Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies (2024)

These peanut butter and jelly cookies are the cookie version of the classic PB&J sandwich! They’re soft PB cookies topped with jam, peanut butter, and nuts.

Is there a more scrumptious pairing than peanut butter and jelly? But before you grab some sliced bread, let me introduce you to peanut butter and jelly cookies.

These are soft peanut butter cookies with strawberry jam in the center to give you the perfect peanut butter-jelly ratio in every piece.

They’re also drizzled with more peanut butter and chopped nuts to really delight your inner PB lover.

What are Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies?

Peanut butter and jelly cookies are like peanut butter and jelly sandwich meets thumbprint cookies. You can also think of these nutty treats as peanut butter cookies with a fruity twist.

If jam is yourjam, you’ll love these PB&J cookies.

They’re soft, not too thick or thin, peanut butter cookies baked with jam on top. We’ve opted for sweet strawberry jam for a more classic peanut butter and jelly taste, but the sky is the limit on what jelly you can use.

I say, why not make different flavors and have a colorful platter of PBJ cookies? ?

They’re incredibly easy to make with no chilling of the dough needed. And even though they look like thumbprint cookies, you can keep your thumb clean because these cookies are marked with a fork.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No Chill Dough:Unlike the dough for classic peanut butter cookies, you don’t need to chill the dough for these peanut butter and jelly cookies. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients and you no longer see streaks of flour, it’s ready to be scooped and pressed!
• Versatile: Serve your PBJ cookies for any occasion, any time of the year! You can play around with different jellies and toppings.
• Crowd-Pleaser:These PB&J cookies are a classic crowd-pleaser. Take a bite and be reminded of the classic sandwich in soft, tender cookie form.

What Do PBJ Cookies Taste Like?

Peanut butter and jelly cookies taste like our favorite sandwich since childhood.

They’re nutty and sweet but not in an over-the-top way, and the soft cookie with crisp, brown edges contrasting the crunchy chopped nuts makes it hard to stop with just one cookie.

I also like how they’re basically the cookie form of a PB jam sandwich. This means every piece is literally the perfect peanut butter and jelly ratio!

We’ve made them lusciously messy with peanut butter drizzle and nuts on top, but I bet they’ll taste delicious dipped in melted chocolate as well. ?

Ingredients For Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

• Butter – Use room-temperature butter, not chilled or melted.
• Granulated sugar – To sweeten the peanut butter cookies.
• Light brown sugar – Combining granulated and brown sugar is key for getting the best texture and flavor on these PB jam cookies.
• Creamy peanut butter – The best peanut butter for peanut butter and jelly cookies? A processed one like Jif! Natural peanut butter might lead to crumbly cookies because of the oil. We’ll also finish the cookies with a drizzle of PB.
• Egg – Don’t forget to bring your egg to room temperature as well.
• Vanilla extract – Enhances the flavor of the PB&J cookies.
• All-purpose flour – To avoid crumbly peanut butter jelly cookies, measure your flour correctly!
• Baking soda – Helps make tender cookies.
• Kosher salt – Complements the sweetness in the cookies for the best flavor.
• Strawberry jam – You can also use any fruit jam you like!
• Chopped peanuts – For added crunch.

Tools Needed To Prepare PB&J Cookies

• Baking sheets for baking the peanut butter and jelly cookies
• Parchment paper for lining the baking sheet
• Stand mixer for combining the ingredients
• Cookie scoop for portioning the dough
• Wire rack for cooling the PBJ cookies

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For PBJ Cookies

Peanut butter substitute

You can also make these cookies with almond butter instead of peanut butter. Just make sure to mix it well first.

Cocoa powder

Love peanut butter and chocolate? Make the cookies with cocoa powder!

White chocolate drizzle

Besides peanut butter, you can drizzle melted white chocolate over these peanut butter and strawberry jelly cookies.

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• Melted peanut butter for garnish
• Chopped peanuts for garnish

Tools you need:

• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer
• Cookie scoop
• Wire rack

Instructions:

STEP 1:Gather and measure the ingredients for your peanut butter and jelly cookies.

STEP 2: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

STEP 3: Beat the butter until creamy and add the sugars. Mix until smooth and fluffy.

STEP 4: Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

STEP 5: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

STEP 6: Add the flour, followed by the baking soda and salt. Stir to combine, then mix with the mixer to form the dough.

STEP 7: When only a few streaks of flour are visible, stop mixing and scrape the bowl. Continue mixing until no streaks of flour are visible.

STEP 8: Scoop and shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls.

STEP 9: Dip a fork in flour and press it onto the dough balls to form a crosshatch pattern, similar to classic peanut butter cookies. Smash the dough balls until the cookies are about half an inch thick.

STEP 10: Pour the jam into a bowl and stir until Iump-free.

STEP 11: Add around a teaspoon of jam over the center of each cookie.

STEP 12: Bake the PBJ cookies for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges are set and slightly brown.

STEP 13: Allow the baked cookies to sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 14: Drizzle with melted peanut butter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts on top. Enjoy!

What To Serve With Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Serve freshly baked peanut butter and jelly cookies with a cold glass of milk, and thank me later.

The classic flavor pairing will also be delicious with caramel dip and sliced apples on the side.

Since these PB jelly cookies are not overly sweet, you can take them up a notch in the indulgent scale and use them to make ice cream sandwiches!

