Wonderful with jam or jelly, these Jelly Filled Peanut Butter Cookies are a nostalgic combination of flavors that taste fantastic!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The inspiration for these jelly-filled wonders came to me the old-fashioned way, meaning I tasted an incredibly tasty and soft peanut butter thumbprint cookie at a local bakery, then tried to recreate it at home. Oh the trials of being a food blogger!
Peanut butter and jelly is such an obvious combo, and so common you might not think it’s all that special. Maybe you don’t expect much, even.
Here’s some good reasons to try this recipe:
- Chopped peanuts are added to the batter. This makes a huge difference in the flavor, which is outstanding.
- The chopped peanuts also add a wonderful crunchy texture.
- These cookies are amazing even without the jelly or jam.
- Use almost any type of jelly or jam that you’d like with these cookies. Berry flavors work well with peanut butter, and so does apricot.
- These cookies taste amazing, they’re big, soft and have a distinct peanut butter flavor. I was blown away with how good they are!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Peanuts: Roasted and salted, this is what adds such great flavor and texture to these cookies.
- Flour: Just good old all-purpose flour is what we need.
- Butter: Unsalted is best.
- Brown Sugar: For soft texture and lots of flavor.
- Eggs: Large is best for this recipe.
- Peanut Butter: Smooth and salted, please.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the full recipe, just scroll down to the recipe card below.
This is an easy cookie! Here’s all you do:
- Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet (cookie sheet) with parchment paper (or a non-stick liner).
- Chop some roasted and salted peanuts into chunky bits.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix.
- Stir in the chopped peanuts.
- Chill the cookies, then scoop onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake, then then remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the middle of each cookie.
- Cool completely, then fill with jelly or jam.
Tips For This Recipe
- Use any fruit jelly, spread or jam you like in these cookies. Experiment with your favorite flavors. Favorites for this type of cookie are raspberry, apricot, cherry and blueberry.
- Use a stand mixer instead of an electric hand-held mixer if you prefer.
- These cookies will stay soft in an air-tight container for a day or two.
Serving Ideas
Make these cookies for:
- Birthdays and parties.
- Holiday cookie trays and platters.
- Cookie exchanges with co-workers and friends.
- Cookouts and gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Make the dough and freeze it (well-wrapped) for up to 60 days. When you’re ready to use, defrost, shape, bake and fill the cookies.
Yes, use any flavor you’d like.
An airtight container is always best, and separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. If you live in a humid climate, consider storing them in the refrigerator.
More Recipes to Try
- Fresh Tangerine Sorbet: Juicy and fresh tasting, just like the real thing.
- Rosa Parks Peanut Butter Pancakes: These are light and luscious.
- Jam Pies: Small and fun, these little pies are the best.
- Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies: Soft and yummy with lots of chocolate.
- Chocolate Covered Popcorn: Easy, tasty, fun.
- Rhubarb Crisp without Oats: A fabulous dessert.
- Ginger Biscotti with Pistachio: A nice cookie to dunk in coffee.
- Lemon Shortbread Cookie: A soft, lemon scented shortbread. Delicious!
- Mini Strawberry Pies Recipe: These little pies are made easy with store bought sugar cookie dough.
- Ice Cream Cake with Peanut Butter Ganache: This is a wonderful, make-ahead dessert.
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: These homemade peanut butter cups are so good.
- Peanut Noodles with Vegetables: A very good, flavorful side dish.
- Butterscotch Shortbread Cookies: A wonderful version of shortbread.
If you’ve tried Jelly Filled Peanut Butter Cookies, or any other recipe on Studio Delicious, please rate the recipe 5 stars and tell me how you liked it in comments below!
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Jelly Filled Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Peanuts, roasted and salted chopped into small chunks in a food processor or cut into small pieces with a sharp knife
- 2 cups Flour, unbleached all-purpose
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Butter, unsalted, melted and cooled 2 sticks
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, light brown, packed
- 1 cup Sugar, granulated
- 2 Eggs, large
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Peanut Butter, smooth
- ½ cup Jam, best quality
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Chop the peanuts using a sharp knife into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, whisk (or use a fork) to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled melted butter with the brown sugar and white sugars and mix on medium speed with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add in the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter mixture and beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture in two steps – mixing just until combined. Stir in the chopped peanuts.
- Refrigerate the dough in the bowl for at least 30 minutes to firm up before baking. The dough can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough (about 1 ½ tablespoons) and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place it on the prepared cookie sheet placing each cookie at least three inches apart from each other.
- Bake the cookies until very lightly colored around the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and while the cookies are warm, use the back of a spoon to gently make a small indentation in the middle of each cookie. This is where the jam will go later.
- Cool the cookies completely, then add a teaspoon of jam into each indentation and serve.
Notes
- Use any fruit jelly, spread or jam you like in these cookies. Experiment with your favorite flavors. Favorites for this type of cookie are raspberry, apricot, cherry and blueberry.
- Use a stand mixer instead of an electric hand-held mixer if you prefer.
- These cookies will stay soft in an air-tight container for a day or two.
Nutrition
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
This post was updated in December 2023 with new text and instructions. Below is the original text:
It’s very early on Saturday morning and it’s going to be another soggy, cold day. It rained hard all night, and the forecast for today is gray, gray, and then later on more grayness.
I’m happy to report there’s a container of peanut butter cookie dough in the freezer, shaped into tablespoon-sized portions. Good news, since I happen to looooove gloomy weather. They’ll be ready for my mouth in about 18 minutes when I bake them straight from the freezer.
Rainy day + warm homemade Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies + mug of cinnamon rose tea + new season of Better Call Saul = pure joy and complete happiness. Add in euphoria and massive delightful wonderfulness if you’ve got a warm fireplace going and two fuzzy dogs handy 🙂
Rainy Saturday’s don’t get any better than this. Of course there are floors to be swept, socks to be sorted and sheets to wash, but why? The best idea ever is to take the whole day off for a change.
You have my permission, if you need it.
The base is a very good peanut butter cookie in its own right—boosted in flavor with chopped roasted peanuts. You can make an indentation before the cookies bake or after—I tried both ways and either works. When they are cool, add a teaspoon of jam or jelly.
And these are even better (I bet) with your homemade apricot jam! I think I might need to go into the kitchen and whip them up NOW!