Easy Peanut Butter & Jam Cookies

 

 

Peanut Butter & Jam Cookies are soft, chewy thumbprint‑style cookies made with a classic peanut butter cookie dough and filled with a spoonful of your favorite jam. They combine the nostalgic flavors of a peanut butter and jam sandwich with the comfort of a homemade cookie. 

This easy recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and bakes into cookies that are perfect for snacks, lunchboxes, or an afternoon treat. If you enjoy traditional peanut butter cookies with a fun, fruity twist, these Peanut Butter & Jam Cookies are a delicious option to try.

 

I may be getting old, but I still enjoy a peanut butter and jam sandwich every now and then. I have my daughter staying with me at the moment and we wanted to make something tasty together so we decided to make these easy Peanut Butter & Jam Cookies. 

We love peanut butter cookies and the idea of adding some jam to the middles really appealed to us!  I guess we are both kids at heart! We were really happy with how they turned out.  Crispy edged, chewy in the middle and just sweet enough.  

I have seen other people add an icing drizzle to their peanut butter and jam cookies. Personally I think that would be far too sweet for my taste. I liked these just as they are, and I think you will too!  I really hope that you will be inspired to bake them.  They also freeze well for longer storage.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

PEANUT BUTTER & JAM COOKIES

There is nothing out of the ordinary here. I used strawberry jam for mine, but you can use any kind of jam you enjoy and that you think goes well with peanut butter.

• 1/2 cup (115g) salted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (180g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (188g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• strawberry jam

 

I always use salted butter for everything as I only keep salted butter in the house. You can use unsalted but as there is no salt in the recipe you may want to add a pinch to keep the cookies from tasting too "fresh" as my mother would say.

I used extra dark roasted peanut butter. I love the rich peanut butter flavor it brings to everything. Nice and toasty. You can use any creamy butter that you enjoy except for natural peanut butter. These cookies won't turn out well with natural peanut butter.

I use pure vanilla extract. In fact I make my own vanilla. You can find that recipe here. Its easy to make and is delicious.

I used Bonne Maman Strawberry Jam. It's my favorite brand of jam other than homemade.

 

HOW TO MAKE

PEANUT BUTTER & JAM COOKIES

These are really very simple to make if you follow the directions carefully.

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside. (Alternately you can butter the baking sheets or spray with some baking spray.)
2. Cream together the butter and both sugars in a bowl until smooth. (This helps to melt the sugar into the butter. I use my electric hand mixer.)
3. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat together until well amalgamated and smooth. (Your want everything to be mixed evenly.)
4. Beat in the baking soda. Stir in the flour just until combined. (Don't overmix or you will have tough cookies.)
5. Scoop out dough using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 TBS) and roll into balls. Place onto the baking sheet at least two inches apart, leaving space for them to spread. (You could actually roll the balls in some more granulated sugar if you wanted to, but I think they are sweet enough just as is. Alternately you could also roll them in crushed peanuts.)
6. Use a spoon or your finger tip to make a small divot/hole in the center of each cookie. Fill each divot with 1 tsp of strawberry jam. (Don't be too generous with the jam as it expands a lot when heated.)
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges firm up. They should still be a little bit soft. (If they are not set at the edges, leave for a minute or two longer in the oven. Ovens can vary quite a bit.)
8. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (If you try to move them too soon they may break.)
9. If desired you can add a bit more jam to the centers to make up for any jam that might have been absorbed into the cookies while they were baking. (I did do this for presentation purposes. It is not totally necessary however as they are perfectly delicious without doing that, they are just not as pretty.)

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

about baking most cookies 

CRISP OR CHEWY COOKIES?

If you prefer crisp cookies, press the dough flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar prior to baking.  If you want soft chewy cookies, remove them from the oven about 2 minutes before they are done as they will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet. If you want crisp cookies bake them for 2 minutes longer.

HOW CAN I KEEP MY COOKIES FROM SPREADING TOO MUCH?

• Don't substitute butter for shortening in a recipe which calls for shortening. shortening has a higher melting point, which means it doesn't liquify as quickly, and does a better job of holding the ingredients together. High butter cookie = a cookie that spreads.
• Grease your baking sheets only if the recipe requests you to do so. Most cookies will not stick unless they contain large amounts of butter or sugar.
• Make sure you preheat your oven before baking. If the oven is not hot enough the fat in the cookies will melt before the other ingredients have time to set up.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE COOKIES?

Cool cookies completely before storing. Pack them in single layers between wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Do NOT store crisp and soft cookies together in the same container. Store in an airtight container.

HOW DO I FREEZE COOKIES PROPERLY?

To freeze cookies, place them into airtight containers or freezer bags, again with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper in between the layers.  Again, do not store soft and crisp cookies together. They will keep up to six months frozen. Label properly with the type and the date baked/frozen.

 

HINTS & TIPS FOR COOKIE BAKING SUCCESS 

These hints and tips are sure to help you make the best cookies ever. 

• Use flat cookie sheets without sides for even baking.
• Place cookies at least 2-inches apart on baking sheets to allow for spreading.
• Use a sheet of baking parchment or a light spritz of cooking spray to grease your cookie sheets. It's not necessary to repeat this step for every batch but do wipe off any crumbs or sugar from the surface before adding the next batch. 
• Place your cookie sheets in the middle of the oven.
• Make sure the sides of your cookie sheets don't touch the edges of the oven so that heat can circulate evenly and properly.
• Pay particular attention to bake times.  An extra minute or two can make a big difference to the end result since cookies are for the most part quite small and bake quickly. Always aim to underbake rather than overbake. Cookies do continue to bake after you remove them from the oven.   

 

A FEW OTHER

COOKIE RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY

If you are a cookie monster like I am, then you might also enjoy the following delicious options! 

QUARTER CUP COOKIES -  These incredibly moreish cookies are made from exactly 1/4 cup of each of the main cookie ingredients, aside from the flavorings and soda. The end result is a delicious cookie that everyone enjoys. They were originally called 10 cup cookies, but that made far too many cookies for me, so I reduced everything to 1/4 cup!

LEVAIN BAKERY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES - A copycat recipe of the infamous Levain Bakery cookies. These are excellent oatmeal raisin cookies. The recipe makes nine very large cookies.  Each one weighing in at almost half a pound each. These are a real indulgence, with plenty of nutty oats and sweet raisins. You could make them smaller but then they wouldn't be Levain. 

 

Pin this recipe to your Dessert or Cookie Recipe boards and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram! 

That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you!

Yield: 24 large cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Peanut Butter & Jam Cookies

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 13 MinTotal time: 33 Min

Soft and tender cookies with a classic peanut butter and jam flavor. Children love these.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (115g) salted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (180g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (188g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• strawberry jam

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and both sugars in a bowl until smooth.
3. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat together until well amalgamated and smooth.
4. Beat in the baking soda. Stir in the flour just until combined.
5. Scoop out dough using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 TBS) and roll into balls. Place onto the baking sheet at least two inches apart, leaving space for them to spread.
6. Use a spoon or your finger tip to make a small divot/hole in the center of each cookie. Fill each divot with 1 tsp of strawberry jam.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes until the edges firm up. They should still be a little bit soft.
8. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. If desired you can add a bit more jam to the centers to make up for any jam that might have been absorbed into the cookies while they were baking.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.

 

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.