In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla. Beat till combined.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Fold to combine into a soft, sticky dough. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until firm but still pliable.
Preheat the oven to 175 C and place a silicone baking mat on the kitchen counter.
Lightly sprinkle the mat with flour, then place the cold dough on it. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out into a circle about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. You don't want it thin enough that it tears, but also not thick enough that the cookies don't crisp up. You can also place a large piece of baking paper on the dough and roll over that, in case the dough is sticking.
Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (mine is about 3 inches in length). I found the easiest way to do this step was to cut the cookies out about an inch apart, then lift off the surrounding scraps of dough. This way the shape remains undisturbed because you don't need to transfer the cookies to another tray. Roll up the remaining scraps and place in the fridge if they've warmed up.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes (if your cookies are small, reduce the baking time accordingly), until slightly puffed, fragrant and with small cracks on the surface.
Set aside to cool and repeat with the remainining dough. I had 12 heart-shaped cookies in total. Any smaller scraps of dough can be rolled out and baked as small pieces. They taste great as is, or you can grind them up after they've cooled and use them for decoration!
Once the cookies are completely cool, make the filling.
Beat the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add just a little of the cream and beat again so that the peanut butter is blended well into the cream, then pour in the rest and continue beating till soft, rounded peaks form in the cream when you lift the beaters. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes, but keep a watch on the cream as it can go from over-beaten to split very quickly.
Place 3 of the cookies on a large plate or platter. Place a generous dollop of the whipped cream on each one and spread it around. Place another cookie on top and spread more cream on it. Make 4 such layers for each cake. Use any leftover cream to spread on the sides. This prevents the edges from drying out and helps the cake 'set' better.
Chill overnight to let the cookies soften and become more cake-like. Drizzle the chilled cakes with peanut butter or sprinkle with cookie crumbs and dive in! Happy Valentine's :)