Chewy Jelly Bean Cookies

A light, buttery cookie dough is the perfect vessel in which to suspend copious amounts of brightly coloured jelly bean candy. Chewy Jelly Bean Cookies are a perfect treat for those of us who prefer soft and moist treats. Jelly Beans hold up well to baking and retain their candied shells and gel-like centers!

With a good supply of red and green jelly beans on hand at Christmas time, I tried to make these Chewy Jelly Bean Cookies, but I wasn’t quite happy with them. They tasted great, but the texture wasn’t quite right. On a recent trip to a bulk supply store, I happened to walk past the many varieties of Easter candy where the brightly coloured jelly beans were displayed. I couldn’t help but think about the cookie recipe again. So, I bagged up a bunch with the goal of perfecting the recipe.

The first time I made them, the dough was too soft and not pillowy enough to hold the jelly bean properly when baked. The second batch I prepared was with oats. They looked really good and the cookie was much thicker, but the chewiness of the jelly beans and the mild bite of the oats fought with each other too much. The winning recipe, which is the one I’m sharing here, is a very basic, buttery cookie recipe, but it uses both baking soda and baking powder to get that higher, puffier cookie.

I love how these turned out! They are thick and so flavourful! The cookie itself is light and fluffy and just mildly sweet. But, with the added jelly beans, there’s fruity flavour, more sweetness, and so much more texture! The dough has jelly beans folded into it, but I also pushed more jelly beans into the top of the cookies before baking. They’re just so good! You have to make these!

WHAT ARE JELLY BEANS?

According to Wikipedia and Spruce Eats, jelly beans are a classic candy with a soft, chewy center and a thin candy coating. The flavour possibilities are endless, which has led to the ever-growing popularity of this fun, tiny candy. The popularity of the humble candy surely surpassed all expectations when the candy was used in the family-oriented game, Beanboozled.

Because jelly beans are candy, it is no surprise that the main ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and starch. Starch is added to create a gelatinous, chewy texture. They also have a thin, crunchy coating, which is undeniably a hallmark of a good jelly bean experience.

Flavouring ingredients are added to differentiate jelly bean varieties and may be natural or artificial depending on the manufacturer. With new flavours of jelly beans popping up every day, their popularity is sure to continue. Each year enough jelly beans to circle the world five times are consumed.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar – Sugar has more than one function in baking.  Not only does it add sweetness, but it will caramelize too, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Baking Soda – Commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, or just bicarb, it is a baking ingredient that’s activated by a liquid and an acid to help with leavening or rising.  In most cases, you will see baking soda in recipes with lemon juice or buttermilk, but that’s not always the case.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking, it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness. 
• Jelly Beans

HOW TO MAKE CHEWY JELLY BEAN COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Set that aside. Next, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and salt. Beat those into the butter mixture.

Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Stir in one cup of jelly beans. Portion the cookie dough into two-tablespoon amounts. I used a cookie scoop and scooped the dough right onto the prepared baking sheet.

Press a few of the remaining jelly beans into the top of each cookie and place the cookies about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack lined with a sheet of parchment paper to cool. Don’t place the cookies directly onto the cooling rack, because the soft jelly beans on the bottom of the cookie will stick. A sheet of parchment paper will prevent the sticking.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Chewy Jelly Bean Cookies, you certainly can! Once completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.