Saturday, March 9, 2013

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies


I was flipping through some cookbooks, feeling uninspired, and decided that I wanted to make a peanut butter thumbprint cookie with a raspberry jam filling.  It took some trial and error to get the perfect result, because I wanted a soft, chewy cookie that would keep its shape after I made the thumbprint in it.



I made two batches that weren't quite right, and finally settled on this recipe:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs (I used large eggs)
1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt.  [I don't sift or whisk, but feel free to)

In a stand or electric mixer set at medium speed, cream together the butter and two types of sugar. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the peanut butter and vanilla.  Mix until well blended.

Add the flour/baking soda/salt mixture bit by bit until combined.  Please be careful not to overwork the flour or you will end up with cookies that are tough.

At this point, you can add a small amount of water if you think the dough is too dry.

I used a 1.5 inch scoop to ensure the same size cookies, then rolled the dough between my hands to form a ball.  [You could just eyeball the size, if you wanted to.]

Put the dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, two inches apart, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are just turning brown.  [If you prefer a crunchy cookie, you can bake them a little longer.]

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, and immediately press the round end of a wooden spoon into the center of each ball.  The cookie will crack around the edges - this is normal.

Let the cookies cool for several minutes, then spoon the jam into the indentation.  I found that seedless raspberry jam was really easy to work with, but you can use the jam or jelly of your choice.

Let them cool the rest of the way, and enjoy!
- Sugar Baby

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