Crunchy peanut butter and jelly bars
By Lizzie on October 24, 2016
Ah peanut butter..How I love you..It’s hard for me to put into words my deep love and affection for this sticky, salty, smooth or crunchy and oh so satisfying treat! I love it on bread, in baked goods, in savory dishes or just right out of the jar with a big old spoon! I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into my baking. The crunchy variety is my favorite and I love to substitute regular peanut butter in recipes with the extra crunchy kind. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website several years ago, and made some changes using crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth and omitting extra peanuts. I also made some other substitutions that really make this the perfect recipe!! You can use any variety of jam that you love. The possibilities are endless!!
Crunchy peanut butter and jelly bars
Prep time: 20 minutes Yield: 9x13" pan Bake time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
2 and 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups of your favorite jam ( I use strawberry or seedless raspberry)
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 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 eggs and peanut butter and vanilla and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Whisk together all dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan and spread evenly. Using a large spoon or offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture without leaving a border. Dollop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. There will be areas of jam showing, and that is fine! Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake another 20 and check doneness. You may need to continue baking another 5 minutes or so. The top will be a nice golden brown when it is done. Cool on a wire rack for about 45 minutes to an hour before cutting into bars.
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