fits on top of your baking sheet, use it. It will allow your melted chocolate to drip into your pan, instead of pooling around your bats.
Melt chocolate and your oil in a double boiler or microwave safe bowl. If melting in the microwave, remove it from microwave every thirty seconds and stir to prevet scorching.
Use a fork to dip your peanut butter bat sandwiches into the melted chocolate, and immediaetly move them to your prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles while they're still wet.
Use white chocolate chips or googly eye sprinkles to make eyes (optional, we used white chocolate chips)
Move chocolate covered bats to the refrigerator to harden.
Very carefully use a knife to remove them from your baking sheet when you're ready to serve.
Store them in the refrigerator in an air tight container when you're not enjoying them!

Do these bat cookies need to be refrigerated?

Yes, these cookies need to be refrigerated. If you leave them on the counter, the chocolate will get soft. You want to make sure they are chilled until ready to serve.

How to store them:

Store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Can I freeze these cookies:

Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.