PEANUT BUTTER and JAM THUMBPRINTS; off the charts, unbelievable, can’t stop eating them delicious!

I obsess about recipes. At any time of the day, no matter what else I’m doing, random recipes float around in my brain waiting, in the never-ending cue, for me to make them. My new PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM THUMBPRINTS have been trying to get out since last summer! I love peanut butter cookies. I love peanut butter and jam sandwiches. The idea of combining the two seemed natural. As it turns out, there’s tons of pj & b thumbprint recipes – I thought I was inventing something brilliantly new. 

The recipe is a reworked classic. I wanted my cookie base to melt-in- my-mouth so I omitted eggs and turned it into more of a peanut butter shortbread cookie. I kid you not, as I took my first bite, the world tipped slightly. I was trying to watch House of cards with a plate of them on the coffee table. After my fourth cookie, I put them away. I couldn’t stop eating them long enough to concentrate on the show!

I used homemade raspberry jam but any jam or jelly will be lovely.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM THUMBPRINTS
makes 2 dozen
preheat oven 350*F

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup hard margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup raspberry jam

THE STEPS:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl – set aside.

• Beat peanut butter, margarine, sugars, and vanilla, on high, until pale and fluffy.
• Add dry ingredients, and beat until well combined.

• Using a small retractable scoop, form into balls.

• Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar then place them on the parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake 10 minutes.

• Remove from oven, and make a dent in the center of each cookie [ that’s the thumbprint] using the handle end of a wooden spoon.
• Return to oven, and bake until edges are golden, 7 minutes more.
• Transfer the sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely.

• Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint.
• Cookies can be stored in a single layer for up to 1 week.

THE LOVE: Make sure that you use ‘hard’ margarine not the spreadable type. This is really important! And be sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before adding your jam or the jam will soak into the cookie and look awful.

Thanks for reading.

photography by michelle