Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Peanut butter jelly cookies are a dream come true! America’s favorite sandwich is transformed into a cookie that’ll make any kid squeal with delight.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (1)

It has been a gloomy week here in Minnesota. Lots of low, thick clouds that cause Elijah to constantly ask me if it is night-time. This winter has been uniquely and awesomely warm, minus a handful of cold and snowy days, so I’m not complaining about the gloom.

Last year at this time I had icicles hanging from my frozen body that I thought would never melt. We Minnesotans are tough, but I don’t know that we could survive two of those winters in a row. We would be forced to flee, like those being chased by “walkers” on The Walking Dead. Have you seen this show? It is grossly intriguiging and addicting! I highly recommend it.

And how does all of this relate to PB&J cookies? I HAVE NO IDEA (insert crazy laughter)! Cookies! Cookies cookies cookies! I have been dreaming up these babies for a good month and a half. Sometimes when I think too long and hard about a recipe the final product disappoints. This one did not disappoint. They were every bit as delicious as I dreamed them to be back in that meeting in December.

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY COOKIES

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine shortening, peanut butter, both sugars, milk and vanilla.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (2)

With a hand-held mixer, beat on medium speed until just combined. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until combined.

STEP 2

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls with hands. Place on ungreased baking sheets and press into the centers with thumbs to form wells.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (3)

In each well, place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly and 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Pour yourself a nice big glass of milk and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (4)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (5)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a cookie! A dream come true.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Calories: 231kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup grape jelly
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine shortening, peanut butter, both sugars, milk and vanilla. With a hand-held mixer, beat on medium speed until just combined. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until combined.

  • Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls with hands. Place on ungreased baking sheets and press into the centers with thumbs to form wells. In each well, place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly and 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?If you loved this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (6)Bella

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (7)
    Could I place the peanut butter & jelly atop the cookies after baking them? Even if I warm them slightly on their own first, just to ensure that I have control over the placement?

    Reply

    • Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (8)Megan Porta

      There’s no reason you couldn’t. I just haven’t tried it. Let us know how you like them!

      Reply

  2. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (9)Chelsea

    Can you make dough ahead of time and refrigerate?

    Reply

  3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (11)Jasmin

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (12)
    So super yummy! Found this recipe six years ago, after having my first PB&J cookie from a local Top rated cookie shop. (Because why pay for cookies you can make at home) These came out soooo much better! Everyone who tries them seems to love them. My favorite is watching someone who has never had one take their first bite. These have become a staple in my holiday baking. All the comfort and nostalgia of a PB&J in a delicious cookie. I have also made using margarine instead of shortening(slight adjustment on cooking time) with no problems. Strawberry jam works well too, but I think it’s better with grape jelly. I found it easier to use a Scooper for the dough not only for uniform cookie size, but it does half the work of rounding them into balls, also using a small round measuring spoon to create a deeper well so the jelly stays put. I also use a fork or toothpick to try to ‘swirl’ the peanut butter on top of the jelly for a more evenness and I think it might helps hold jelly in during cooking. Very easy to make. Awesome recipe, Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (13)Megan Porta

      Well I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Thank you for trying it and sharing that review! I loved how you made this recipe work with your tweaks and what you found worked for you. Others will find that useful too. I have to say my cookie scooper is a favorite tool of mine for so many recipes.

      Reply

  4. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (14)plasterers bristol

    This sounds like pure awesomeness. Thanks for sharing.

    Simon

    Reply

  5. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (15)Mariann

    These cookies were very yummy. However it was such a mess for me. I could not roll the dough in a ball and place a thumb print in the middle of the them when I put it on the cookie sheet. The dough was too sticky for me so I used a spoon. Some of the peanut butter and jelly placed on top run off the sides while baking for me. Then when I allowed it to cool and removed from the cookie sheet, the peanut butter and jelly stuck to the cookie sheet and the cookie just crumbled for me. So I am not sure what went wrong. If my hands were too warm or my home was too warm, etc. I did follow the recipe exactly except what I mentioned above.

    Reply

  6. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (16)Kimberly

    Good recipe! I used regular shortening
    And light brown sugar because that's
    what I already had on hand. They turned
    out great! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  7. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (17)SouthDakotaCooks

    I didn't end up with the pretty wells but they were delish!

    Reply

  8. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (18)lynn @ the actor's diet

    i've seen a lot of pb and j cookies but this is the best!

    Reply

  9. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (19)Angie Johnson

    These look so great, but unfortunately mine were a complete fail. I think that I put too much peanut butter in the batter and I may have put too much jelly on my cookies because they were kind of soggy. I will not be defeated though; I will try them again.

