Peanut Butter and Jelly Heart Cookies

I just love how soft, chewy, and delicious these adorable little cookies are. And they are so easy to make, even the kids can help! As a matter of fact, this recipe is just a slight variation of the recipe that my mom and I used to bake together when I was just a girl. The only thing I've changed is to add the jelly heart, which makes them perfect for Valentine's Day - or any other day that you want to show someone you care.

 Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
• 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 2 cups Biscuit Baking Mix (like Bisquick)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Granulated Sugar
• Fruit Spread of Your Choice (I used some of my Homemade Strawberry Preserves) 

Method:

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl stir the condensed milk and peanut butter together until smooth. Add in the biscuit mix and vanilla. Stir until the biscuit mix is thoroughly incorporated. (The dough will be fairly stiff, so put a little muscle into it.)

Pinch off some of the dough and shape it into 1.5 inch balls. Roll them in sugar until covered on all sides. Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Flatten the cookies partially (not too much, about 3/4 to 1/2 inch thick) with the bottom of a glass, or just use your hand. Use your finger tip to press a heart shaped well into the center of each cookie. (Press it once at a 45 degree angle one way, then swap the angle and do it again, keeping the bottom of the finger tip in the same spot.) You may need to do a little reshaping of the outside of the cookie, to make a defined well, and fix any major cracks. Little ones are okay, and just add a bit of charm to the cookie. Larger cracks might let your jelly leak out though, so they should be closed up.  (If you mess up, it's okay. Just roll it back into a ball, resugar, and start again... BEFORE you add the jelly.)

Carefully fill the heart shaped well with the fruit spread, but just to the top. Too much jelly, and it will leak out over the tops of the cookie as it melts in the oven, making it one big ugly mess. (Don't ask me how I know this. Ugg... But at least they do still taste good.)

Filled Cookie, Before Baking.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 - 10 minutes, or until just lightly browned around the edges. (Try not over bake them or they will get hard when they cool.) Remove baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool on top of the stove for a couple of minutes. This will allow the cookies time to firm up a little, and make them easier to remove from the pan. Place cookies on a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy! 



Related posts that might interest you:

 Banana-Bo-Bana Cookies 

 Nutella Chocolate Cherry Galette