I love a good PB&J Sandwich, so why not Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting topped with strawberry jelly. Mmmm, delicious!
I know you came for a delicious cookie recipe and I've got all the tips and tricks I used down below. But just thought you might want to give this Grilled PB&J Sandwich a try from Devour Dinner. It's delicious.
I've taken my favorite Peanut Butter Cookie recipe which is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Rolled it in sugar for a sweet burst of flavor in every bite.
Then I've topped it with a rich and creamy peanut butter cream cheese frosting for topping it with a favorite strawberry jelly. But feel free to substitute with your favorite jelly or jam flavor.
Hands down these sandwich cookies are a true winner. If I had my way, I'd call them lunch. Oh they are good.
Shopping List
Butter and Egg. Both Butter and Egg should be at room temperature for best results.
Fats. Butter softened and Peanut Butter. Smooth or Chunky you decide
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder
Other Ingredients. Egg, Vanilla Extract, Strawberry Jam or Jelly
Frosting
Cream Cheese and Butter softened to create a nice smooth thick frosting and Peanut Butter for added flavor
Powdered Sugar, Milk and Vanilla Extract to sweeten and thin frosting to a perfect texture.
How to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies
Let's make a batch of these fun cookies. Begin by preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
In a bowl using a hand mixer or use a stand electric mixer. I love my Bosch Universal as it keeps my hands free. Either will work great.
Cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This will take 2-3 minutes and you will need to scrape sides of bowl in the process to make sure all ingredients are being combined.
Add peanut butter and continue to cream for at least another minute. Beat in egg and vanilla extract and whip!
Brown sugar can be added to butter and egg mixture and creamed.
In a separate bowl combine all purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix to combine and gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients making sure they are fully combined before adding more.
Using a medium cookie scoop, drop cookie dough balls into reserved sugar and roll into sugar before placing on prepared baking sheet.
Bake in a 375 degree oven until edges are set before removing from oven. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet before moving to cooling rack.
How to make Peanut Butter Frosting
Mmmmm, Peanut Butter frosting is sweet, creamy and delicious. I love it!
In a bowl combine cream cheese, butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth with a hand mixer. Gradually add confectioners sugar. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
Adding vanilla extract and a little milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frosting should be thick and sticky.
Making Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies
This is the fun part. Using half of the cookies place a dollop of jelly on the bottom of each cookie. There is no need to spread the jelly to the edges of the cookie.
Pipe frosting on top of jelly in a fun swirl. The frosting will push the jelly out to the edges of the cookie. And carefully top with a cooking making a sandwich.
Repeat with remaining cookies.
Pro Tips
Room Temperature Ingredients. Always use room temperature butter and eggs when baking. Allow butter to sit on counter for an hour. Butter should still be firm but you can leave a finger imprint in the butter when pressed. Do not over soften and allow butter to turn to mush.
Baking Sheets. Like baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with baking spray to prevent sticking.
Mixing. Scrape sides of mixing bowl with a silicone spatula multiple times during the mixing process to ensure all ingredients are being mixed, whipped and creamed properly
Cookie Scoop. Use a small or medium size cookie scoop depending on how big or small you want your PB&J Cookie Sandwiches to be. I have used a Medium Cookie scoop in these photos for reference.
Roll Cookie Dough in Sugar. This is optional but I love the burst of sweetness and crispy outside when baked. It's not necessary and purely an optional step.
Substitutions
I feel like it goes without saying that you can substitute any flavor of jam or jelly depending on your preference. Homemade Strawberry Jam are also wonderful.
You could try Grape, Raspberry, or even Peach Jam.
If you want to really change things up, try substituting a Cookie Butter, Nutter Butters or a Natural Peanut Butter for Peanut Butter. Delicious. Almond Butter, or Cashew Butter will also work nicely in this recipe too.
Storage and Freezing
Jam Sandwich Cookies Recipes are best served chilled. Store sandwich cookies in a sealed container or ZipLoc bag in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cookies are best if enjoyed within 2-3 days.
Freeze Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies in a sealed container with parchment paper separating layers for up to 3 months.
PBJ Cookies
PB&J Cookies are a lip licking good cookie. I've used my favorite Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe. I prefer to enjoy these cookies served chilled. I find when they are chilled the cream cheese frosting stays put.
So each and every bite has a great balance of cookie to frosting to jelly ratio. And of course, that is a bonus.
More Sandwich Cookie Ideas
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Butter Softened
- ½ Cup Peanut Butter Creamy
- ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar 150g Divided
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar 100g
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour 150g
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Cup Strawberry Jam
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese Softened
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- ⅓ Cup Peanut Butter
- 2 Cup Powdered Sugar 260g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 375
- Cream Softened Butter and Peanut Butter in large Stand Mixer or use a Hand Mixer. Scrape sides of bowl as needed
- Add ½ cup Sugar and Egg and Cream until light and fluffy
- Add Brown Sugar and Vanilla and mix until combined
- In a separate bowl mix Flour, Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Add Flour Mixture to Butter Mixture and mix to combine
- Use a Medium Cookie Scoop size #24. Roll cookie dough in reserved sugar to coat and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Using the back of a fork place Hash Marks into dough allowing cookie dough to spread slightly
- Rotate fork 90 degrees and place hash marks creating a criss cross on top
- Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Do Not Over Bake
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 1 minute
- Remove cookies to cooling rack to fully cool
How to make Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl or stand mixer combine butter, cream cheese and peanut butter. Scrape sides of bowl as needed while creaming.
- Add powdered Sugar and Vanilla Extract.
- Drizzle milk a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
How to make PB&J Sandwich Cookies
- Using a piping bag or spread with a knife the peanut butter frosting on one side of a cookie.
- Top peanut butter frosting with a drizzle of Strawberry Jam
- Top with additional cookie making a cookie sandwich
- Store cookies in a sealed container in refrigerator
Trelva
These taste as delicious as they look!
Rebecca Johnston
So glad you loved this recipe. It's so tasty!