Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
I'm currently a little obsessed with making cookies that are a mixture of comforting and fancy, and these peanut butter and jelly cookies just do that. A deliciously soft peanut cookie dough surrounds a raspberry compote, topped with more raspberry compote, peanut butter ganache and caramelised peanuts. You can find the full recipe and video below!
PB&J COOKIES - Makes 10 cookies
RASPBERRY COMPOTE
200G FRESH OR FROZEN RASPBERRIES
1/16 TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
30G SUGAR
1 TSP NH PECTIN ( can be replaced with 2tsp yellow or citrus pectin)
1/16 TSP CITRIC ACID
Heat the raspberries and vanilla together over a low heat, stirring to break the raspberries down slightly. In a bowl or container mix together the sugar, pectin and citric acid together, then whisk this into the raspberries. Cook over a low heat, whisking constantly, until the raspberry is slightly thickened. Fill 10 half sphere silicone moulds each with about 2 teaspoons of the raspberry compote and place in the freezer to set- they will need to be fully frozen if using yellow or citrus pectin. These will last for one month in the freezer. Store the remaining compote in the fridge for up to three days.
COOKIE DOUGH
120G SALTED BUTTER
130G SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER
75G BROWN SUGAR
75G CASTER SUGAR
1 EGG (I USE SIZE 7 FREE RANGE)
150G FLOUR
3/4 TSP BAKING SODA
FLAKY SALT
Place the butter in a pot and cook over a low to medium heat, whisking constantly, until you have a deep, nutty brown butter. Pour the butter into a bowl (If you want you can re-weigh the butter, it should be 100g). Set the butter aside to cool for at least ten minutes.
Once slightly cooled, whisk in the peanut butter, followed by both the sugars and the egg. Stir in the flour and baking soda. Split your dough into 10 balls that are 65-70g each. Press the dough balls into a cup like shape and press a set raspberry compote into the centre of the dough. Roll the ball so the raspberry is completely encased. Place the dough balls in the fridge for at least an hour or up to one week, or the freezer for at least 20 minutes or up to one month.
Preheat the oven to 175c. Spread the dough balls evenly over two baking trays and sprinkle each one with a touch of flaky salt. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until nicely golden brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and use a round cutter to scoot your cookies, so they end up nice and round. Allow to cool fully on the trays.
PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE
30G CREAM
35G CARAMELISED WHITE CHOCOLATE
25G SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER
Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate and peanut butter. Whisk until you have a smooth ganache. Pour into a piping bag and allow to cool at room temperature. Use this ganache the same day as making it.
CARAMELISED PEANUTS
15G SUGAR
15G WATER
50G ROASTED, SALTED PEANUTS
FLAKY SALT
Bring the sugar and water to a boil over a medium heat. Add in the peanuts and turn the heat down to low. Stir constantly until the sugar starts to crystalise around the peanuts, then continue to cook until the sugar caramelises and you have beautifully golden peanuts. Pour onto a sheet of baking paper and sprinkle generously with flaky salt. Once cool store the peanuts in an airtight container for up to one month.
TO FINISH
Blend the remaining raspberry compote with a stick blender to create a pipe-able gel. If you need to you can add a little bit of water to help smooth the compote. Spoon the compote into a piping bag and cut a small 3mm hole in the bag. Pipe three kisses of compote on top of each cookie. Cut a similar sized hole in the tip of your peanut butter ganache piping bag and pipe three kisses in between each raspberry compote kiss. Finish with pieces of caramelised peanuts.
Store the cookies for up to three days in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy!