.peanut butter + jelly cookies.

if the idea of this cookie alone doesn't have you intrigued, go ahead and turn back around. wait- that sounded rude and i am truly not rude. ok, i've changed my mind. please still check it out and maybe, just maybe, you'll change your mind. 

now, if you were intrigued from the get-go, just wait until you taste these. 

come on, peanut butter cookies in and of themselves are on the top of my list. when adding a favorite childhood combination, a whole new level has been reached. to make it a little more 'grown-up,' (booooo (do 'grown-ups' actually booooo?)) let's put in a preserve. i chose apricot. you choose whatever suits your fancy. 

melt your butter and peanut butter together and then wait until they cool to room temperature. ...waiting... 

don't even get me started. 

after whisking together the flour, salt and baking soda, prepare to bring the peanut butter to life. throw your sugars into the bowl of your mixer. 

then, mix in the butters.

try not to dip your finger in for a tasting. sometimes adding the eggs and vanilla helps to prevent that. sometimes it doesn't.

slowly add in your dry ingredients.

at this point, you have some pretty good peanut butter cookies going. to jam it up, let's get those preserves to join the mixing party.

don't over mix. just do some gentle stirring.

plop little cookie dollops on your lined cookie sheet and get ready to bake.

my cookies came out flatter than i had hoped, but they still tasted gooey good!

oh yeah, don't be like me and immediately try to remove them from the pan. they should cool down or they will not hold their form. instead, you will get a lump of cookie goop. one mighty delicious lump, but not great if you're sharing with others. it's always a good idea to share.

 it all goes back to that waiting thing. but these, these are worth the wait.

peanut butter + jelly cookies
adapted slightly from how sweet eats

what you need
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tbs creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of your favorite preserves

what you do
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the peanut butter and butter together and then give it time to cool to room temperature. Just heat right until they melt. No need to boil the stuff. 

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

In stand up mixer or large bowl, whisk/mix together butter, peanut butter and sugars until smooth. Add in eggs, mixing again until combined, then stir in vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer, gradually add dry ingredients to the wet, stirring well. 

Gently fold in your preserves. Once the dough is combined, stick it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Place slightly smaller than one inch rounds of the cookie dough on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don't be like me and WAIT for the cookies to cool before trying to remove them from the pan. If you have two cookie sheets to alternate baking and cooling, that'd be fantastic.