Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Want a favorite childhood sandwich in a bite-sized cookie?  Here ya go!

Ingredients

Originally published in Martha Stewart Magazine
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup jam (your choice!)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat peanut butter and butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.
 

 

 

Add sugars, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients, and mix until combined.

 

Scoop level tablespoons of dough, and form into balls.

 

Roll each ball in granulated sugar, and transfer to parchment-lined or spray the baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake until cookies are puffy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and make indentations in centers with your finger. Careful they're hot.

 

Return to oven, and bake until edges are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely.

Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon into each indentation.

 I decided to only make about 1/3 with the jam, the others I added some semi-sweet chocolate chips on top and also kept 1/3 plain old peanut butter cookies.

Enjoy!

Castle Hill Brunch

A beautiful brunch was what I enjoyed last Sunday morning at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island.  I wish I had some beautiful pictures to show you of the cliffs this Inn is on and the views of the ocean, but the fog took over and interrupted my plan. :(

The amazing food we had though, made up for the lack of view.

Here's the Inn.

A brunch cocktail. Perfectly spicy and sweet.

A brown sugar mini-muffin. Ryan's cutting his in the background, psh.

We ordered the "artisan cheese plate" to begin with. "Here are descriptions of the cheese you are about to enjoy," said the waiter as he gave us a folded paper. Thank you sir

My favorite was the Weybridge (a bleu cheese) spread on toast with a bit of the honey. Yum

Chowder.

 

 

Ryan's lobster hash with poached eggs and creme fraiche.

 

My omelet that had tons of fancy mushrooms, leeks, and local cheeses.

 

The home fries were perfect.

And so was this personal size ketchup bottle. Best part of the meal!