Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
This recipe guides you through making delicious Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars. It involves creaming butter and sugar, then incorporating eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Dry ingredients are gently mixed in to form a versatile dough. A base layer of dough is topped with jam, then dolloped with the remaining dough and peanuts before baking to golden perfection, yielding a nostalgic, crowd-plepleasing treat.
Equipment
- 1 9x13x2-inch Cake Pan
- 1 Electric Mixer with paddle attachment
- 2 Mixing Bowls one large for mixer, one small for dry ingredients
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Offset Spatula or Knife for spreading dough
Ingredients
Main
- 1/2 pound 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups 18 ounces creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups 18 ounces raspberry jam or other jam
- 2/3 cups salted peanuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.
Notes
For best results, ensure your butter and eggs are truly at room temperature. This allows for proper emulsification, resulting in a smoother, more uniform dough texture. When adding the dry ingredients, mix only until just combined to avoid overdeveloping the gluten, which can lead to tough bars. Don't worry if the top dough layer doesn't completely cover the jam; it will spread during baking. For an extra layer of flavor and texture, consider sprinkling a pinch of flaky sea salt over the top with the peanuts before baking to balance the sweetness of the jam and peanut butter.