~When I was younger, I was never a big fan of the standard peanut butter & jelly sandwich, opting for strawberry jelly instead of grape. When I got older I refined my taste to mixed berries and the more exotic gooseberry. Grandma’s Goodies jams are made simply and deliciously with only a handful of ingredients. And the long list of flavors and flavor combinations are endless. One of my favorite flavors I’ve tried thus far is the mango jam, for its delightful tropical taste takes me back to Hawaii, more specifically when my family and I attended a mango festival while we were there. Gooseberry is a flavor I never experienced until a few weeks ago. I can’t quite put my finger in it, but it kind of has a grapey taste with a peculiar sweetness.
One of my greatest passion is cooking, more specifically baking! There’s something about it that makes me feel happy and in control. When I’m in the kitchen, no one is to disturb me haha! But in the rare instance I get a little too ambitious for my own good, I recruit my mom as my sous chef. Back in July a friend of mine was having a party and she requested I bake something, since everyone that was going loves my baking. Wanting to stray away from cupcakes, I decided to try something a bit different. There had been a box of peanut butter cookie mix in my pantry for some time, and now was the time to use it! On the back of the box was a recipe for peanut butter jelly sandwich cookies. It seemed easy enough to make, so I gave it a try.
I baked the cookies according to the box and the filling called for cream cheese, powdered sugar and jelly. Since I had at least 4 different jams and jellies on hand, I ended up baking a variety pack of cookie sandwiches, which flavors included grape, strawberry, peach and gooseberry. When I whipped the filling ingredients together, I was disappointed that the consistency wasn’t as light and fluffy as I imagined. Instead it was totally soupy. Nevertheless, the show must go on! So I made the cookies and spread the jam fillings in them and set them in the fridge before the party, in the hope that the filling would harden.
Though it was not the consistency I wanted, the cookie sandwiches turned out pretty good. And my friends seemed to think so too! They were impressed not only with my baking skills, but that I had made the effort to make 4 different flavors. I would make this recipe again, but I’d substitute the cream cheese for whipped cream or CoolWhip.
The Garden Goddess 