Published on April 4, 2024 Updated on May 2, 2024. Published by Megan
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Peanut butter and jelly cookies are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, rolled in a crunchy sugar coating, with a strawberry jam filled center. Top these easy to make peanut butter jelly cookies with a dollop of more jelly, a drizzle of PB and chopped peanuts after baking. These pb and j cookies are just like the classic sandwich in cookie form.
Jump to:
- Why Should You Make This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How To Make
- How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- M’s Expert Tips
- FAQs
- Other Fruit Cookie Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have a few peanut butter recipes on the blog that I adore. My Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars, Fluffernutter Cookies, Peanut Butter Brownies, 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge and Peanut Butter Bread are few of my favorite peanut butter recipes from the blog. I know you’ll love these peanut butter and jam cookies because:
- Layers of cozy flavors and textures. You will love the contrast of the soft and chewy peanut butter cookie with the tart flavor and smooth texture of seedless strawberry jam and the sweet crunchy sugar coating. These peanut butter jelly thumbprint cookies hit all the right texture and flavor notes. They are pure nostalgia in every bite.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. These peanut butter jam cookies come together in almost one bowl, need a short chilling time and use a handful of simple pantry basics to make. In under an hour, you can have a warm, nostalgic, freshly jelly filled peanut butter cookie.
Ingredients
This pj and j cookie recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, creamy peanut butter, an egg, vanilla extract and seedless jam or jelly. If you’d like to top the cookies as shown in the photos, make sure to reserve some extra creamy peanut butter and chopped peanuts.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these peanut butter cookies with jelly if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these chewy pb jelly cookies, gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (180 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The baking powder helps to give the cookie a bit of lift and the baking soda gives the cookies a chewy texture.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugars: Feel free to substitute one for the oher or maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Use a creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Cashew butter makes a wonderful substitute for peanut butter. Sunflower butter is a great nut free substitute for peanut butter.
- Egg: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Strawberry Jelly: Feel free to use any jelly or seedless jam you like. I really love seedless raspberry jam or strawberry jelly for these pb + j cookies.
Variation
Stuffed Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies: Prepare the peanut butter cookie dough as written. Transfer the dough to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Line a large plate or small baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Spoon teaspoon scoop 12 - 15 teaspoon dollops of creamy peanut butter and 12 - 15 teaspoons of jelly onto the lined baking sheet or plate. Transfer to the freezer to freeze the peanut butter and jelly dollops for 30 minutes. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon, 45 ml capacity) to scoop a ball of pb cookie dough into the palm of your hand. Flatten into a large disk. Place one teaspoon frozen pb and 1 teaspoon frozen jelly into the center of the disk. Roll the disk into a ball and then into the granulated sugar. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 15 - 20 minutes.
How To Make
Learn how to make peanut butter and jelly cookies in a few easy steps.
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the light brown and granulated sugars until smooth and well combined. This takes about 2 -3 minutes on medium speed. Cream in the peanut butter on medium speed for 1 minute until well combined. On low mixin the egg and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Cover the cookies in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to rest and chill for 30 - 60 minutes while the oven preheats. The chilling step is optional, but the cookies spread a bit less when chilled for a bit.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the pb cookie dough into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball into sugar and place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. They will spread a bit. Using your thumb or teaspoon measuring spoon, press a indention or little well into the center of the cookies. Fill each center with a teaspoon (5 ml) of jelly or jam.
Bake and Top the Cookies
4. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 14 -15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and some cracks have formed across the edges of the cookie. Right after pulling the cookies from the oven, give the cookies a “cookie scoot” to help shape them back into a more perfectly round shape. Do to this, take a biscuit cutter, small bowl or large glass that is slightly bigger than the cookie and nudge the edges of the cookie in a circular motion. The edges of the thumbprint will have spread a bit while baking, while the jelly will have firmed up a bit. If you like, spoon a teaspoon more jelly into each of the pb & j thumbprint cookies while they are still hot. To make the best peanut butter and jelly cookies even better, drizzle melted peanut butter on top of each cookie and sprinkle some chopped peanuts while the cookies cool. Cool the pb and jelly cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the peanut butter and jelly cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally love eating them from the fridge, where they stay delicious and fresh for up to a week.
