PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies image

Intense peanut butter flavor countered by sweet jam; these melt-in-your-mouth gems are the perfect addition to your cookie platter.

Provided by Kare for Kitchen Treaty

Time 25m

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar (Be sure it's vegan if that's important to you)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam (or your favorite jam or jelly; apricot and raspberry are delicious too)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsweetened plain almond milk (Plus another teaspoon or two if needed)

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
To the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment affixed or to a medium-size mixing bowl (using a hand mixer), add the peanut butter and sugar. Cream together with the mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the almond milk and vanilla extract. Mix on low at first (so it doesn't splash) and then medium speed until well-combined, about 30 more seconds.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and sea salt over the top of the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined. The dough will be very stiff and even a little crumbly.
Use a tablespoon measure to scoop out dough (I use a heaping tablespoon of dough per cookie). Press the dough together with your hands then carefully shape into a ball. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, keeping 2-3 inches between cookies.
Bake until slightly puffed and golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately, while the cookies are still hot, use a rounded teaspoon to press an indent into the middle of each cookie. Let cookies continue to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 more minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Add a scant teaspoon of jam to the middle of each cookie.
Make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, almond milk, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and, using a fork, stir until combined. You may need to add a teaspoon or two more of the milk to get to a thick, paste-like consistency.
To ice, set the cooling rack of filled cookies over some paper towels. Spoon the icing into a ziploc bag and snip the corner off. Squeeze lines of icing over the cookies. Let sit for about 15 minutes to harden.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 cookie, Calories 175 kcal, Carbohydrate 25 g, Protein 4 g, Fat 7 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 113 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 18 g, UnsaturatedFat 5 g