    Reply

  10. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (20)Trina

    I am in LOVE with these cookies. My hubby was trying to eat a little healthier and so refused to eat any…for about 2 days. Then, he tried one…and followed it up with 9 more. Yup, he had 10 in one day! Just goes to show how amazing they are!

    Reply

  11. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (21)Sheila

    Great recipes ! Easy and my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe ..

    Reply

  12. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (22)Ashley

    While the flavor of these were great, mine were not a success. the jelly disappeared into the cookies and the penut butter just stayed in a lump, nothing like your cookies. for batchces after the first, i left off the peanut butter and elly and added it after they were cookes, good, but I wish they worked like yours!

    Reply

  13. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (23)Billie

    These are delicious! But ~ be sure to actually use a tablespoon for measuring….if the cookie is too small, the jelly just runs out all over the cookie sheet. And – I would recommend not using a 1/2 tsp of jelly — I used less than that. One more thing…..put the jelly in the "divot" first….

    Reply

  14. Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (24)Parsley Sage

    Boy howdy! This is why I wish I could hug your brain 🙂 Delicious PB&J cookies. And I'm so glad that mound of snow isn't taunting you again this year…

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

The wrong type of peanut butter may cause them to fall apart. Or using old eggs may create crumbly cookies. How long do peanut butter cookies last?

How do you keep peanut butter cookies from falling apart? ›

If you find that the dough is too dry (without the fat) then simply hold back some of the flour and add it near the end of mixing when you add the fat/butter If this helps to hold your baked cookies together, fine. If not then add a few more minutes of mixing.

Why are peanut butter cookies always dry? ›

Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour. It's crucial to properly measure the flour in this recipe, as even 1 extra tablespoon of flour can completely change the structure of the cookies. You also might have over baked them!

Why do you smash peanut butter cookies? ›

The Peanut Butter Balls recipe in the 1933 edition of Pillsbury's Balanced Recipes instructed the cook to press the cookies using fork tines. The 1932 or 1933 recipes do not explain why this advice is given, though: peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and without being pressed, it will not cook evenly.

What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

Image of What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers.
Wikipedia

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Prep your Peanut Butter Cookie recipe up to 24 hours in advance, cover it and refrigerate it so you are ready to bake at a moment's notice. The kids can even help you scoop, roll and flatten the cookies. If the dough is too firm to scoop, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

What kind of peanut butter is best for baking cookies? ›

Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter.

Why do you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough? ›

For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool.

What happens if you add too much peanut butter to peanut butter cookies? ›

With so much peanut butter in this cookie dough, natural peanut butter will give you a dry, crumbly cookie.

How do you moisten peanut butter cookie dough? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

How do I know when my peanut butter cookies are done? ›

Unlike many other cookies, peanut butter biscuits only fully harden once they've been removed from the oven. Here's how to tell when peanut butter cookies are done: The tops of the cookies are a uniform light brown. They're soft to the touch but not moist or mushy.

Why do my peanut butter cookies not taste like peanut butter? ›

Ostensibly “regular” peanut butter, with its added emulsifiers, sweeteners, and hydrogenated oils, will contaminate your cookies' flavor with its weird artificiality. Your other source of fat should be butter, not shortening.

Why do you mash peanut butter cookies with a fork? ›

Using the long tines of a fork and pressing down on the dough ball twice , one vertically and one horizontally, flattens the dough evenly and leaves attractive marks.

Why did my peanut butter cookies come out oily? ›

You baked your cookies and they came out an oily greasy mess. Urgh, what an awful feeling! If you've had this happen to you, odds are you made one of two mistakes: either you didn't allow the ingredients to thoroughly mix during the creaming process or you didn't allow the dough to rest enough before baking.

Why are my cookies falling apart so easily? ›

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

Why are my homemade cookies falling apart? ›

Too much flour: If you add too much flour to your cookie dough, it will be dry and crumbly. Make sure to measure your flour correctly using a kitchen scale or by spooning it into your measuring cup and then leveling it off. Not enough fat: Fat helps to bind the ingredients together and make cookies chewy.

Why is my peanut butter separating? ›

But because natural peanut butters don't contain these stabilizers, the oil in peanuts tends to separate from the peanut solids when sitting on the shelf. The process of oils and solids separating, known as syneresis, is completely safe, but it's still really irritating.

What causes cookies to break apart? ›

Baking requires precision, and if you find your homemade cookies are falling apart, then there's a good chance you have been using too much flour (via Fine Cooking).

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