These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are soft, bursting with creamy peanut butter flavor, and filled with a delicious jam that is a perfect balance of texture and flavor! Super easy to make, and easier to enjoy!
If you're looking for a simple yet irresistible cookie recipe, these Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are a must-try! They're adapted from my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, but with a few changes. They're made with a soft peanut butter cookie and filled with a sweet jam.
These PB&J cookies are the kind of treat that brings comfort and nostalgia in every bite. Whether you're baking for a special occasion or just craving something homemade, these cookies are easy to make and guaranteed to satisfy.
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Balance of flavors - From the rich nuttiness of the peanut butter to the sweetness of the jam, the flavors blend and work great together.
Peanut butter cookies - The base is a peanut butter cookie that is filled with nutty flavor, just like my Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies or Peanut Butter Banana Cookies.
Easy to make - It requires very little effort to whip up a batch of these PB&J cookies!
Customizable - Use any jam, jelly, or preserves. You can even use a homemade recipe, if you like.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Butter: I use salted butter in these cookies, but if you only have unsalted, then be sure to add ¼ teaspoon of salt
- Sugar: This recipe uses more brown sugar than white, for a little more chew. You can use either dark or light brown sugar.
- Peanut butter: This recipe has only been tested with conventional peanut butter, so I do not know if natural peanut butter would work. I recommend sticking with conventional creamy peanut butter.
- Jam: Use any type of flavor that you like. I usually have raspberry in my fridge, so that's what I used.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale: It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Cookie Scoop: For these particular cookies, you'll need about 1.5 to 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, or you could use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to portion out your cookie balls. I personally used a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon and portioned out about 1.5 to 2 using that spoon.
Baking Tray: A large half sheet baking pan to bake the cookies.
Mixing bowls: I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
⇄ Substitutions
Butter: This recipe calls for salted butter, but use unsalted if that's all you have. Be sure to add salt to the recipe (notes in recipe card).
✨ Variations
Nuts - Chop up some peanuts and sprinkle on top!
Drizzle - Add a drizzle of melted peanut butter to each cookie.
Chocolate - Instead of jam, add melted chocolate to the cookies. If you choose to take this route, I suggest rolling the cookies into balls, baking them, then use the back of a measuring spoon to create indents right when you pull them out of the oven, then fill with chocolate.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
Cream together the salted butter and sugars for about 3 minutes until smooth.
Step 2
Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Step 3
Scrape down the bowl, then add the peanut butter and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl again.
Step 4
Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just Incorporated. You don’t want to over mix. Refrigerate dough for at least 45 minutes.
Step 5
Once chilled, scoop out about 1.5 to 2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the granulated sugar and then place on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure you have a couple inches between each dough ball.
💡 Hint: If you're baking the cookies in batches, make sure to keep the dough chilled between batches.
Step 6
Create an indent in the center using a small teaspoon or you could use your thumb.
Step 7
Fill each indent with jam of your choice.
Step 8
Place the cookie sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes in a 350℉ / 180℃ preheated oven. Cookies will have formed cracks on the edges and spread a little bit.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before enjoying. You could add a little extra jam to the top (like I did). Sprinkle with crushed peanut or drizzle with melted peanut butter.
🎩Trick: To get round cookies, use a spoon to scoot the edges inward RIGHT when you take them out of the oven. You can also use a cookie cutter; place the cookie cutter on top of the cookie and work in circular motions until the edges are round. These chocolate dipped brown butter peanut butter cookies should come out pretty round straight out of the oven.
💬 FAQ
You can! But it will change the texture of the cookies.
Yes, but make sure to add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Yes. Just wrap it and chill for up to 3 days. When ready to roll out the cookies, make sure to let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften up the dough a little.
If your cookies are spreading too much, it's possible your butter was too warm. To help this, make sure to chill your cookie dough for at least 45 minutes.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't over mix: Once dry ingredients are incorporated, make sure to stop mixing.
Chill dough: It's important to chill the dough. I tested out baking them without chilling them, but the dough was incredibly hard to handle.
Don't over bake: Start checking the cookies at 12 minutes.
Round cookies: To get round cookies, use a spoon to scoot the edges inward RIGHT when you take them out of the oven. You can also use a cookie cutter; place the cookie cutter on top of the cookie and work in circular motions until the edges are round. These chocolate dipped brown butter peanut butter cookies should come out pretty round straight out of the oven.
Conventional Peanut Butter: Make sure to use conventional creamy peanut butter. This recipe was not tested with natural.
❄ Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
📖 Recipe Card
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter softened to room temperature (add ¼ teaspoon of salt if using unsalted butter)
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (56 g) large egg
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (187 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1⅓ cup (160 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- ½ cup (180 g) jam or preserves of choice
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Wet Ingredients - Using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), cream together the salted butter and sugars for about 3 minutes until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl, then add the peanut butter and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl again.½ cup salted butter softened to room temperature, ½ cup brown sugar, packed, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- Dry ingredients - sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just Incorporated. You don’t want to over mix. Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes.Chilling is important because this is a soft cookie dough.1⅓ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Once chilled, scoop out about 1.5 to 2 tablespoon (you can also make them smaller and end up with a lot more cookies) of dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the granulated sugar and then place on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure you have a couple inches between each dough ball. This recipe will make around 20 cookies, depending on how large or small you make your balls.¼ cup sugar for rolling
- Create an indent in the center using a small teaspoon or you could use your thumb. Then fill with jam. Cover the dough, refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to chill.½ cup jam or preserves of choice
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 180℃
- Place the cookie sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cookies will have formed cracks on the edges and spread a little bit. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before enjoying. You could add a little extra jam to the top (like I did). Sprinkle with crushed peanut or drizzle with melted peanut butter.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
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