Nostalgic flavors in cookie form! These soft peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies can be filled your favorite flavor of jelly or jam.
Quick Tips
- Use whatever jam or jelly you would like to make these cookies! They are very versatile.
- Use a piping bag or food storage bag to pipe the jam into the cookies.
- Be sure to slightly over-fill your thumbprint cookies (as shown in the photo below) with jam as the jam level will sink as the cookies bake.
- Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see cracking. They bake quickly!
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Silicone spatula
- Piping bag or plastic food storage bag (optional)
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: salted butter is OK too, just reduce added salt to ¼ teaspoon
- Creamy peanut butter: I prefer Jif brand
- Light brown sugar: dark brown sugar is OK too
- Granulated sugar: this is used in the cookie dough and for covering the dough
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Salt: reduce to ¼ teaspoon if using salted butter
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Fruit jam or jelly: I used strawberry jam for this recipe, but you can use whichever flavor you’d like
Try these other recipes that use the same peanut butter cookie!
- Chocolate-Filled Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Chocolate-Filled Peanut Butter S’mores Cookies
- Cadbury Mini Egg Thumbprint Cookies
How to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
These peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies are super simple and can be made in just about thirty minutes.
- Make the peanut butter cookie dough
- Assemble the cookies and bake
How to make the peanut butter cookie dough
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (use convection bake if you have it!) and gather your baking equipment.
Lightly grease 1-2 cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper and set them aside.
Add butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a large bowl and cream using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
Add the egg and mix until combined.
Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three portions, mixing between each addition.
How to assemble the cookies
To assemble the cookies, roll the dough into 1.5-inch balls and coat in additional granulated sugar.
Place rolled and coated dough on prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch between each cookie. Lightly press your thumb or pointer finger into the center of each cookie.
Place the jelly into a food storage bag or piping bag and cut a small tip. Pipe jelly into each thumbprint, slightly over-filling it. You can also use a spoon to add the jelly, but I find it cleaner to use a bag and piping method. See the photo below for reference.
Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see them begin to crack.
Looking for more peanut butter recipes?
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Brownie Bottom Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 1-2 Cookie sheets
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
For the peanut butter cookie dough
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter 6 ounces
- 1 egg
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar for coating the dough
For the jelly thumbprint
- ⅓ cup any flavor jam or jelly I use strawberry jelly for mine
Instructions
To make the peanut butter cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease 1-2 cookie sheets, or line them with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Add butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl and cream using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
- Add the egg and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, about ½ cup at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and coat in additional sugar.
To make the jelly thumbprints
- Place rolled and coated dough on prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch between each cookie. Lightly press your thumb or pointer finger into the center of each cookie.
- Place the jelly into a food storage bag or piping bag and cut a small tip. Pipe jelly into each thumbprint, slightly over-filling it. You can also use a spoon to add the jelly, but I find it cleaner to use a bag and piping method.
- Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see them begin to crack.
Julie Gates says
I’d like to make these today, I just need to know on the baking soda/powder, which is which? It was typo-d Lol, they both say soda. Thanks!
Jackie says
thank you for catching that! I have it updated. 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Julie Gates says
Thank you Jackie!