Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

I always think peanut butter cookies sound better than they taste because they are usually just too greasy. That is, until I recently discovered the very best peanut butter cookies ever, on the Chocolate Covered Katie website. She calls these Peanut Butter Secrets – because no one will ever know they’re vegan.

It’s true. These cookies are delicate, almost fragile, and pretty much melt in your mouth. I love them, and so do my non-vegan kids, which is always a tougher bar to clear.

Katie’s recipe for Peanut Butter Secrets is fantastic just as it is, but I like to gild the lily by turning them into thumbprint cookies. My current favorite is a toss-up between sour cherry and black raspberry fruit spread, creating perfection right smack dab in the middle.

They’re easy to prepare, and highly addictive. And I’m guessing they will be the lightest peanut butter cookies you have ever tried.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Servings: makes 16 cookies
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1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt (optional)

2 tablespoons black raspberry, cherry, strawberry, or grape fruit jam

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients, except for the jam, into the dry ingredients, until just combined.

Form cookie balls, and bake on parchment covered baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes (8 for soft, 10 for crisp and chewy). Remove from oven and place pan on cooling rack. While cookies are still hot, carefully create small indentations (thumbprint size) in the centers and fill each cookie with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of jam. Continue to cool for at least 5 minutes more before removing cookies from baking pan.

(Inspired by chocolatecoveredkatie.com)