These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are reminiscent of your favorite childhood sandwich, the classic flavor pairing, reimagined into a delicious chewy cookie form. The cookie is a peanut butter cookie base and is swirled with your favorite jam, then baked until the edges are crisp but the centers are still soft.
Ingredients
These chewy peanut butter cookies come together perfectly with the ingredients below, quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Unsalted butter: I always recommend a high quality butter such as Kerrygold. Unsalted because then you can control the amount of salt in your recipe – each brand of salted butter has a different quantity of salt and with baking since you can’t taste as you go, you need to be able to control it.
- Granulated sugar: classic white sugar – either organic or not is fine. Organic tends to be a slightly darker color but not as dark as brown sugar.
- Light brown sugar: adds a depth of flavor and richness from the molasses.
- Eggs: large eggs.
- Vanilla extract: a classic flavor in baking, rounds everything out. Vanilla bean paste can also be used as a 1:1 substitution.
- Peanut butter: for this recipe you need to use a standard creamy peanut butter from a brand like Jif or Skippy, not a natural peanut butter (there’s too much oil).
- All purpose flour: unbleached all purpose flour is my favorite.
- Baking powder: the leavener.
- Kosher salt: Diamond Crystal is the one I use.
- Jelly: you can truly use whatever your favorite jelly flavor is here, I used raspberry jelly (or raspberry jam). Strawberry jelly (or strawberry jam) or grape jelly (or grape jam) would be my other top contenders.
- You can also use homemade jam! That would make these even more special.
Step by step instructions
1. Cream room temperature butter and sugars
2. Add eggs and vanilla
3. Add peanut butter
4. In a separate medium bowl combine the dry ingredients – flour baking powder and salt
5. Add flour mixture into peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined
6. Dollop the jam around the top of the peanut butter dough.
7. Using 4-5 folding motions mix the jam into the dough while still leaving ribbons
8. Using a large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, size 20) scoop dough onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 2 inches apart
9. Bake 15 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the center is just set. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (or eat warm).
Tips and tricks
These chewy cookies are really all you could ask for in a treat, so check out the tips and tricks below to help nail them.
- To get the best results when baking you need right amount of flour – I suggest either using a scale (most accurate) or using the spoon and level method. To use this method you fluff the flour with a spoon, then spoon it into your measuring cup gently, and then level off the top (as opposed to scooping right out of the bag/jar which packs it in more densely and gives you too much flour).
- When you are scooping the cookie dough balls, I recommend using a cookie scoop because it will keep the jam swirl relatively intact – you want to essentially do one motion of scooping and dropping the dough per cookie.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set before you remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If you want perfectly circular cookies, when they are fresh out of the oven use a biscuit cutter or similar sized round object and gently go around the cookies in a circular motion to push them into the right shape.
- Proper tools:
- If you’re using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
- If you’re using a hand mixer, use the whisk up until you add the dry ingredients, then use a spatula or wooden spoon.
- If you’re using a bowl and no “equipment” use a whisk and then switch to a spatula or wooden spoon when you add the peanut butter.
- If you want to amp up the peanut butter flavor even more, try adding some peanut butter chips to the batter, about 1 cup.
Storage
Store the leftover peabut butter and jelly cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For these since there is jam, the fridge is optimal.
FAQs
I wouldn’t, there will be too much oil and the texture of your cookies will be compromised.
You do not! I will only ever tell you to chill cookie dough if it’s absolutely necessary, I want my cookies asap!
Grape jelly is traditional in PB&J sandwiches, and you can definitely use that here, I just prefer raspberry. Strawberry or mixed berry would also be great.
Jelly is made with fruit juice, whereas jam is made with the full fruit (but smushed) and will likely have chunks / seeds. Similar to jam, preserves have chunks of fruit and keep the chunks even more intact than jam. Because of that, I would not recommend strawberry preserves / raspberry preserves for this recipe.
I haven't tried it so honestly I don't know, it likely won't make the right texture with the cookie base - you'd be better off adding some peanuts to the bater at the end.
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup raspberry jelly
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉
- In a large bowl cream together the room temperature butter and sugars until well combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugars and mix together until combined.
- Mix in the peanut butter.
- In a separate medium bowl combine the dry ingredients – flour baking powder and salt.
- Pour flour mixture into peanut butter mixture and fold together with a spatula until just combined.
- Dollop the jam around the top of the peanut butter dough.
- Using 4-5 folding motions mix the jam into the dough while still leaving ribbons.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, size 20) scoop dough onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake 15 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the center is just set. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (or eat warm).
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