Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

And just like that, fall is upon us, and it’s back to school season. Like the born and bred nerd that I am, I’ve always loved this time of year. I love when the weather gets chilly, and when the air turns crisp. I love shopping for warmer clothes, and I always look forward to rainy afternoons spent baking apple pie. I also love all of the back to school reminiscences, like the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, or the sharp edges of new textbooks.

Another thing that I immediately associate with the beginning of school are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I didn’t have very many of those when I was younger, but I feel like they are a student staple (that, and ramen noodles). To be perfectly honest, I only started frequently indulging in PB&J a few years ago, when I was in university. It was my go-to snack when I would get home from class at 11 pm, hungry as a bear.

So today, in honor of all the returning scholars, I decided to mix two all-time favorites: PB&J and cookies. Here is my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie recipe.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Light and slightly crispy peanut butter cookies with a comforting layer of raspberry jam.

·         ½ cup butter, soft
·         ½ cup peanut butter
·         ½ cup sugar
·         ½ cup brown sugar
·         ½ tsp. baking soda
·         ½ tsp. baking powder
·         1 egg
·         ½ tsp. vanilla extract
·         1 cup flour
·         raspberry jam

1) In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the peanut butter until smooth.
2) Add the sugars and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy and light in color.
3) Add the baking soda and baking powder. Blend well.
4) Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
5) With a wooden spoon, add in the flour, a little bit at a time.
6) Cover the dough and let chill in the fridge for about an hour. This will make the dough firmer and help form the cookies later.
7) Preheat the oven to 375 ˚F. Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough and roll into balls. Place on a prepared baking sheet.
8) With a fork, press down on the balls of dough, leaving square patterns.
9) Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies are golden.
10) Let cool completely on a cooling rack.
11) Spread raspberry jam on the bottom of one cookie and close it with another cookie.
12) Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Extra tips
· I like to use crunchy peanut butter because I like to find pieces of peanuts in my cookies, but smooth peanut butter would work just fine too.
· I’m using raspberry jam because it is smooth and is easier to spread between the cookies, but marmalade or apple jelly would work great too. I don’t recommend using jam with chunky pieces of fruits; it’ll make the cookies slip and you won’t be able to close them.
· When creaming the sugars with the butter, make sure that the sugar is dissolving in the butter. Otherwise the cookies will be hard instead of crispy. You know the sugar is dissolved when the mixture turns light beige and becomes fluffy.
· Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy clean up and to make sure your cookies don’t stick.
· Between each batch of cookies, make sure to stick your dough back into the refrigerator, to keep it from getting too warm.
· If it is seriously hot outside, you can keep these cookies in the refrigerator to keep the jam from melting and the cookies from sliding.

These cookies are best enjoyed upon coming back from class, right after slipping into your comfiest pair of sweat pants.

Happy dunking!

Much love,
-TM-