This PB&J Cookie Is Everything You Loved About Being a Kid

Why It Works

Using natural peanut butter without added sugars or emulsifiers gives you more control over the flavor and texture of the cookie.
Freezing the cookie dough briefly before baking keeps the dough cold and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.

Occupying the space between a classic thumbprint cookie and a peanut butter blossom, these peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies are a light, just-sweet-enough treat. A speedy cookie dough is enhanced with natural peanut butter, dotted with jam, and baked until just set for a nutty, crumbly treat with a gooey, fruity center.

Traditional thumbprint cookies are essentially the American version of Swedish hallongrotta (“raspberry cave” in Swedish), a shortbread cookie with an indentation filled with raspberry jam. According to Nichole Accettola, author of Scandinavian From Scratch, these cookies date back to the 19th century, when they were served at coffee parties known as kafferep. These parties—at which seven different types of cookies, including “caves,” were served—popped up after Sweden lifted its nationwide ban in the 1820s. This tradition, known as “sju sorters kakor,” was so important it inspired a dedicated cookbook of the same name published in 1945.

Somewhere along the way, thumbprint cookies became popular in American households, with many cooks putting their own spins on the cookie. It isn’t uncommon for people to incorporate oatmeal or different nut flours into the dough or opt for non-fruity fillings, such as dulce de leche and chocolate-hazelnut spreads like Nutella. One variation of the classic thumbprint, the peanut butter blossom, features peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar, baked, and then stamped with Hershey’s Kisses before they cool. The nutty cookie recipe was first published in 1957 when a woman named Freda Smith entered it into the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. The cookie was originally called a “Black-Eyed Susan,” and though Smith’s recipe did not win the grand prize, it has become so beloved nationally that it is now printed on the back of Hershey’s Kiss bags, and the cookie has been inducted into the Pillsbury Bake-Off Hall of Fame.

Serious Eats / Niedle Creative

Skip the Spread and Go Au Naturel

For the most control over the seasoning and fat content of the dough, opt for natural, unhomogenized, and unsweetened creamy peanut butter. Different brands of sweetened peanut butter have varying amounts of added sugar and oils that affect the fat and sugar percentage of the dough. Look for a peanut butter with a short ingredient list: peanuts. If you can only find salted nut butter, that’s just fine—the amount included won’t make the cookies overly salty, and you don’t need to decrease the salt in the dough.

Grab Your Favorite Jam

Jam, which is made by slowly cooking fruit, sugar, and pectin until the fruit is broken down, is the best option for filling these cookies as it’s typically loose enough to spoon and spread into the small thumbprint cookie indents. (Jellies, which are made from strained fruit juice, can be too gelatinous to spoon, while preserves, which contain whole or chunks of fruit suspended in syrup, may be too chunky.) I personally prefer seedless raspberry or strawberry jam in these cookies, but grape jam is great too. Other fruit jams, especially those with citrus zest or warm spices, will work delightfully in these cookies, too.

For Uniform Cookies, Scoop Dough With a Disher

To make these cookies all the same size in the least amount of time, portion out the dough with a disher, also known as a cookie scoop. A #40 cookie scoop will measure approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. If you don’t have one, use your kitchen scale to weigh out 28 gram portions of dough. If you have neither, not to worry: You can eyeball it, but just keep in mind your cookies won’t be as uniform as those portioned with a scoop or scale. From there, roll the dough with your hands into a ball, then use a round half-teaspoon measuring spoon to indent the center of the cookies for the jam. To ensure the rolled-out cookies hold their shape while baking, chill the portioned dough in the freezer for 10 minutes. Richly nutty with sweet, tangy jam, the cookies are a bite-size version of a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In other words: a delicious blast from the past.

Serious Eats / Niedle Creative

July 2025