- Make Ahead: Although this easy peanut butter and jam cookie comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Freeze Dough: Prepare the cookies through the resting step. Chill for 30 minutes then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting rolling into the sugar and pressing a “thumbprint” into the dough.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: I don’t recommend freezing these cookies after baking. They will still be delicious, but the texture will change. However, if you do want to freeze already baked cookies, place each of the cookies in a freezer proof container in a single lined with parchment paper between each layer. Do not top with the drizzle of peanut butter or with chopped nuts if you plan on freezing. Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the PB and J cookies is to let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
M’s Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Rest the cookie dough. Rest the dough while the oven preheats. Resting the dough allows the cookie dough to set enough to hold the thumbprint shape more easily. This is an optional step, so if you don’t have the time, the cookies will still turn out beautifully without the chilling time.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first 1 minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a round cookie or biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
- Fully cool the cookies on the hot sheet pan. These peanut butter and jelly cookies need about 10 minutes on the pan to set enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
FAQs
What kind of jelly goes well with peanut butter?
I personally love strawberry or raspberry. However, blackberry or grape jelly pairs well with peanut butter.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy?
Yes, just make sure to stir the crunchy peanut butter really well. I also recommend chilling the dough for 30 - 60 minutes if you decide to use crunchy peanut butter.
Other Fruit Cookie Recipes to Try
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
- Lemon Raspberry Cookies
- Cherry Cookies
- Strawberry Cookies
If you try this Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe
Megan
Peanut butter and jelly cookies are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, rolled in a crunchy sugar coating, with a strawberry jam filled center. Top these easy to make peanut butter jelly cookies with a dollop of more jelly, a drizzle of PB and chopped peanuts after baking. These pb and j cookies are just like the classic sandwich in cookie form.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Chilling Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 57 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 cookies
Equipment
1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
1 medium (2 tablespoon, 30 ml) cookie scoop optional
1 teaspoon measuring spoon optional
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 cup (156 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar for rolling optional
- ½ - 1 cup (144 - 289 g) strawberrry jelly or seedless jam
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, melted optional
- ¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped optional
Instructions
In a mixing bowlwhisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and saltuntil well combined. Set aside for now.
1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment,cream the butter with the light brown and granulated sugarsuntil smooth and well combined. This takes about 2 -3 minutes on medium speed.Cream in the peanut butter on medium speed for 1 minuteuntil well combined. On lowmix in the egg and vanilla extractuntil smooth and well combined.Stir the dry ingredients into the wetuntil just combined
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, ½ cup (100 g) sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 1 cup (156 g) creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Cover the cookies in plastic wrap andtransfer to the fridge to rest and chill for 30 - 60 minuteswhile the oven preheats. The chilling step is optional, but the cookies spread a bit less when chilled for a bit.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C)for 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.Pour the sugar into a small bowland set aside.
Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, 30 ml), scoop the pb cookie dough into a ball.Roll the cookie dough ball into sugarand place the cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. They will spread a bit.
Using your thumb or teaspoon measuring spoon, press a indention or little well into the center of the cookies. Fill each center with a teaspoon (5 ml) of jelly or jam.
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar for rolling, ½ - 1 cup (144 - 289 g) strawberrry jelly or seedless jam
Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 14 -15 minutesor until the edges of the cookies are set and some cracks have formed across the edges of the cookie.
Right after pulling the cookies from the oven,give the cookies a “cookie scoot”to help shape them back into a more perfectly round shape. Do to this, take a biscuit cutter, small bowl or large glass that is slightly bigger than the cookie and nudge the edges of the cookie in a circular motion. The edges of the thumbprint will have spread a bit while baking, while the jelly will have firmed up a bit. Cool the pb and jelly cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
If you like, spoon a teaspoon more jelly into each of the pb & j thumbprint cookieswhile they are still hot.
To make the best peanut butter and jelly cookies even better,drizzle melted peanut butter on top of each cookieandsprinkle some chopped peanutswhile the cookies cool.Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature and enjoy!
¼ cup creamy peanut butter, melted, ¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
Notes
Store: Place the peanut butter and jelly cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally love eating them from the fridge, where they stay delicious and fresh for up to a week.
See the Variations section of the blog post to make these as stuffed peanut butter and jelly cookies.
Keyword PB and J Cookies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe, Peanut Butter Jelly Cookies
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