This recipe is for all of the peanut butter lovers out there! Move this to the top of your list IMMEDIATELY. Better yet, stop whatever you’re doing and bake a batch right now! Peanut butter is one of my favorite things in the whole world and this treat gives me even more reason to love it.
I made these for a family get-together and part of me regretted leaving the plate of them behind. They have been on my mind all week, they were that good. Thinking about them so much even made me realize that the recipe could be modified in fun ways. Sure you can use any fruit jam you want, but what about using milk chocolate or Nutella instead? I suspect there will be some experimenting in my future….
Another recipe from Real Simple, it turns one of my favorite lunches into a delightful dessert:
Here’s the recipe for Real Simple Recipe for PB&J Bars:
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
1/2 cup raspberry jam (I used all natural jam)
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, mashed (I used organic raspberries)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
Directions
Heat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Line with parchment paper. (I was out of parchment and used buttered aluminum foil)
Combine the jam and raspberries in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low until just combined.
Press half the dough into the prepared dish. Top with the raspberry mixture. Fold the peanuts into the remaining half of the dough and drop in clumps over the jam. Bake until the top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool in the dish for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 16 squares.
Makes 16 bars. Hands-On Time: 15 minutes. Total Time: 3 hours
