PB&J Bars

Some things are just plain good no matter how old you get. Peanut butter and jelly on white bread … you never grow too old for that! These easy-to-make bars are the dessert form of pb&j sandwiches and oh boy are they good 🙂

Recipe note: I’ve used grape jelly, but feel free to sub your favorite flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, plus more for pan prep, at room temp

• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp. fine salt

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 (12 ounces) jar of grape jelly

• 3/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Butter parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. With a pasty cutter or your hands, work in the 2 sticks butter until mixture is coarse with a few pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Add the egg and vanilla, and stir until dough just comes together. Set aside 1 cup dough and firmly press remaining dough into pan in an even layer. Using a spatula, spread the jelly over top.

Combine reserved dough, peanuts, and peanut butter chips; crumble over the jelly layer. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Run a sharp knife along the edges and use parchment to lift the cake from the pan. Cut into squares. Store up to a week in an airtight container.

Makes 12 squares

Recipe source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes