These one bowl peanut butter thumbprint cookies are soft and flavorful and are filled with a strawberry jam filling.
These cookies are made by rolling peanut butter cookie dough into small balls and then creating a well in the center with your thumb.
The well is then filled with your choice of jam or jelly, adding a burst of fruity goodness to each bite.
These cookies are perfect for any occasion, whether it's a holiday gathering or simply satisfying your sweet tooth.
For more peanut butter recipes, check out my chewy peanut butter cookies, peanut butter brownies, peanut butter mousse, and cornflake candy.
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Why this recipe works
- Flavor- these cookies are made with a delish combination of peanut butter and jam in cookie form!
- Texture- these cookies have a soft and melt in your mouth texture that goes perfectly with the slightly sticky jam on top.
- Ease- this cookie recipe comes together in one bowl and uses super simple ingredients that you can find in most kitchens!
- Time- this whole cookie recipe takes under an hour to make from start to finish.
- No chill cookie recipe- This is a no-chill cookie recipe! So you can make it in under an hour from start to finish!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Peanut butter- I prefer using smooth store-bought peanut butter that is not natural peanut butter, like Skippy or Jiff brand.
I do not recommend using natural peanut butter for this.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Brown sugar- adds a caramelly flavor and chewy texture to the cookies.
Eggs- you will need 1 large egg for this recipe. Make sure that your egg is at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until well combined and creamy.
Add the egg and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Add the flour and mix the dough until it is just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll it into balls. Using your thumb or a teaspoon, make indents on each ball.
Fill each indent with ½ teaspoon of jam of your choice, I used strawberry jam for this.
Bake the cookies in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Don't overbake these cookies so they will stay soft!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- I suggest letting these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
Faq's
If your dough is too sticky, you may have used butter that is too warm when making the cookie dough. Your butter should be at room temperature and it should be soft to the touch.
Another reason can be that you didn't measure your flour correctly. You may add not enough flour to the dough. Make sure that you measure your flour correctly.
We use all-purpose flour for these cookies. Cake flour will work great as well.
I used creamy peanut butter which is not natural. The natural kind is runny and will change the texture of the cookies.
You can use the crunchy peanut butter as well instead of the creamy one. Use brands like Jiff or skippy for the best result.
Storing
Store these cookies at room temperature. Make sure that you store them in an airtight container so they won't dry out.
Freezing
Freezing these cookies is very easy. Simply cover it with a plastic wrap tightly (a few layers) transfer it into an airtight freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour.
Substitutions
Dairy-free - If you are dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter or plant-based butter. Do not use margarine. It will change the flavor of these cookies and leave a weird taste.
Gluten-free- you can swap the flour with gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free. I never tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work.
Make it ahead of time
You can make the cookie dough and let it chill in the fridge for up to 3 days sealed tightly with cling wrap. When you are ready to bake, follow the same instructions as written.
Variations
Filling- fill these cookies with your favorite filling like chocolate ganache, Nutella, different flavored jams, caramel sauce, etc.
Nut butter- you can make these cookies with your favorite nut butter if you are allergic to peanut butter or don't like it. Make sure that you are using processed smooth nut butter and not the natural kind.
Peanut exterior- add a crunchy texture to these cookies by chopping peanuts and rolling each cookie dough in the chopped peanuts.
Peanut butter- you can use either chunky peanut butter or creamy peanut butter for this recipe. I used classic creamy peanut butter for this but the chunky one can add a fun texture.
Glaze- top these cookies with a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and milk and drizzle each cookie with as much glaze as you like!
Sugar dipped- dip each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar or thicker sugar like coarse sugar.
Jelly flavor- feel free to use your favorite jelly flavor like raspberry jelly, blueberry jelly, blackberry jelly, peach jelly, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Baking sheet and rack set (our fave)
- Cookies scoop set of 3 (the best cookie scoop we used)
More cookie recipes
Coconut pecan cookies- These coconut pecan cookies are made with shredded coconut and chopped pecans, resulting in a crunchy and chewy texture.
Oreo chocolate chip cookies- These chewy Oreo chocolate chip cookies are loaded with Oreo chunks and chocolate chips and topped with even more Oreo chunks!
Strawberry Cheesecake cookies- These strawberry cheesecake cookies are soft and sweet, loaded with fresh strawberries, and filled with creamy cheesecake filling.
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📖 Recipe
Soft Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter
- ⅔ cup Peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 10 teaspoon Strawberry Jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until well combined and creamy.
- Add the egg and mix until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour and mix the dough until it is just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll it into balls. Using your thumb or a teaspoon, make indents on each ball.
- Fill each indent with ½ teaspoon of jam of your choice, I used strawberry jam for this.
- Bake the cookies in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Don't overbake these cookies so they will stay soft!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- I suggest letting these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
Lauren says
So quick, easy and delicious!