If you’re a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (aren’t we all?), these PB&J thumbprint cookies are about to be your new favorite treat. They’re like your childhood snack, but in buttery, chewy cookie form with a little jammy surprise in the center. This recipe is simple enough for a cozy baking day, and pressing your thumb into cookie dough is surprisingly satisfying. Don’t forget your favorite jam. These cookies are perfect for sharing… or keeping all to yourself.
What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?
Any peanut butter will do just fine but during the making of these cookies we discovered a great secret: the peanut butter you use will greatly affect the flavor.
Ok so maybe that isn’t a huge revelation to anyone but when we used Spread the Love peanut butter, the cookies were noticeably tastier. We’ve been using this brand for a while but this is the first time I’ve had it in a cookie and it made a huge difference. You can get some for yourself by following this affiliate link.
Also keep in mind the peanut butter will affect the texture. Because Spread the Love peanut butter has a texture that allows it to flow, the cookies were softer and the spread more during baking. A common peanut butter from a grocery store is usually thicker so the cookie will probably be thicker after baking.
What Kind of Jam Should I Use?
In the video, Jeanelle used 3 types: Passionfruit (Lilikoi), Raspberry, and Mixed Berry jams. The passionfruit was too sweet and thin so it kind of didn’t look that great. The raspberry was the best because it had the most tartness to compliment the sweetness of the cookie.
You can use any jam you want but I think the best jam would be one that offers something more than just pure sweetness. Also the thicker the jam, the better looking the cookie should be. But in the end, as long as it tastes good!
How Do You Make Peanut Butter Jelly Thumbprint Cookies?
These thumbprint cookies are very easy to make! Just make a basic peanut butter cookie and top with your favorite jam. Berry flavored jams seem to taste the best.
List of ingredients and detailed steps can be found at the bottom of this page.
Cream the butter and sugars together. Mix in peanut butter and egg.
Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding to the wet ingredients.
Mix to make a dough and then shape cookies and place on a baking sheet
Use your thumb (or spoon) to make a small depression in each cookie and fill it with jam!
Bake them before cooling and enjoying!
Recipe
Peanut Butter Jelly Thumbprint Cookie
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375℉
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add the peanut butter, egg, and mix until well combined
- In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Next, shape your dough into balls. I use a cookie scooper but rolling them between hands into balls with about 1 inch diameter works too!
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place dough balls with enough space for them to spread. Then use your thumb to press them down. Press just enough to make a little well but not too much. Keep in mind they will spread during baking as well.
- Fill each well with the jam of your choice
- Bake in the preheated oven at 375℉ for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Let cool and enjoy!