Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

These peanut butter and jelly cookies made with a peanut butter cookie base, a strawberry jam center and vanilla glaze. A soft and tender cookie with classic PB&J flavor!

Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe

Lately I have been craving PB&J sandwiches. I’ve also been craving cookies, so I made some peanut butter and jelly cookies. The nostalgic flavor of this treat are perfection in every bite!

This easy, no chill recipe is a fun twist on classic chewy peanut butter cookies, with the addition of sweet strawberry jam in the middle like thumbprint cookies but with an added drizzle of powdered sugar icing.

These peanut butter and jelly muffins and peanut butter and jelly fudge are two other peanut butter recipes we love!

Ingredient Notes

• Salted butter: Softened butter, so plan accordingly to bring it to room temperature. If you used unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the dough.
• Sugar: You will need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for tender cookies that have crisp edges.
• Creamy peanut butter: I used Jif, but you can use your favorite brand. Crunchy peanut butter works, too! I would avoid using natural peanut butter.
• Egg: For binding the dough together.
• Baking soda: This gives cookies a slight rise.
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is always best for taste.
• All purpose flour: Gives structure to the cookies.
• Strawberry jam: I often use homemade strawberry jam but this time I used Smucker’s strawberry preserves. Raspberry jam, grape jelly or really any jelly works in these cookies.
• Glaze (optional): A simple powdered sugar icing made with powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream and vanilla extract. A peanut butter drizzle is great too!

How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

• Make peanut butter cookie dough: Cream together your butter and sugar, then add in peanut butter, egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add in flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.
• Roll dough into balls: I love to use medium cookie scoop that is about 1 1/2 Tbsp to roll the dough into balls. Place on a prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Add jam: Place a thumbprint in the middle of each cookie dough ball. My trick to getting the perfect thumbprint, is to use a teaspoon. Fill the space with jam.
• Bake: Bake at 350°F for 9 – 11 minutes. Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then let cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

Recipe Tips

• Easy way to glaze: Place the glaze in a zip top bag and snip the top off, to make it easier to drizzle the glaze on.
• Stuffed peanut butter and jelly cookies: You will need two pieces of cookie dough about the same size. Flatten one piece of dough and place about 1/2 tablespoon or less of jelly on the cookie dough, top with another flattened cookie, pinch the seams together to seal and bake. It becomes the ultimate stuffed cookie!
• More jam: After baking add some more jam to fill in the space where the jam ‘melted’ into the cookie.
• Sugar: Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking for another hint of sweetness.
• Don’t over bake: Or you will have dry crumbly cookies. Remove them from the oven when the edges are just set. They will still appear soft.

Storage

Once the cookies have cooled, store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also store them in the freeze for up to 3 months. Once frozen, you can stack them in the container. I recommend placing parchment paper between layers.

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Enjoy! :)