Strawberry Jam No-bake Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

• ½ cup of salted butter
• 1¾ cups of granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup of creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups of quick oats (not old-fashioned)

Jam Ingredients

• 1 lb of fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1½ cups of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon of lemon zest (optional)
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons of water

Cookie Instructions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a 2.5-3 quart saucepan, add the butter, sugar, cocoa, and milk.
3. Put the pan on the stove over medium heat, and let it sit until it starts to boil.
4. Once it’s boiling, let it sit unstirred for 60 seconds.
5. After 60 seconds, remove from heat and immediately add the peanut butter, oats, and vanilla extract (it is important that you add in the ingredients as soon as possible).
6. Stir the mixture well and then, using a spoon, drop the mixture onto the baking sheets (try to make the cookies small).
7. Let the cookies cool for 20-30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate them to speed up this process.
8. Depending on the size of your cookies, make about a ½  inch hole that allows a good jam-to-cookie ratio.

Jam Instructions

1. Grab your strawberries. Wash them, take the stem and hull out, and then slice them. If you are using frozen strawberries, give them time to thaw before washing and cutting them. 
2. In a saucepan, add the strawberries and put them over medium heat.
3. Add in the sugar and stir until completely mixed.
4. When it is completely mixed, and your strawberries have reached a boil, add the lemon juice and lemon zest (optional).
5. Stir the jam often to make sure it doesn’t burn.
6. Add the cornstarch and water, mix well, and let it simmer for a minute or two (this is to thicken the jam).
7. Pour your jam into a jar and allow it to cool.
8. Using a spoon, carefully pour the jam into the hole of the cookie.
9. Once you’ve finished adding the jam, carefully fold/stretch the top of the cookie so that it’s covering the hole.
10. Grab a cookie and enjoy!!