These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies combine the flavors everyone loves into an irresistible cookie! They are thick, rich, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that prove the point that PB&J is the ultimate combo.
Tender and chewy peanut butter cookies are a classic for a reason. But adding jelly takes PB cookies over the top! There’s something about the sweet-and-slightly-salty combo that is so irresistible, so I am a huge fan of these Peanut Butter Jelly Cookies.
My kids gobble these up fast! So I love making a double batch and freezing some for later. I can either freeze the baked cookie and add their favorite jam or jelly right before serving, or freeze the dough balls so I can bake just a handful at a time for an easy fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Family-friendly– Who doesn’t love PB&J?!
- Versatile– While I’m a huge fan of grape jelly in these peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies, you can add whatever jam or jelly you like. Strawberry, raspberry, apricot … you name it!
- So easy– Thumbprint cookies look a little fancier than your standard cookie, but they’re really easy to make! Just create an indent with the back of a teaspoon when the cookies are fresh out of the oven, and you’ve got the perfect little indent for your dollop of jam or jelly.
Recipe Notes
This Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies recipe is as simple as promised! Just a few ingredients and 25 minutes for a cookie everyone loves.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Peanut butter – I prefer an ultra-creamy, processed peanut butter like Jif for my Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies. Natural peanut butter will result in a drier, more crumbly cookie.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted butter will work; just make sure it’s room temperature for easy and consistent mixing.
- White sugar & brown sugar – The combination of both sugars helps create a cookie that’s sweet, chewy, and perfect.
- Eggs
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds a kiss of sweet flavor to this peanut butter and jelly cookie.
- Flour – All-purpose flour yields a tender and chewy cookie.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Grape jelly – I love to use grape jelly in my peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies, but you can use any jelly or jam you like.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Cookies Step by Step
In a large bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugars.
Beat until fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined and the dough is soft but not sticky.
Roll balls of dough and line them up on a baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until slightly golden on the bottom and set.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a teaspoon-sized measuring spoon to create an indent in the cookie.
Use the teaspoon to fill each indent of your Peanut Butter and Jelly cookies with your jam or jelly.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t over-mix the batter– When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix the batter together just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can develop the gluten in the flour, which can result in a tougher cookie.
- Transfer to a cooling rack after 5 minutes– After you’ve created the indent and added the jelly, wait about 5 minutes for the cookies to firm up a little, then transfer your cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Wait to add the jelly if making ahead– If these cookies sit much beyond 1-3 days with the jelly in them, they can get soggy. If you’re serving them much beyond that, I suggest waiting to add the jelly until closer to serving time.
Recipe Short Cut
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here is an idea that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Make the dough ahead and freeze– I love having frozen balls of cookie dough in the freezer so that I can pull out just a few at a time and bake them. Fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies have never been so easy! See “How to Freeze Cookies” for more.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Crunchy Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies– Substitute crunchy peanut butter for added peanut texture and flavor.
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies– Drizzle your Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies with melted white chocolate for a decorative (and tasty!) upgrade.
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies– Instead of adding jelly, press a bite-size chocolate-covered peanut butter cup in the middle of the freshly baked cookie for PB cup cookies.
- Nutella Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies– Add a bit of Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread in place of the jelly for a fun twist.
How to Freeze Cookies
Cookies can be frozen before or after baking. If freezing the cookie dough you are able to just pop out a few or as many as you need to bake to have hot, fresh cookies on demand.
If you prefer, you can bake all of the cookies and freeze after baking; just be sure to leave off the jelly when freezing and add the jelly after pulling them out of the freezer.
Freezing the baked cookies will preserve them and once, thawed they come out just as soft, chewy, fresh, and perfect as they are when freshly baked.
Both are great options for keeping cookies fresh and delicious!
To freeze cookie dough:
- Add balls of cookie dough to a cookie sheet and place in the freezer.
- Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer bag or airtight container and return to the freezer.
To freeze baked cookies:
- Place cookies (without jelly) in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze.
- When you’re ready to serve the cookies, remove from the freezer and add the jelly.
How to store cookies
If you have extras after making Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, then they can be saved to munch on at a later time.
With the jelly on them, they can start to get soggy after a couple of days, so if you’re planning to store them for longer, wait to add the jelly until serving.
To save leftovers, place in an airtight container and store:
- on the counter for 2-3 days
- in the refrigerator for up to a week
- in the freezer up to a month.
More EASY Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy cookie recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Cookies
- Ultimate Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Soft Sugar Cookies
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
Peanut Butter Jelly Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup butter, salted or unsalted
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup grape jelly, or your favorite flavor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat until fluffy, then mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- Next add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until everything is combined and the dough is soft but not sticky.
- Measure 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with all the dough. Place the balls on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
- Once the cookies come out, immediately use the back of a teaspoon to create an indention in the cookie. Add 1 teaspoon of jelly to the center of each cookie.
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