Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies (or just Peanut Butter Cookies)- Deviously Delicious!

I kept seeing peanut butter cookie recipes this week all over the internet. Is July official Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe month? Weird.

I wanted a peanut butter cookie that had all the best characteristics: chewy, not cakey, somewhat fugdey texture, sweet, and salty. I also needed it to have enough healthy stuff in it to make me feel good about letting the kids eat them all week long-- my dirty little secret is that I make cookies packed with veggies, then let my kids eat them with breakfast. My Deviously Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies are full of carrots, stone ground whole wheat flour, and ground flaxseed. So in reality, they are Peanut Butter Carrot Cookies! And they are amazing, no-- I'm not bragging, they were really that good.



I made these two ways. I made half as plain Peanut Butter Cookies, and I made the second half as Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies. Before baking, I rolled each cookie dough ball in a little raw sugar, which I normally would never do to a cookie. I think it definitely added to their delish-ocity-- and the bonus was-- it actually made them look sparkley and gorgeous (see photo at top).

Anyway, my husband and I, and our four year old preferred the ones with the "jelly". My three year old didn't want to try those, he wanted the plain ones. We all thought they were the best cookies we've made to date.



So if you want to eat your PB & J sandwich in the form of a cookie-- here's how to do it:

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: about 10-11 minutes

Tips:

1. Take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior if possible.
2. Use baking paper for best results.
   

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter (I used salted)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 1/4 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter (I used half & half)
• 1 cup sugar (I use raw), any whitish sugar is fine + a little extra to roll the cookies in before baking
  
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 carrot finely grated
  
• 1 3/4 cups white flour
• 3/4 whole wheat flour (I used stone ground whole wheat flour)
  
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon quality salt (preferably sea salt) + a little extra to roll the cookies in before baking
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup fruit spread- for filling if desired (I used strawberry preserves St Dalfour brand I think. I would definitely not recommend using jelly-- you want a jam or preserves/all fruit type)

C is for Cookie, it's good enough for me:

1. In a large bowl cream butter, olive oil, peanut butter, and sugar together until blended.
2. Beat in eggs.
3. In a separate bowl combine white flour, wheat flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Give a little stir.
4. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. I use a hand mixer-- you use what you've got. Do not overmix.
5. Fold carrots into batter. Do not overmix.
6. If you have the time refrigerate the batter for 1 hour. If you don't, take out a softball size heap of the batter and put in a separate bowl, then refrigerate the rest until you are ready for it... and take it out one batch worth at a time... at least, that's how I did it.
7. Put some sugar on a small plate to roll the dough balls in.
8. One at a time, make 1 inch balls (I use my cookie scooper) and roll them onto the plate of sugar. -- tip: try not to touch the dough too much when rolling, you don't want them to get mushy or warmed by your hands.
   
9. Place on cookie sheet, not too close together.
10. If you want to make cookies without the jam filling proceed to #11. If you want to make with jam filling: 1) Take fruit spread and stir it vigorously for about 30 seconds with a small spoon to kind loosen it up. 2) Using the the tip or back of a small spoon (I used the back of my smallest. measuring spoon-- the 1/4 tsp.) make a slight indentation in the center of each cookie--do not flatten cookies. Just make a slight thumbprint-- hmmm, just realizing you actually could use a finger if necessary. 3) Then drop a small amount of fruit spread into the spot.
    
11. Bake for about 10-11 minutes-- ok, maybe 12. You're looking for them to be golden brown, if they are still whitish go another minute or two.
12. Immediately, carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies- filled and ready to bake.

Just some additional info you may be interested in:

Regarding the salt: I used a soft pink, flaked salt. Now that I've been turned onto pink salt, I use it in almost everything, it's mild, light, flakey, and looks so gorgeous on food. On the other hand, any old salt will work!