PBJ Thumbprint Cookies
These peanut butter and jelly cookies turn your favorite childhood sandwich into the most perfect treat! Easy, chewy peanut butter cookies get rolled into chopped peanuts, baked, then pressed into a thumbprint cookie and filled with a bit of creamy peanut butter and strawberry jam (or your favorite jelly).
Servings: 15
Calories: 205kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- Large baking pans
- ½ Teaspoon measure
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 83g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature (57g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- ¼ cup light brown sugar 50g
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter 90g
- 1 large egg yolk white reserved
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 cup roasted peanuts very finely chopped
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter for the centers (70g)
- ¼ cup strawberry jam for the centers (85g)
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar for two minutes over medium speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the ⅓ cup of peanut butter, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla, and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides and the paddle or beaters.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Be sure the oven is fully preheated prior to adding the cookies (at least 15-20 minutes of heat time).
- Chop the peanuts to a very fine consistency and whisk the egg white until broken down and frothy.
- Scoop the dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. Then, roll each dough ball through the egg whites, then through the peanuts until completely covered.
- Bake the cookies (in their ball form) for 8 minutes and remove them from the oven.
- Use a ½ teaspoon measure to press a well into the center of each cookie and use your fingers to keep the cookie together as you press down.
- Use a drinking glass, cookie-cutter, or anything with an opening larger than the cookie to move it around the cookie to round it back up and re-seal any cracks. Repeat the previous steps with each cookie.
- Heat the additional peanut butter and the jelly (in separate bowls) until liquid, then add a ½ teaspoon of peanut butter to the center of each cookie. Fill the rest of each indent with jelly.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan, then enjoy!
Notes
If any dough gets stuck to the ½ teaspoon measure while making the indents, wipe it off in between each. The cookies will feel underdone - this is correct. They will continue baking and setting while you fill the cookies and then fully cool on the pan.
Be sure to “scoot” each cookie right after the indent is made to round them back up and help to re-adhere any cracks. Learn how to scoot!
Use any type of jam, jelly, or preserves you'd like.
These cookies can also be made without rolling through the peanuts. You could roll them through granulated sugar, instead.
Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg