Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Necessity is the mother of invention, so I came up with this recipe when I had some leftover peanut butter chips and strawberry jelly that I needed to get rid of. I figured if I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, why wouldn't I like them together in a cookie?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)
1-1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/3 cups peanut butter chips
a small jar of jelly

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl.

Mix in the white and brown sugars. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Then add them to the rest of the dough and mix it all up.

Add the flour gradually and stir as you go. Then add the peanut butter chips and stir until they are well distributed.

Grease your cookie sheets. Roll the dough by teaspoonfuls and place on the greased cookie sheet. Use your (clean!) thumb to make an indentation in the center. Add a small amount of jelly to the indentation. (Don't use too much. Probably a quarter of a teaspoon is enough. Too much jelly and the center of your cookie will get soggy pretty quickly. Cookies with a little less jelly will last longer.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Cool for two minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Yields 4-5 dozen cookies.