Using Up Last Year's Strawberry Jam

Before I delve into different ways to preserve berries (such as freezing, jams, drying, etc) I think its important to mention ways I am using what I put up year in order to make room for this season's stores. One of the easiest (and possibly most delicious) ways to preserve berries is by making jam.  Last year I experimented with jam recipes using a local variety of berries that are so sweet I wanted to come up with a 'formula' that used less sugar but still jelled properly (because pectin requires a certain amount of sugar to perform its jelling duties effectively).  This season I am going to look into low sugar pectin, but that is for another post and another time.  Because I was testing out different ratios I ended up with a ton of strawberry jam (close to 18 jars for a family of 2).  Basically, there is a lot of jam in the cupboard still!  Luckily jam is a wonderful thing.  Its great on toast of course, but also biscuits, crackers, pancakes, waffles, crepes, rolls (pretty much anything that counts as a carbohydrate).  Jam can also be quickly added to yogurt for flavoring or made into a syrup for ice cream.  One of my favorite ways to use up jam, especially if I have a have full pint jar that is only half used up but has been sitting int he fridge for a while, is to make peanut butter and jelly cookies.

This isn't your childhood PB&J in a plastic baggie.  Same great flavor with a grown up touch.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
Makes 30 cookies using a small cookie scoop.
Oven temperature: 350 degrees

Seasonal Summary
Jam!- once preserved its in season all year long.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter 
   (freshly ground is best because it contains nothing but roasted peanuts!)
1/2 cup softened butter- 1 stick
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
more granulated sugar for rolling
1/2 cup jam use any flavor you have on hand)

Adding the sugar to creamed peanut butter and softened butter.

Directions 

1. After preheating the oven, combine the dry ingredients in bowl and whisk two or three times to combine.  
2. Beat peanut butter and softened butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add sugar and continue beating until smooth.  Continue beating until the egg and vanilla are fully incorporated.
3. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients.
4. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls.  Roll each ball in sugar and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper of a baking mat.
5. Bake for 10 minutes (cookies with be puffy) then remove from oven and use the end of a wooden spoon or other utensil to make an indentation in the center (I use a tool that makes about a 1" indentation so that I have more room to put jam!).
6. Return to over and bake for 6-7 more minutes.
7. Remove baking sheet from oven and lace on a wire rack to cool.
8. Spoon 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. of jam into the indentation of cooled cookies.  The bigger the indentation the more jam!
9. Store cookies in a single layer.

These cookies get gobbled up quick! They are also great at potlucks due to the large batch.