Peanut butter & jelly thumbprint cookies

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is peanut butter & jelly/pb&j! I was happy to see this theme because 1) I've always been a big pb&j fan; and 2) I've been meaning to make these cookies for probably about 3 years now! So I finally had a good reason. I had found this recipe and modified it slightly as written below to reflect the technique we use in my Gram's classic thumbprint cookies. These cookies are delicious - I mean, how could they not be, right? Peanut butter and jelly are a classic combination for a reason! I used grape jelly and mixed berry preserves in my cookies. The preserves melted down into the holes and the jelly just kind of stayed in a glob -- but they both still tasted terrific! You can use whatever your favorite jelly/jam/preserves are in your cookies. This recipe will make approximately 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

We recently gave the twins their first taste of peanut butter now that the recommendations are changed. We have no history of peanut allergies in our family (thankfully!), so I pureed up a banana with a little peanut butter and mixed it in with their oatmeal. They liked it and have eaten it a few times now. So I'm hopeful that they will continue to not have any reactions to peanut butter. I can't imagine how difficult it is to have severe food allergies. 

Peanut butter & jelly thumbprint cookies
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
your favorite jam, jelly, and/or preserve(s)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour though salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter and egg, and then the vanilla.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. 

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop to gather the dough. Roll into a ball and place on a baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 7 minutes. Then remove and print each cookie with your thumb, trying to make a round well. Fill each well with about 1/2-1 teaspoon jelly. Return to the oven and bake for another 9-11 minutes, until the bottom and sides are just golden.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling. Repeat until all dough has been used.

Store cookies in an airtight container.

What was I cooking one year ago?: stuffed sugar cookies
Two years ago?: thick & chewy pan pizza
Three years ago?: butternut squash spaghetti carbonara
Four?: Guinness chocolate cake
Five?: Irish oaten rolls
Six?: orange-sour cream-poppy seed loaf cake
7?: fish tacos

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