If you want a little nostalgia in every single bite of your treat, these Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are for you. Perfectly chewy cookies boast a deep peanut butter flavor exploding with a jelly filling that’s more than a respectable nod to the classic combo.
I’ll show you how to make a simple peanut butter cookie dough in just one bowl, and then how to easily stuff your cookies with just the right amount of jelly for a flavor explosion so delish, you’ll keep coming back for more.
As a time-pressed mom who doesn’t want to waste my time with boring bakes, you better believe I’m giving you a quick and accessible cookie recipe that brings bold flavors without too much fuss.
And as a peanut butter lover (see also: Moist Peanut Butter Sheet Cake), I’m proud to call these cookies one of my new favorites!
PB&J Cookie Ingredient Highlights & Testing Process
I like using unsalted butter because I find the peanut butter in the cookies to be salty enough. Regardless of the butter you are using, it’s imperative that it’s softened (for help with this, check my article on how to easily soften butter).
Make sure you are using smooth, creamy peanut butter. This recipe is best with peanut butter that does not require stirring and is not separated in the jar.
Any jelly works here. I used grape because to me that’s a classic peanut butter and jelly flavor pairing, though some may argue strawberry. Really, any jelly works here. I did not test this recipe with jam.
I did, however, test this recipe tirelessly. I started with a thumbprint style cookie, which I actually loved the look of. However, no matter how much I tried, I could not get the cookie to hold the weight of the liquid-y jelly when it was pressed into the center with this style.
And even though they tasted delicious and looked gorgeous, I couldn’t very well leave you with a cookie recipe that falls apart in your hands.
I did test this cookie recipe with and without cornstarch. The cookies without the cornstarch were nice and flat with a crispier texture, but again, they barely held together.
I also tried this recipe with varying amounts of jelly and ultimately landed on ½ teaspoon of jelly per cookie to get the most stable cookie with enough jelly to lend great flavor without getting overly sweet.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Tips and Tricks
How I Make Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
This, just like most all of my cookie recipes, uses a simple cookie dough that only requires one bowl to whip up (because when I say quick and easy, I’m thinking about clean up, too!).
With one bowl baking, the order in which you add things matter. So, start with the butter, peanut butter, and sugar and use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to cream it together. It should be well-combined and aerated. This could take up to 3 minutes.
Then, add the eggs and vanilla extract and combine before mixing in the flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Easy as that.
How I Shape My PB and J Cookies
I find it easiest to use a large cookie scoop to portion and shape these cookies, especially because it’s a particularly sticky dough. But if you don’t have one, just use 4 tablespoons of dough per cookie.
Place them on a lined baking sheet, with plenty of room for spreading (I usually do 6 to a sheet max). Then use your thumb to press down into the center of each cookie, leaving an indent in the middle of each.
Fill that indent with ½ teaspoon of jelly (ignore the urge to add extra jelly— I tested it with more and it compromised the structure of the cookie).
Then, wet your hands. This will keep the sticky dough from sticking to your hands while you shape them. Fold the cookie dough over the jelly and roll in between two hands.
The jelly should be completely encased in the center of the cookie. If you need to grab a little extra cookie dough to ensure the jelly is completely surrounded, please do so!
How I Bake & Store My Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Bake your cookies for about 14-16 minutes at 350°F. They’ll be a little bit underdone in the jelly center, but once they cool, they will set.
If any jelly spills over the sides of the cookie (it really shouldn’t if you fully enveloped them, but just in case!), use a spoon to push it back into the cookie or plop it on top of the cookie.
As tempting as it is to dive in when they’re hot, they’ll likely fall apart if you pick them up early. That said, if you want them all gooey fresh out of the oven, I recommend using a fork to enjoy them.
Pro tip: If you want your cookies to remain soft and chewy, store them with a piece of bread (it’s the perfect use for that end piece!). The bread actually creates a humid environment and keeps your cookies moist.
I like to bake just as many cookies as I want to eat and freeze the rest of the dough. That way, I can bake them fresh when I want them (I usually end up adding a few extra minutes to the baking time). Frozen dough will stay fresh for a year.
If you do bake the whole batch, store them at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week. If you plan to keep them longer, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze baked cookies for up to a year.
Chewy Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Reusable Baking Mat optional
- Large Cookie Scoop optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup smooth creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons jelly (any works, I used grape)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with a reusable baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand (or stand) mixer on high to cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar until well-combined and smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup smooth creamy peanut butter, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again to combine.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Use a rubber spatula to scrape any dry ingredients stuck to the sides or bottom of the bowl and integrate.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Use a large cookie scoop (or 4 tablespoons of dough) to portion your cookie dough. Line the cookie dough balls up on your prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between each one (I usually do 6 max. to a 9×13-inch sheet).
- Use your thumb to press down the middle of each cookie, so you're left with an indent in the center of each dough ball.
- Fill each indent with ½ teaspoon of jelly (resist the urge to add more, I tested these cookies with varying amounts of jelly and any more than ½ teaspoon jeopardizes the integrity of the structure of the cookie).2 tablespoons jelly
- Wet your hands (this will make it easier to work with the sticky dough) and fold the peanut butter dough over the jelly, then roll the cookie in between two hands so that you're left with a round peanut butter cookie with a jelly center. The jelly must be completely enveloped, if you need to grab a little extra cookie dough to achieve this, feel free to!
- Bake on the top rack of the oven for 14-16 minutes. Allow them to cool completely so that the jelly has a chance to solidify before diving in. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a week. Any longer, place in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze the cookie dough (shape your cookies with the jelly in the center and place them in a freezer-safe bag ready to bake) for up to a year. You can bake them directly from frozen, but you will need to add a few minutes to the baking time.
