A PB & J Which Requires No Crust-Cutting

For those who have recovered from a holiday sugar coma and are looking for a sweet that’s not too sweet, try these delicious peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies. They were a huge holiday hit with my friends and family

Ingredients:

-1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter, at room temperature

-1/2 c peanut butter

-1/2 c light brown sugar

-1/2 c granulated sugar

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 egg, beaten

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour

-raw sugar

-strawberry preserves (doesn’t have to be strawberry)

Procedures:

Beat together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is pushed to the center. Add vanilla, egg, and salt, until well blended. Lower the speed of the mixer and add flour a 1/2 c at a time. Scrap the sides and mix until completely blended. Put dough in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Scoop out a tbsp of the dough. Knead the dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in the raw sugar. Flatten out the ball, and using your thumb, make an indentation in the center. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper, 1 inch apart. Place a 1/3 of a tsp of preserves in each cookie’s indentation. Bake for about 12 minutes, until firm. Remove and let cool of a wire rack.
Makes about 3 dozen scrumptious cookies