Because the only thing better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a peanut butter and jelly cookie.

The great thing about icebox cookies like these is that they're ready to go whenever you want. The ultimate quick treat, if you will. You can bake just two or three before the kids get off the bus, but it's no problem to make a few more if they arrive with friends in tow. And hey, if you want a midnight snack of your own, I won't tell anyone.
In fact, these particular PB&J cookies do best if frozen overnight so that the jelly layers really have time to gel up. Even so, the jelly never totally freezes because of its high sugar content. When you cut them, turn the bar on its side so you're cutting against the grain, so to speak. This helps keep the layers separate instead of compacting them together and squishing the jam out the sides. (Take a look at the slide show above for a step-by-step visual guide for assembling and slicing the cookies.)
The inspiration for this recipe came from one of Martha Stewart's holiday cookies, a cornmeal shortbread layered with thickened fruit preserves. I took one look and couldn't get the vision of peanut butter cookies sandwiched with jam out of my head. Double-decker PB&J sandwich, anyone?
Ultimately these cookies are exactly what I wanted. The peanut butter layers are crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle while the jelly adds just a touch of fruit flavor. They are truly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in cookie form.

Makes about 30 cookies
Inspired by Martha Stewart's Striped Icebox Cookies
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky as you prefer
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fruit jam, a reduced-sugar variety works best
By hand or in a mixer on medium-speed, mix the two sugars together. Work in the peanut butter and butter until they form a smooth batter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour all at once and mix just until you see no more dry flour.
Turn out the cookie dough on a piece of wax paper and shape it into a rectangle. Cover with another piece of wax paper and roll out the cookie dough to form a 1/4" thick rectangle. It's ok if the edges are slightly rounded, but try to keep that rectangle shape as best you can.
Peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Using a pizza cutter or a bench scraper, cut the dough into four long strips down the length of the rectangle. Cover again with wax paper, transfer the dough to a cookie sheet, and freeze for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer and spread 1/3 cup of the jelly on one of the strips of dough. Place a second strip on top with the jelly sandwiched between. Continue layering until you've formed a long rectangle with four layers of peanut butter cookie dough and three layers of jelly. Trim the edges. Wrap this first in wax paper and then in plastic. Freeze for at least two hours or preferably overnight. (Or for as long as three months.)
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Take the cookie dough out of the freezer and unwrap it on a cutting board. Turn the block on its side so the layers are perpendicular to the cutting surface. This helps keep the layers separate instead of compacting them. Use a serrated knife to slice cookies 1/4"-1/2" thick.
It helps to transfer the cookies from the cutting board to the cookie sheet with a thin spatula, a bench scraper, or even the flat edge of your knife. If the layers slide apart a little, just nudge them back into shape on the cookie sheet. Arrange them on a cookie sheet two inches apart. Wrap the remaining dough back up and return it to the freezer.
Bake 15-18 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to turn brown (if you only froze your cookies for a few hours, check them after 12 minutes). Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack with a spatula.
Cookies are best freshly baked, but can be stored in an airtight container for several days. The cookie dough will keep frozen for up to three months.
Related: Bake and Pack: 10 Best Cookies for Summer Picnics
(Images: Emma Christensen)










Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (21)
Wow! These look fantastic, I might need to make them tonight!
Oohh..these look so good. Can someone answer a nagging question for me on which type of peanut butter to use for baking? I normally use the all-natural/stir kind (peanuts and salt only) for everyday use. Can I bake with that kind as well or do I need to use the shelf stable Jif, Skippy variety? I've never been sure given the oil content in the natural variety. Thanks in advance!
This looks SSSSOOOO fun!!! It goes on "the list."
These look amazing, what a good idea!
@rosebud--As long as you stir the natural peanut butter well, so that the oil and but butters are combined, you can absolutely use them in baking! My mother is actually the reverse of you--she never knew you could use "normal" peanut butter in baking, so when I was a kid we always had a jar of natural pb just for baking!
I am thinking about a grown-up version with nutella!!
Nutella! Yes! Do it!
@craftyvegan how does using nutella make it "grown-up"? As a kid my sister and I used to love nutella and I know a number of kids that love it now too!
I love the look of these cookies and they sound delicious! I think I'm going to try them first with some yummy fig butter that I recently picked up from Trader Joe's.
i can attest to the fact that these cookies are darn good!!! YUM.
@rosebud I have always (many times) used natural peanut butter in pb cookie recipes with no problems. It is also fun to substitute almond or, if you can find it, hazelnut butter in pb cookies. Yum!
Looks great! Could you tell me what weight a "stick of butter" would have?
Grrrreetings from Belgium
@Chloe Rasier, I updated the recipe with a volume measurement for the butter (it's half a cup). But in weight that would work out to about 113 grams, I believe.
Made these last night with using what I had laying about: almond butter, two layers of apricot jam and a middle black currant jam layer. Delicious! I intend to having a block of of these cookies in my freezer at all time.
I'm fascinated that the jam stays in place during baking and the layers don't fall apart. Does jam harden with heat? Clearly I need to bake these myself and see :)
ooohhh, I just made blackberry cocoa jam yesterday. I think it would be perfect in these cookies.
these look yummy, but unfortunately not lunchboxable - no nuts, fish or eggs at my kids' school. :-(
@deelw - The jam concentrates during cooking, becoming kind of a fruity "glue" holding the layers together (which is way more appetizing than it sounds!). The consistency by the end of cooking is close to fruit leather or the pie juices that bubble over the sides of the pan.
Thanks, Emma, that sounds pretty great! I prepared the dough yesterday - it was a little messy but fun. I had a bit of trouble stacking the dough strips without breaking them. They'd been in the freezer for 30 min, but maybe they just weren't quite hard enough. Anyway, there's a layered block in the freezer waiting for me this evening :)
@deelw - Yeah, it might have been that the strips weren't quite frozen enough, but no worries: one you cut the cookies, the cracks aren't a problem. (As you can see, I had a few, too!)
These spread out way more than I had expected - hello, one huge cookie. But a little cutting apart and they're delicious!
Mine didn't spread too much, I'd guess maybe 30%. They were cute and delicious. I had extra dough from when I rolled it out (my freezer space was limited), so I formed it into circles and did a thumbprint with a bit of jam on top. They came out great, too. The layered cookies make a fantastic presentation, but this recipe is a good one however you bake 'em.