Brown-Butter PB & Jam Cookies
As much as I love fun, funky, and unexpected flavor combinations, sometimes you just have to appreciate the classics.
I am and always have been a PB&J fanatic… and that’s peanut butter and jam thank you very much. What I love the most about jams and preserves are all of those juicy little bits of fruit, something that jellies just simply can’t provide.
These brown butter beauties are my new favorite way to honor this timeless duo. The edges shatter like toffee while the centers are soft, chewy, and topped with a pool of creamy peanut butter and raspberry jam. A final sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top adds a little extra sparkle!
I’m a firm believer that all great cookie recipes should be versatile and customizable, and the sky truly is the limit with these cuties. Swap out the peanut butter for your other favorite nut butter, just try to find the least-oily option accessible. I love the tartness that raspberries bring, but feel free to get creative with your jams and preserves! I don’t recommend using jelly (personal bias aside, I swear!) as the high liquid content in such a small amount of jelly can cause the majority of it to evaporate. Using a thicker jam (or preserve) ensures there will be pieces of fruit that roast and caramelize instead. This is what creates that beautiful ooey-gooey pool of PB&J goodness in the center of each cookie. Additionally, you can make these whatever size your heart desires, but I highly recommend making them large and in charge as pictured.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon molasses
2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter ½
¼ cup jam or preserves
French sea salt, for garnishing (Optional, but so delicious! My favorite brand is Maldon!)
Instructions:
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Warm the butter until it starts to foam and the milk solids start to toast. Once browned, immediately remove the butter and allow it to cool in a separate bowl; be sure to include those toasty browned bits!
Cream cooled brown-butter and both sugars in a large bowl or a stand mixer until fluffy.
In a separate medium sized bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, followed by the molasses. Mix on a low speed for an additional 30 seconds.
Add your sifted dry ingredients in two parts and combine well.
Cover the prepared dough and chill for 30 minutes. The butter needs this time to re-solidify so the cookies won’t spread out further than you want them to. While refrigerating, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
After refrigerating, place scoops of dough about 2-3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use about 2 tablespoons of dough for “responsible” sized cookies*
Lightly flatten the cookies and gently form a shallow well on the top of each one. With an offset spatula or spoon, dollop 1 teaspoon peanut butter and ½ teaspoon jam into each well**
Bake for 12 minutes.*** Remove from oven and allow to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for an additional 5. This slow cool-down process makes crunchy and toffee like around the edges while maintaining that delicious gooey center.
Tips and Tricks:
For extra-large cookies (pictured above):
* Use 3 tablespoons dough per cookie.
** Use 2 teaspoons peanut butter and 1 teaspoon jam.
*** Bake for 18-20 minutes.
