PB&J Bars
Some things just fit together. Ice cream and a waffle cone. Sonny and Cher. Ricky and Lucy. Stone Cold Steve Austin and his beer. Peanut Butter and Jelly. I'll admit, when I was younger, I never ate peanut butter and jelly. I'd just sit there eating a lonely peanut butter sandwich. The peanut butter screamed for something to accompany it, but I ignored its calls. I was young and naïve, so pardon me. I didn't know how good a greatly made fruit jam or jelly would compliment the nuttiness of the peanut butter. Tastes evolve and mine definitely did a 180°F turn on this one. So in the spirit of PB&J, I present to you these PB&J bars. When a sandwich isn't going to do it for you, I suggest you dive into one of these babies. Rich, sweet and of course, full of peanut butter goodness! The tartness from the strawberry jam really provides a great contrast to the peanut butter. This recipe is easy, as usual and so worth it.
Please note: In my video, I halved the recipe, because I don't want to be stuffing my face with 18 bars. This resulted in a thinner texture. It was more of a cookie than a bar. Still good, but different texture. To get a nice, thick bar texture, go ahead and make the normal recipe listed below, but the video will help you see the procedure to use.
Start by pre-heating your oven to 350°F. Prep you baking dish by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Grease lightly with cooking spray. Make sure you leave enough hanging out of the sides. This will make the bars easier to lift out.
Sift together, in a medium bowl, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until just blended.
In a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy. This should take about two minutes or so.
Add in the egg and beat that well. Add in the peanut butter and mix for two more minutes.
Turn off the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add in the flour, all at once. Then on low speed, beat until just combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350°F for about 25-30 minutes.
Take it out of oven and spread with the jam and peanuts (if you're using them). Place them back in the oven to bake for five more minutes.
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift them out using the overhanging foil. Top with salted peanuts or drizzle with some melted peanut butter chips.
Once completely cool, cut into squares.
Delicious PB&J Bars Heat the oven to 350°F. Place aluminum foil in the bottom and overhanging sides of a 9x9" baking pan.PB&J Bars
Ingredients
Instructions
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until blended.
Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium-high until fluffy, about two
minutes.
Add in the egg and beat in until incorporated.
Add in the peanut butter and beat for another two minutes until well blended.
Stop the mixer and scrape.
With the machine off, add in the flour, turn on the machine and mix on low speed until just blended.
Don't overmix.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Spread into the baking pan and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and spread the jam and sprinkle the peanuts if you choose to use them.
Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift by the aluminum foil sides and cut into 18 bars when
completely cooled.
