I decided awhile ago that I was not going to buy regular peanut butter anymore – it is just the natural stuff for us now. No more Jif or Skippy around here I’m afraid.
Since we are both inordinately fond of peanut butter cookies, this meant I had a few recipes to rework. For the most part, you can just equally substitute one for the other and that is the case with these. Natural peanut butter doesn’t have as much sugar in it, which is really good here, because the jelly makes them sweet enough. You’re going to love how these come out – they have a nice chewy texture, with lots of crunch on the outside from the sugar and the jelly in the middle is nice and gooey.
I would also submit these Peanut Butter and Jelly Kisses would be really fun to make with novice bakers, like your kids, or grandkids. If you are in one of those areas of the country where school is closed because of this incredibly nasty winter weather we’ve been having, try making these together, and stave off cabin fever big time.
In addition, though it’s February right now, you may just want to keep track of this for your Christmas cookie list next year – they are a wonderful addition to those boxes of cookies you give out to just about everyone at the holidays! 
Chewy, crunchy, gooey and kid-friendly? Is there a better combo for a successful cookie recipe? I guess the only way to answer that question is to go ahead and make them – here is how it goes:
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⅔ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Raw sugar
- Jelly or Jam
- Preheat the oven to 350°, line heavy baking sheets with parchment paper
- Place about ½ cup raw sugar in a small bowl, set aside.
- Put about a cup of any flavor jelly or jam in a small bowl, stir until smooth, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and peanut butter.
- Mix in the sugars and beat until fluffy.
- Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and mix about 2 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add all at once to butter mixture and beat just until combined.
- Scoop out dough by teaspoonfuls and roll between palms into round balls.
- Roll gently in the raw sugar to coat completely and place a couple inches apart on a heavy baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, or well greased .
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Quickly, using the back of a small scoop or spoon, make an indentation in each cookie, and fill with jam – a half a teaspoon or so for each one.
- Return to the oven for 3 more minutes, and then remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Take care with the jelly filling, which will be very hot when first removed from the oven.
- Store in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days, or refrigerate if keeping longer. Makes about 3 ½ dozen cookies.
These actually get better as time goes by – the jelly kind of migrates into the cookie a little, making the centers even more gooey. Yum!
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