Remember the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich? These Bakery Style PB & J Cookies capture that nostalgia in cookie form. They’re thick, soft, and generously sized peanut butter cookies with a jammy strawberry center and chopped peanuts for crunch. A perfect balance of sweet and slightly salty, they’re irresistible—let’s make them.
How to Make Bakery Style PB & J Cookies
You can use store-bought strawberry preserves or make a quick homemade jam. The homemade version is simple and gives the cookies a fresh, bright strawberry flavor.
To Make Your Own Strawberry Jam
Combine sliced strawberries, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down and release their juices. Use a spoon to help break up any large pieces.
When the strawberries are soft and the sugar has dissolved, carefully transfer the hot mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan over medium-low heat. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water until smooth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the strawberry puree and cook until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and let cool completely—the jam will thicken as it cools.
Make the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, both sugars, and the peanut butter for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another minute; the dough should be light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the chopped peanuts. Weigh the dough into roughly 3.5 oz portions (about 4 tablespoons) to yield eight large cookies. Roll each portion into a ball and coat in coarse sugar.
Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to press a shallow well into the center of each ball. Fill each well with about 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam and sprinkle with extra chopped peanuts. Chill the shaped cookies for at least 30 minutes to help them hold their shape while baking.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place four cookies per sheet, leaving space for them to spread. Bake for 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the hot sheet for 4–5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Pro tip: If you want perfectly round cookies, while they’re still warm, nudge the edges inward with a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie, or use a rubber spatula to gently push the edges back toward the center before the cookie sets.
Bakery Style PB & J Cookies
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- Author: Elizabeth Buuck
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 8 Large Cookies
Description
Large bakery-style peanut butter cookies filled with strawberry jam and finished with chopped peanuts for texture and flavor contrast.
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Jam
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup water + 2 tsp water, divided
- 2 tsp cornstarch
For the Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (135 g) creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup (170 g) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (55 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, plus extra for sprinkling
- Coarse sugar for rolling dough
Instructions
For the Strawberry Jam
- Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a small-to-medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook until strawberries soften and release their juices and the sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Return the puree to the saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Whisk cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water until smooth, then stir into the strawberry puree.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Allow the jam to cool completely; it will thicken as it cools.
For the Peanut Butter Cookies
- Cream butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another minute.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; mix until just combined. Stop while a few streaks of flour remain to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in the chopped peanuts with a rubber spatula.
- Portion the dough into roughly 3.5 oz scoops (about 4 tablespoons) to make eight large cookies.
- Roll each portion into a ball and coat with coarse sugar.
- Place dough balls on a parchment-lined sheet and press a shallow well into each with the back of a spoon.
- Fill each well with about 1 tablespoon of jam and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
- Chill the prepared cookies for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Bake four cookies per sheet, leaving room to spread, for 12 minutes.
- Let cookies rest on the hot sheet for 4–5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
If you enjoyed this Bakery Style PB & J Cookies recipe, try other large bakery cookie recipes from the same bakery for more inspiration.
