Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Fit For A Toddler
Description
A subtle but significant element to our toddler cookery is an ingredient you may not have expected: miso. The fermented soybean paste is essentially salt with both character and viscosity–it can add depth to the flavor of the food; it can thicken and smooth the texture of sauces, marinades, toppings, etc. too. Used judiciously, it actually has significantly less sodium than table or sea salt; the nutty taste pairs especially well with cooking fats–most especially butter. We use it as topping for sandwiches; it’s great combined with honey, mustard, and butter as a marinade for broccoli or Brussel sprouts or tofu. Salmon is a natural partner, as is chicken, where miso can be combined with a bit of soy, rice vinegar, ginger, and lime to create a simple but special marinade for speed cooking.
And, of course, sweets. What salt has done for caramel and chocolate, miso can do for desserts, most especially anything with, yes, more butter in it–like, say, cookies. Cookies like peanut butter, which is also conveniently complementary to miso in both taste and texture; it also happens to be something that’s both always in your pantry and always in demand by your child. And jelly–well, that one is obvious. Hence: miso peanut butter and jelly cookies. We’ve gone the “Linzer” route here by putting the fruit dead center in the cookie, a move done largely for visual appeal; our son proved as much by proceeding to dive into it nose first, eating the center first and then futilely attempting to push the rest into his mouth as it crumbled about him. (He also asked right after why there was no chocolate in the cookie, so…). We default to raspberry here for our jam flavor, but almost anything you have on hand should have the same effect on your child.
(As always when it comes to sweets, we try to make a modest amount of product: the proportions here will net you about 12-14 small cookies. If you’re looking to feed a larger number of family or guests, or if you want to have enough for several days, double the ingredients.)
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep
- Take your butter, peanut butter, miso, and egg out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature–should take about 15-20 minutes.
- Place butter, peanut butter, and miso in a large bowl; with a hand mixer, blend together until integrated and smooth, roughly two minutes. (Can also use a stand mixer, too.)
- Add in brown sugar and continue to mix for another minute or two.
- Add in egg and mix until almost fluffy, about two minutes.
- Add in flour, baking powder, and baking soda; stir just until a dough forms.
- Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Cover a small plate with sugar.
- With a spoon or your hands, grab a chunk of the dough and roll between your hands until round; roll it through the sugar so that the outside of the ball has a thin layer of sugar. Place on pan and flatten, using your palm to push the dough into a round shape. Repeat for rest of dough, leaving at least an inch or two on the pan between the cookies.
- Lightly press a fork horizontally and vertically into each cookie to create crisscross pattern. Using your thumb, make an indent at center–or wherever the lines cross–as large as you want your jelly filling to be, making sure there is still a bit of dough at bottom.
- Spoon or squeeze enough jelly to fill the crevice.
Cook
- Heat until the edges of the cookies are browned, roughly 9-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool–and firm–for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
Adapt
For a more “bar” layered look and feel, you can add the jelly to the dough before you refrigerate it–just skip the indent part and go right to baking. Remove the miso, too, if you must; be sure to add a pinch of salt back in to cover.
