It probably comes as no surprise, but I’ve always had a wicked sweet tooth. When my brother and I were kids, my parents typically kept healthy desserts in the house, (i.e. all-fruit popsicles, “healthified” homemade baked goods, etc.), but every now and then they’d splurge and buy us a decadent treat. Some of my favorites were the vast array of Pepperidge Farm cookies: buttery Chessmen, chocolate-filled Milanos, crispy Bordeaux, spicy Gingermen, classic Chocolate Chunk… and fruit-filled Veronas. I simply adored those cookies with the sweet strawberry jam centers.
Although I can’t pinpoint the last time I indulged in these cookies, I can remember exactly what they taste like. My Flourless PB&J Thumbprint Cookies are NOT a re-creation of the Veronas, but they do satisfy my craving for (peanut)buttery cookies with a fruity filling.
I slightly modified my recipe for Flourless White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies by adding a bit more Sucanat, (because I didn’t use an already sweetened peanut butter for the this batch), and replacing the white chocolate chips with a thumbprint-sized dollop of raspberry preserves in each cookie. You can use any type of jam you like – I prefer all-fruit varieties (meaning no added sugar) that contain pieces of actual fruit & seeds.
Flourless PB&J Thumbprint Cookies
yields 10 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator)
- 1/4 cup Sucanat or brown sugar
- 1 egg white, lightly whisked
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp all-fruit preserves
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter through vanilla extract.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop, spoon cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet.
- Make a small indentation in the center of each cookie dough ball using your thumb and fill each with a bit (about 1/2 tsp) of preserves.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until the cookies are lightly golden brown, but still soft, about 10-12 minutes.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack. Cookies will harden a bit upon cooling, but the end product is a fairly soft & chewy cookie.
