Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies

"What time is it?" I saidddddd "What time is it???"

 PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!

What could be better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Um, a peanut butter and jelly COOKIE sandwich. I have to admit I was wondering how these cookies were going to pull together, but they turned out perfectly, ya know the kind that melt-in-your-mouth and you can't resist having more than one!

I've been so excited to make this cookie all year (Outside of the Game Day Cookies- those were amazing!). If you have poked around my blog you know that I LOVE peanut butter! I took special care in making these to make sure they turned out perfect.

I made this for a fall BBQ we went to a few weeks and they were a HUGE hit. I kept getting compliments on them all night and everyone who had one went for at least one more. Enough of the chit chat though- Lets get baking!

Active Time: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Makes: About 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 cups smooth peanut butter (not natural and not chunky)
• 2/3 cup concord grape jelly

Instructions:

1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 
2. Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg until combined, then beat in the peanut butter until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, preheat to 375 degrees. Trim the edges of the dough and cut into 1.5 inch squares (I used a ruler for this to make sure the lines where even, precise and to make sure the cookies were the same size). Use a butter knife or a knife with a lip on it (think a cake cutter) to pick up the cookies and place them 2 inches apart on 2 unlined nonstick baking sheets. Press each with the back of a fork to make a crisscross pattern, flattening slightly. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm, if needed, reroll to cut out more cookies.
4. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are almost set, about 14 minutes.* Let cool for 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Sandwich the grape jelly (about 1 teaspoon) between the cookies
5. ENJOY!

*I have a gas oven and my cookies were done in about 10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Also, next time I make these I think i'll put more peanut butter in the middle because ya know, why not?!