Thursday, February 26, 2009

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars


I was really wanting to bake something last night since Adam wasn't home. So, I searched marthastewart.com for a good cookie recipe and came across these gems! I love peanut butter & jelly. I seriously eat it like 4-5 times a week. Now, before you judge, I do eat natural pb and all natural sugar free jelly on whole wheat bread, so it is healthy for me. So because of my deep intense love for pb&j, I knew these bars would be out of this world. They are so good you are going to flip! They are so chewy and sweet. The jelly gives you a little tartness and you get a nice crunch from the peanuts on top. If you love pb&j, you are going to just love these bars. I halved the recipe and baked them in a 8 x 8 pan instead of a 9 x 13, but you can find the full, original recipe from Martha here.



Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
Source: MarthaStewart.com
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup strawberry jam, or other flavor
1/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add egg and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla. Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with offset spatula or press into pan using your hands. Using offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.
Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about sixteen 1 1/2-by-2-inch pieces.

9 comments:

  1. This looks so good! I am a total peanut butter and jelly addict too. These could be trouble for me! Yum!

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  2. I need to eat PB and J more often. My husband is allergic, but I could take it for my lunch!! The bars look awesome!!

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  3. Yum - I love PB & J, too. I have had this recipe saved for a while and this just reminds me again that I need to make it, quick! Looks great!

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  4. These look so good! I can't wait to make them. I love PBJ sandwiches too--the "adult" kind with the all natural stuff :)

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  5. I haven't had enough PB&J lately. Maybe it's time to make these!

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  6. I've seen these before and have been wanting to make them. Seeing this might give me the push to finally do it!

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  7. I don't bake but I think I have to make these for my husband. He eats PB&J several times a week for lunch!

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  8. I love PBJ bars! I have only made Ina's so I will have to make these to compare...

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