Most peanut butter and jelly cookie recipes I researched were peanut butter cookies with a thumbprint filled with jelly. Um, that’s not like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I know. I need my PB&J cookie to be a sandwich, too. Deliciously creamy peanut butter mingling with sweet strawberry jelly between two pillows of carbs. Well, I imagine anything between two pillows of carbs would be delicious.

I could have just put regular peanut butter in the middle of these, but who are we kidding. I need to buttercream-ize everything. Plus it made it easier to pipe it all nice on the inside of the cookies with it looking like a kindergartener made them. See?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

For the cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

My most favorite cookies to make at Christmastime are peanut blossoms. You know, peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s kiss pressed into the center. I’ve been making them for years and they’re always the first cookie to disappear.

This year, I decided to try something a little different: mini Reese’s peanut butter cups instead of kisses. And wow. Wow.

Wow.

These are absolutely amazing. I baked the cookies in a mini muffin tin, since the peanut butter cups are a little taller than the kisses.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
(lovingly adapted from AllRecipes)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Baking Temperature: 375 degrees
Baking Time: 8 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
3. Mix in peanut butter until completely incorporated.
4. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk.
5. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
6. Place a 1-inch ball of dough into each cup of an ungreased mini muffin pan (should be a little more than half full).
7. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

I’ve since learned that white chocolate can be a lot classier than that.

Most cookies that call for chocolate chips (white or otherwise) usually suggest adding 1 to 1 1/2 cups, but I always add the entire 12-ounce bag no matter what. Who like cookies with stingy add-ins? No one, that’s who. Maybe Quakers or something.

I could have sworn that Magnolia Bakery had a recipe that I used, but I couldn’t find it. Instead, I used the Magnolia Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan cookie base with a 12-ounce bag of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of macadamia nuts.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1  cup macadamia nuts
1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Since I’ve been short on time lately, I’ve opted for cookies. I adore baking cupcakes, but they are multi-step treats: bake cupcakes, make icing, wait for cupcakes to cool, rewhip icing because it went flat, pipe icing onto cupcakes, try again because it looks like crap, give up and use a frosting spreader.

Yea, cookies are easy.

Personally, I am not the hugest fan of chocolate. Sure, I like candy (especially Reese’s and Cadbury mini eggs), but I’m more of a vanilla girl. But when mixed with peanut butter, chocolate becomes intoxicating.

I swear, I do bake things that aren’t made of chocolate and peanut butter! Well, sometimes.

The base for this cookie is adapted from Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Drop Cookie, but with chocolate and peanut butter chips added because why not!

Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3  cups (2 2/3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth; about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly.
5. Stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches in between for expansion.
7. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool cookies on the sheet. Remove the cookies after 1 minute and cool on wire rack.

When I first bought my Magnolia cookbook, this was the recipe I tried out right away and have been perfecting ever since. While they were always amazing, I recently discovered the key to making this cookie outrageous: heavy cream instead of milk. Never mind that the reason I had to use cream was because I didn’t have any milk in the house; this is the kind of serendipitous feat that doesn’t need an enlightening back story.

While the milk makes these cookies insanely smooth, the heavy cream makes them even more unbelievable.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
(lovingly adapted from Magnolia Bakery)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in the pecans, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

But they’re so good I can’t help myself.

Totally overindulged the past few days. The holidays are the worst for that. And with New Year’s Eve swiftly approaching, there is no end in sight. I’ve found it’s futile to try and resist temptation this time of year. Who wants to be crunching on carrots and cucumbers when there are delicious things abound?

Did get lots of baking gear for Christmas though, including…FROSTING TIPS!!! Be on the lookout for some professionally-piped cupcakes in your future…well, okay, they won’t be professionally piped but they will look more appetizing than the pumpkin cupcakes!

Sidenote: if anyone is looking to purchase me a gift (my birthday is in June!), I just found the most awesome baking-inspired prints at Jenny’s Bake Shop…the store also sells cupcake jewelry but they are currently sold out! ::sad trombone::

At first blush, these didn’t look to appealing to me. I’d never had Magic Cookie Bars as a kid, so I thought the combination of chocolate, coconut, and condensed milk to be pretty weird. Who knew these things were so damn amazing.

I made these using the fantastical new Pampered Chef stoneware bar pan that I got from my wonderful sister-in-law and brother! I also used a little less coconut than the Magnolia recipe calls for (4 cups instead of 4 1/2). The best part about these is that you can pretty much mix and match the ingredients – peanut butter chips, hazelnuts, butterscotch chips, raspberry jam…they are sooo easy to make. No real baking experience required!

