Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Making jelly is usually one of the first items people new to food preservation undertake.  But once you have a pantry full of jellies and jams — then what?  If you’re Daniel Gasteiger, author of Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too — you make cookies.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Use a dark jelly or jam for twenty cookies, and a light color for another twenty, then put both types on a platter for guests.

Makes 40 large cookies (but if you make 3/4-inch dough balls, you can get 60)

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter at room temperature
• 1/2  cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup raw sugar (white sugar is okay too)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Your favorite jam or jelly

Directions

1. Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a large bowl until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl mix the baking soda and salt through the flour. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, blending to make a very soft dough.
2. To make a cookie, roll about 1 tablespoon dough between your hands to create a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball in sugar and place it on a greased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the middle, making a bowl. Try to leave the center of the cookie about ¼ inch thick.
3. Put a dollop of jam or jelly in the thumbprint—about 1/2 teaspoon. Space the cookies 1 inch apart. Bake for 13 minutes. Let the cookie sheet cool for a few minutes before transferring the finished cookies to cooling racks.
4. After cooling, the cookies will draw moisture out of the jelly; they can become very moist and soft in about a day. To prevent this, I freeze my peanut butter and jelly cookies, thawing just the ones I’m about to serve.