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Stack of peanut butter and jelly cookies with a bite taken from the top cookie, showing red jelly center and peanut butter drizzle.
Linda

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Soft peanut butter thumbprint cookies filled with your favorite jam for the ultimate nostalgic treat.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 145

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened, 1 stick
  • 0.75 cup creamy peanut butter not natural style
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Filling
  • 0.25 cup grape jelly or strawberry jam or your favorite flavor

Equipment

  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment Paper
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Electric Mixer
  • 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat softened butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  4. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.
  5. With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
  6. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in granulated sugar to coat lightly. Place 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Use your thumb or the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measure to press a deep well into the center of each cookie. Fill each well with 1/2 teaspoon of jelly.
  7. Bake until edges are set and tops look slightly cracked, 10 to 12 minutes. The centers will still look soft. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Use regular commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy; natural peanut butter makes cookies too crumbly. For neater jelly centers, chill the filled cookies for 10 minutes before baking so the jam spreads less. These keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze unfilled dough balls for up to 2 months and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes to bake time.