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

    • Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Recipe (10)Megan Porta

      You can prepare the dough up until just before you make balls with them. Seal them tight in a bowl or with cling wrap so they don’t dry out until you bake them.

  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

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

Use more granulated sugar than brown sugar.

When making chocolate chip cookies, I always prefer to use more brown sugar than white sugar because that ratio produces a softer cookie. With all of the peanut butter in this cookie dough, however, too much brown sugar made the cookies so soft that they fell apart.

What is the ratio of peanut butter to jelly? ›

To my taste, either equal parts or more jam than peanut butter is better, though double the amount of jam to peanut butter is a bit much. My personal preference is right in the middle, about 50% more jam than peanut butter by volume, but if that's too sweet for you, a 1:1 ratio will work too.

Why are my peanut butter cookies always hard? ›

If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.

How to make peanut butter cookie mix taste better? ›

Flavor Twist: After creating the dough according to the peanut butter cookie mix instructions, portion the dough into balls then roll in a tasty topping like poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sprinkles, or go for a 4:1 ratio of sugar and dry spice, like ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? Optional! This is a really soft dough, so it's easier to handle if you chill it a bit (plus it gives the flavors a chance to deepen). But if you put them in the oven right away, it will work just fine.

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.

What to add to a peanut butter and jelly? ›

10+ Ways to Switch Up a PB&J
  1. Make a regular PB&J, then toast the whole thing. ...
  2. Swap the jelly for romaine lettuce and honey. ...
  3. Make a triple decker: bread, jelly, peanut butter, bread, peanut butter, jelly, bread. ...
  4. Add Nutella OR smoked almonds OR mini chocolate chips OR cereal. ...
  5. Go for an open-faced treatment.
Sep 22, 2023

What is the best jelly for peanut butter? ›

In this article, we'll explore why grape jelly is considered the best jelly for PB&J sandwiches and delve into the reasons why GOOD GOOD's Concord sugar free grape jelly stands out as the best grape jelly for this beloved culinary duo.

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

Too much peanut butter leads to dry cookies

If you want to nail the perfect ratio of ingredients for maximum peanut flavor but a soft cookie texture, try using no more than 1 cup of peanut butter for every 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/4 cup of butter.

Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

What ingredient makes cookies harder? ›

Baking powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate and acidic salts. The reaction of these two ingredients results in a cookie that is soft and thick, but slightly harder.

Why do my peanut butter cookies taste weird? ›

Your other source of fat should be butter, not shortening. Butter will make your cookies taste buttery; shortening will make them taste suspiciously vacant, like Katy Perry's voice post-autotune. Yes, shortening yields chewier cookies than butter does, because butter contains water and shortening doesn't.

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.

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

The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today's cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy.

What keeps peanut butter from separating? ›

Luckily, there's a solution besides dumping it down the drain, trying to mix it with a spoon, or going back to buying peanut spread: Store the jar upside down. The oil will trickle to the bottom of the jar, and the peanut solids will stay on top.

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