Nothing goes better together than peanut butter and jelly, especially in cookie form! These Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies take this classic flavor combination and turn them into a cookie that disappears quickly from the cookie plate because they are so loved!
Peanut butter and jelly is a classic combination! For more recipes with this delicious combo, check out this Peanut Butter and Jelly Dip or this Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Bread.
I love peanut butter cookies, and turning them into these Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies was a no-brainer. What goes better with peanut butter than jelly?
This cookie recipe is one of our favorite cookies. It’s perfect for kids and adults – no one can resist them. In fact, I can never even get a batch to last more than one day!
Ingredients
- Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda: The baking soda will give the cookies a little bit of lift.
- Salt: The salt will balance the flavors.
- Butter: Use room temperature butter. I like to use unsalted butter.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: The combination of sugars not only makes these delicious, but gives them the best texture.
- Egg: For best results, make sure your egg is at room temperature.
- Vanilla: Use real vanilla extract for the best cookies.
- Peanut Butter: I like to use a processed peanut butter for this recipe, not an all natural peanut butter. The all natural tends to give you a drier cookie.
- Jelly: You can use jelly or jam – it’s whatever you prefer the most. I like jam more than jelly, but either will work.
How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
1: Cream the butter and sugars. You want this mixture light and fluffy, so I like to let it go for a few minutes. You can also do this with a hand mixer.
2: Add the egg and vanilla. The mixture might look a little curdled at this point, but it will all come together.
3: Add the peanut butter: Then mix again, until the peanut butter is fully incorporated.
4: Mix in the dry ingredients.
5: Stir with a spatula. Once the dough is mixed, I like to run a spatula through it to make sure everything is incorporated from the bottom of the bowl.
6: Roll the cookies. Roll the cookies into balls, (or use a cookie scoop!) and place them on a parchment covered baking sheet. Take a fork and make those signature criss cross lines on the cookies.
7: Make the thumbprint. Use your thumb or a knuckle to make an indentation on each cookie. You can also use the end of a wooden spoon.
8: Fill the indentation. Each cookie should take about a teaspoon of jam. Then bake the cookies until the edges are turning golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
I used raspberry jam, but any flavor that you like will work!
The dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. I don’t like to fill with the jam until just before baking because I find that if the jam is refrigerated on the cookies, it will bleed a little bit. They are still delicious, but just not as pretty.
You don’t have to make the criss cross lines with the forks. Feel free to just do the thumbprint. That will make your cookies a little thicker, as well.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If they last that long! (I really have never been able to get a batch to last over 24 hours!)
More Cookie Recipes
Toll House Cookie Recipe
Doubletree Cookie Recipe
Snickerdoodle Recipe
Haystack Cookies
Sour Cream Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
No Bake Cookies
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup jam or jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer, or in a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Mix in the peanut butter until combined, then add in the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is fully combined into the dough.
- Roll the dough into 24 equal sized balls, and place 12 on each baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Use a fork to make a criss cross pattern in each ball, flattening slightly.
- Use your thumb or a knuckle to make an indentation in each ball.
- Fill each indentation with about 1 teaspoon of jelly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. If you are baking both sheets at the same time, rotate halfway through the cook time.
- Let the cookies cool before serving.
Yisroel says
Great recipe.
I fill them with jam BEFORE cooking them as they come out less sticky and easier to bag/freeze multiple cookies without them all sticking to each other
amber says
How long can these keep for?
Deborah says
@amber, with the jelly in them, I wouldn’t keep them longer than probably 24 hours. Without the jelly, though, they’ll probably last at least 3 or 4 days if they are covered.
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
Yum! I recently made my homemade honey roasted peanut butter.. I bet that would be great in these cookies!
My favorite way to enjoy peanut butter is on a spoon. 😉
amanda @ fake ginger says
PB cookies are my favorite too. Love your thumbprint trick – I always burn my fingertip trying to do that 2nd indentation!
Heather @ Curly Girl Kitchen says
These look great! One of my favorite cookies. Actually, I freeze cookies before baking, including these, simply because I find they don’t spread out as much while baking when they’ve been frozen first and I like them to stay puffed up instead of flattening and spreading out – one of the quirks of high-altitude baking, I suppose!
Chels R. says
I love thumbprint cookies, but I’ve never made them before. Mmm, I love any peanut butter and jelly combo!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Awesome kid cookies! I almost always use a measuring spoon to form the impression.
Deborah says
@Rachel @ Baked by Rachel, what a great idea! I need to try that!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
I’m so in love with this recipe. The combo of PB&J in these cute little thumbprint cookies is absolutely genius! Will definitely have to make these soon.