I also enjoyed wearing my new Jessie Steele apron

Magic Cookie Bars, adapted from Magnolia Bakery (of course)

4 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup mini chocolate chips
4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3 fourteen-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

Baking Temperature: 325 degrees
Baking Time: 30-35 minutes

1. In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Press firmly into an ungreased 12 x 18″ jelly roll pan.
2. Sprinkle over this the walnuts, then the chocolate chips, and then the shredded coconut.
3. On top, pour over three cans of sweetened condensed milk evenly to completely cover the coconut. Use a spatula if needed.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden. Be careful not to overbake.
5. Allow bars to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

I baked cookies with my mom every Christmas when I was younger, and it’s something that I try to continue today. Even though I miss spending afternoons in the kitchen with her, elbow-deep in dough and covered in flour, keeping the tradition alive makes me feel like a kid again. It’s when I really start feeling like it’s Christmas!

While traditionally, my mom and I would make classic cookie press cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies, I decided to venture a little outside of my comfort zone. Having a pretty strong German heritage, I’d always wanted to try making Linzer tarts. I’d never really had them as a kid, but they are a quintessential Christmas cookie. Since they are pretty Old World-y, I didn’t think I’d get too many takers, but they actually turned out to be the most popular cookie!

Along with the Linzers, I’d decided pretty early on that I wanted to make peanut blossoms (from a recipe I’ve been using for years), sugar cookies, and gingerbread people (they’re not gingerbread MEN, for god’s sake).

I had so much fun making all these cookies. Since the dough for the Linzer tarts and gingerbread need to be refridgerated (they both need to be rolled out), I made those first, stuck them in the fridge, and then went on to make the sugar cookies, since I’d be frosting them later. The peanut blossoms are possibly the most fool-proof cookies ever – they have a significant peanut butter base and very little flour, so it’s pretty hard to screw them up. The Linzer tarts, on the other hand, are pretty labor-intensive, but totally worth it. They make some gorgeous cookies.

Also, the sugar cookies (which I frosted with a simple confectioner’s sugar frosting) are dusted with edible glitter to make it look like snow

Raspberry Hazelnut Linzer Cookies, a la Magnolia Bakery

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/3 raspberry preserves
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 15-18 minutes

1. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. In  a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar until smooth, about two minutes.
4. Add vanilla and beat well.
5. Add the flour mixture in three parts, adding the nuts with the last portion, and mix until just combined.
6. Shape the dough into two flat discs, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Roll out one disc at a time to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 3-inch fluted cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on baking sheets lined with wax paper. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator and chill for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Remove baking sheets from the refrigerator, and using a 1/2-inch fluted cutter, cut a circle out of the center of half the cookies. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15-1 minutes, or until lightly golden around the egdes.
9. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Spread 1 teaspoon of preserves on the flat side of the cookies without the cutout centers. Sandwich the cutout cookies with the cookies spread with the preserves. Dredge the tops of the cookies on both sides with confectioner’s sugar.

Gingerbread People

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger, ground
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time:8-10 minutes

1. In a medium bowl, combinr flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add molasses and egg; beat well.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.
5. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

Peanut Blossoms

1 (8 ounce) package Hershey’s Kisses (or mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups)
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy not crunchy)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white sugar for decoration

Baking Temperature: 375 degrees
Baking Time: 8-10 minutes

1. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
   
3. In a large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended.
   
4. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy.
   
5. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.
6. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter mixture.
7. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet.
8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

No, they have nothing to do with Snickers or doodles or even Snick for that matter. Though I’m sure you could watch Snick while eating them. Snickerdoodles remind me of Old World German women baking in the dead of winter (you can read alllllll about the history of Snickerdoodles here).

This is another Magnolia recipe…surprise! No but really, while Snickerdoodles are hard to mess up, anything from Magnolia is guaranteed to be perfect. This is my second favorite cookie recipe from Magnolia (I will post my very favorite at some point…they are OMGZ so good).

Snickerdoodles, as performed by Magnolia Bakery

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons of sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, for tops of cookies

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 12-14 minutes

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat well.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Wrap the dough tightly and chill in the refridgerator for 1-2 hours.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Next week’s mission: bake something that makes me feel more like Betty Draper. Maybe a pie? Something with booze?

Spoiler alert: I’m making red velvet cupcakes. Recipe and pics on the way.

If only I had my Jessie Steele apron…

Pumpkin Cookies
(Recipes for cookies and frosting adapted from In Praise of Leftovers)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chopped pecans

Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

1. Beat butter in a mixer and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add pumpkin and mix until combined.
3. Add egg and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together, then add to pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Stir in chopped pecans.
6. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper and bake until lightly golden.

Brown Sugar Icing

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
pecans (for garnish)

1. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
2. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
3. With a knife or spreader, spread icing on each cookie. Ice cookies while still warm so that the icing spreads easily over the cookies. Sprinkle pecans while icing is still warm.