PBJ cookies – Peanut cookie with Jam thumb print

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Peanut butter and Jelly or Jam is classic comfort food which most kids enjoy. It is easy to put together even by kids and probably one of the first ‘cooking’ experience we introduced to our kids. Do you want to make your own lunch today ? How about PBJ 🙂 We did end up with more peanut butter on our kitchen counter-tops than on the bread itself !

These cookies are identical to PBJ except they can be stored and enjoyed for days !

By using a combination of oats and peanuts, these cookies turn out to be protein-packed and is a perfect afternoon snack with tea. These cookies have a crunchy exterior and a flaky interior. After one bite, it will melt in your mouth. The creamy peanut taste will coat your entire mouth. The jam will give a surprising sweetness to the cookie.

We use roasted peanuts with oats and spelt flour. Spelt is a grain similar to wheat but less “genetically modified” and so is lower in gluten and higher in fiber. When baking with Spelt we get very similar output as using whole wheat flour. We also use Flaxmeal to substitute for the ‘egg-like’ ingredient. Flax aids in digestion and is high in omega-3 fats.

Maple syrup is used for sweetness and ofcourse butter for the flaky texture. But the amount used is quite less.

Involve kids to bake this with you. Most of the ingredients are mixed using a food processor and all it takes is to roll out the cookies. Kids will enjoy making their thumb print depressions on the cookies. Use a variety of jams to decorate the top, to add a beautiful array of colors to the cookie. Blueberry, strawberry, apple etc.

Ingredients –

• Dry Ingredients –
  • Roasted peanuts 1 cup
  • Rolled Oats 1 cup
  • Spelt flour 1 cup
  • Salt (a pinch)
• Wet Ingredients –
  • Butter (melted) ½ tbsp
  • Pure maple syrup 1 cup
  • Vanilla extract 1 tsp
  • Flaxmeal (mixed in 1 tbsp warm water) 1 tbsp

Procedure –

1. Pulse all the dry ingredients in a food processor to a fine meal, remove to a mixing bowl.
2. Next pulse the melted butter with maple syrup on low speed until it becomes off-white and slightly fluffy. (Do not over pulse, the butter will begin to curdle)
3. Add Vanilla and flax liquid and mix.
4. Now add 1/ quantity of dry ingredients and pulse.
5. Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse everything to a solid dough.
6. Take small palm sized balls and press down slightly to cookie shape.
7. Give a thumb press on the center to make a depression.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes on top rack.
9. Move to lower rack and bake for 6 minutes watching carefully to ensure bottoms stay brown.
10. Turn off oven and leave inside for 3 mins to get it crunchy, if u like semi-soft, take it out now.
11. Remove to a wire rack and carefully add ½ tsp of jam on each cookie center. Let the jam solidify in the warmth of the cookie.
12. Store in airtight containers.

Thumb press cookies recipe

Dry Ingredients - 
    • Roasted peanuts                 1 cup
    • Rolled Oats                          1 cup 
    • Spelt flour                            1 cup 
    • Salt (a pinch) 
Wet Ingredients - 
    • Butter (melted)                 ½ tbsp 
    • Pure maple syrup              1 cup
    • Vanilla extract                    1 tsp 
    • Flaxmeal (mixed in 1 tbsp warm water)     1 tbsp