But if you just want something comforting and satisfying, a cup of homemade hot chocolate or blue matcha latte is enough to accompany these yummy cookies.

Tips About Making PB Jam Cookies

• Make sure not to overmix your dough, as overmixing can lead to tough cookies. Stop mixing once there are no more visible streaks of flour.
• Avoid overfilling the peanut butter cookies with jelly. The jelly can spill and become gummy on the pan, which might ruin the cookies.
• Have a couple of inches between the cookie dough balls in the sheet, as they will spread more because of the jam.
• Fill your peanut butter and jelly cookies with any jam you like!You can even use Hershey’s cookies just like in these Betty Crocker peanut butter blossom cookies.

How To Store Peanut Butter Cookies with Jam

• Room Temperature: Transfer your peanut butter and jelly cookies to an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
• Fridge:For longer storage, keep the container of cookies in the fridge for up to a week. You can also assemble the cookies with the jam up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them.
• Freezer:The baked cookies should keep well in the freezer for a month or two in a freezer-safe container. You can also freeze the flattened cookie dough balls (after pressing them with a fork and before adding the jam.)
• Baking: Top them with jam, then bakethe frozen flattened cookie dough balls with an additional 1 to 3 minutes of cooking time. No need to thaw them.

Why Do You Press Down Peanut Butter Cookies?

A unique thing about peanut butter cookies is you press them down with a fork before baking. This gives them those classic peanut butter cookie criss-cross/crosshatch markings.

But more than just for aesthetics, pressing the cookies ensures they will spread and cook evenly.

Peanut butter cookies are dense. If they’re too thick, they might not get cooked through.

What Happens If You Don’t Chill Peanut Butter Cookie Dough?

This easy peanut butter and jelly cookie recipe doesn’t require chilling the dough. However, it’s recommended to chill the dough first for classic peanut butter cookies.

Otherwise, they’ll spread too much and might not hold their shape well.

Remember that peanut butter cookie dough is made from eggs, butter, and peanut butter, making it softer and stickier.

Chilling the peanut butter cookie dough is also important for evenly-baked cookies since the colder temperature keeps them from cooking too quickly.

FAQ About Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

What jelly goes with peanut butter?

You can’t go wrong with the combo of peanut butter and strawberry jelly, but for something exciting, try this recipe with blackberry jam or raspberry jam!

What is the most popular jelly flavor for peanut butter and jelly?

When you say classic PB and J, strawberry jelly is the most popular jelly flavor paired with peanut butter. However, some argue that grape jelly is also popular for peanut butter and jelly.

Can I make peanut butter and jelly cookies with crunchy peanut butter?

You can use crunchy or chunky peanut butter instead of creamy peanut butter if you want some crunch on your peanut butter and jelly cookies.

Do you need to chill these peanut butter jelly and cookies?

You don’t need to chill the dough for these peanut butter and jelly cookies.

Why are my peanut butter cookies crumbling?

If your peanut butter cookies turn out dry and crumbly, it might be from using too much flour or overbaking them.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Yield: 28

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

These peanut butter and jelly cookies are the cookie version of the classic PB&J sandwich! They're soft PB cookies topped with jam, peanut butter, and nuts.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• Melted peanut butter for garnish
• Chopped peanuts for garnish

Instructions

1. Gather and measure the ingredients for your peanut butter and jelly cookies.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Beat the butter until creamy, and add the sugars. Mix until smooth and fluffy.
4. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.
5. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
6. Add the flour, followed by the baking soda and salt. Stir to combine, then mix with the mixer to form the dough.
7. When only a few streaks of flour are visible, stop mixing and scrape the bowl. Continue mixing until no streaks of flour are visible.
8. Scoop and shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls.
9. Dip a fork in flour and press it onto the dough balls to form a crosshatch pattern, similar to classic peanut butter cookies. Smash the dough balls until the cookies are about half an inch thick.
10. Pour the jam into a bowl and stir until Iump-free.
11. Add around a teaspoon of jam over the center of each cookie.
12. Bake the PBJ cookies for 13 to 15 minutes or until the edges are set and slightly brown.
13. Allow the baked cookies to sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Drizzle with melted peanut butter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts on top. Enjoy!

Notes

• Do not overmix the dough or the PB&J cookies will come out tough.
• Make sure not to use too much jam when topping the cookies. If the jam spills out of the cookies and lands on the pan, it will get gummy and might ruin the peanut butter cookies.
• Allow a couple of inches between the dough balls in the sheet, as these peanut butter and jelly cookies will spread more than your usual cookies because of the jam.
• Feel free to fill these peanut butter and jelly cookies with any jam you like! You can even use Hershey's cookies like we did in these Betty Crocker peanut butter blossom cookies.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 28Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 268Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 141mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 2g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for the most accurate results.

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Conclusion

Your favorite childhood sandwich just got a cookie makeover!

These peanut butter and jelly cookies are full of peanut butter and sweet fruit jam goodness in every piece.

Enjoy the best peanut butter and jelly ratio with these cookies. Drizzled with peanut butter and chopped nuts, these are the perfect cookies for dessert and snacking.

You don’t even need to chill the dough, so these treats are ready in no time.

Love these PBJ Cookies? Here are more sweets to go nuts over!

• Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies
• No Bake Peanut Butter Coconut Bites
• No Bake Mini Peanut Butter Pies
• Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Recipe
• Soft, Chewy, Delicious Turtle Chocolate Chip Cookies