Maria's favorite: Peanut butter and jelly cookies

Maria is nanny extraordinaire to Jack and our little friend Nate. She has boundless energy and is always taking the boys to fun Chicago places. I always like to say Jack has the best life ever...the zoo one day, the aquarium the next and the list goes on and on. She has introduced them to so many different ethnic foods and is really working with them both to learn the proper way to act in restaurants. Just this week, Jack has even taken to holding the door for me...my little gentleman! Here is one of Maria's favorites...very kid-friendly, of course!

Peanut butter and jelly cookies

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons grape jelly

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl whisk together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar until smooth and whisk in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, stirring until blended.

Roll pieces of dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. On a large baking sheet arrange balls 2 inches apart and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes. Working quickly, with the back of a 1/4-teaspoon measuring spoon make an indentation about 1/2 inch in diameter in center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with slightly heaping 1/4 teaspoon jelly and bake cookies 10 minutes more, or until golden. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.