PB & J Bars

PB & J Bars

I’ve never gotten over a simple PB & J. I mean, how can you top that?

With a bar, actually. That’s how you top the best sandwich ever. This bar is soft and chewy and topped with strawberry jelly. Oh, and peanut butter chips. Can you imagine what would have happened if your mother had put peanut butter chips in your sandwich when you were a kid? That’s known as “bad parenting.” But it works really well in a dessert bar!

Too well, actually. These guys got banished to the freezer so I wouldn’t slam back the entire batch in one day. It makes me wonder why I didn’t name my blog after all things peanut butter. If you must know, I like to rename my blog in my head. But I still really like Just About Baked.

PB & J Bars

Actually, I constantly wonder about some of the food blog names I run across, so if you want, use the comments below to explain yourself. Some of them are pretty self-explanatory, but others are pretty out there. And I’m a curious girl, so humor me! How did your blog baby get its name?

A lot of things about the food blogging world make me curious. Commenting fascinates me. I always wonder if someone just skipped ahead and wrote about the picture and the title of my recipe, or if they took the time to read what I wrote. The more generic the comment, the more I tend to think that someone just gave the post a perfunctory skim and moved on with the day ahead.

PB & J Bars

There is nothing wrong with that, by the way. Everybody’s busy. The thing is, I’m slow at commenting on blogs because I try to take the time to read every word of each post. And though I’ve only been blogging for a year and a half (almost), I’ve noticed that it’s much easier to write personalized messages on blog posts when there’s more to the post than just information about the dish being presented. It’s always fun to read a little story about someone’s day, or to read them waxing philosophical about anything. But maybe that’s just the type of writing I respond to most. Once again, I’m interested in knowing what you, my loyal readers, think about that.

Before my English teacher snooty self takes over and I start blathering about how so many writers don’t know the difference between “it’s” and “its,” I think I’ll start talking about peanut butter and why it’s (i.e. “it is”) so great.

PB & J Bars

We all know that my love for peanut butter and chocolate is strong. You can therefore imagine how hard it was for me to opt for jelly instead of chocolate. I could’ve done both, but really, life is all about trying to recognize patterns of behavior and change them. So I resisted the urge and left chocolate out of the equation this time.

PB & J Bars

The dough base for these bars is ah-may-zing. You can actually eat it out of the bowl unbaked because it has no egg, not that I did that. Psych. Of course I did. But it’s dense and crumbly and, well, the best peanut buttery bar dough ever. The topping is super simple: strawberry jelly and peanut butter chips. If I said I wasn’t thinking about eating more of these roughly every five minutes, I’d be lying.

PB & J Bars

I don’t know why I love peanut butter so much, but there you have it. Still, the name of this blog is not Peanut Butter Me Up. Or something equally thematic. I’m going to stick with Just About Baked, and I’d love to know about how you got your name. But if you only read this for the recipe, that’s cool too!

 

PB & J Bars

Ingredients

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup strawberry jelly
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, brown sugar and sugar until creamy.
  3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the strawberry jelly over the top evenly and top with the peanut butter chips.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool completely and cut into squares.
http://justaboutbaked.com/pb-j-bars/

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 22 Comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    Mmm I can almost taste these bars, Mir! They sound incredible! I love how soft and fluffy these babies are. And I have a feeling that I would devour the dough before I baked them, it just sounds so good!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Strawberry Pound CakeMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I devoured some before baking and then “accidentally” left some in the bowl to scrape after!

  2. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    PB&J bars. . I can’t think of anything better!!! and ok, so much to address here. . I know you read everything. . I can tell. . this is what makes you special, Mir. But yeah it doesn’t bother me anymore b/c you’re right, people are busy and I’m guilty of it too. . it does make me sad on the posts where I actually write something meaningful, you know? but all in all, what can you do. sometimes I think people just want to stop by to say hi and let you know they did. . what I think is hilarious is that so many blog posts are filled with comments from other bloggers. . it’s nice to see just readers leave comments but I guess that’s mostly when questions arise, or on the more meaningful, heartfelt posts. ones where they have connected to you. . and hey, All Things Peanut Butter would be a great book! 😛 Re: my blog name, I wanted Foodie Mom .. which describes me and, at the time, was taken. . so “Hip” Foodie Mom was born. 😛
    Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Cobb Salad Lettuce WrapsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Yep, I’ve noticed that same thing. I always feel so flattered when non-bloggers comment because otherwise, I would wonder if just bloggers read my blog. Not that I don’t always love you comments, Alice. They’re awesome. And you’re totally hip! So that blog is well-named, my friend.

  3. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    I want to eat these through the screen. Also, peanut butter chips? They sound dangerous. Almost like it is so much easier to eat way too many chocolate chips that it would be to eat a whole bar of chocolate. They are little, so it’s easy to eat loads of them.
    Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Friday Favourites: Amazing Eats, Ducks, Pantry and Steps by DanniiMy Profile

    1. Mir

      You’ve never had a a PB chip? You need to change that now, Dannii!

  4. Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg

    Mir – These bars look delicious. 🙂 Yummy. I’m a big pb&j fan. It reminds me of my childhood. My blog name “Miss Scrambled Egg” is so named because I am a teacher, but my initials are also EGG. It just so happens that I also love eggs. Because I’m a teacher, barista, daughter, and girlfriend, I sometimes feel a little scrambled. So much to do and so little time. 🙂
    Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg recently posted…Chocolate Chip Banana Breakfast CakeMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I was totally wondering how your blog got its name, Erin! And now I know. Thanks for clearing that up for me!

  5. Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks

    Girl, we have a lot to talk about here today. I’m slow in commenting too because I also read everything and I always love taking the time to look at all the pictures bloggers post too. I can tell too who is reading everything by the comments, but like you, it doesn’t bother me if someone skips right to the recipe. I love that they take the time to drop a line and let me know they’ve visited. So Beer Girl Cooks was intended to be a food blog and I needed a name that fit and describes me. Since I love brewing beer, cooking, and cooking with booze it just kind of fit. I’m Beer Girl and I cook and sometimes cook with beer. Boring Corporate Attorney Cooks and Former Public Defender Food Blog just didn’t have the same appeal. 🙂
    Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks recently posted…Heartthrob SaladMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Awww, but I love Boring Corporate Attorney Cooks! It has the ring of despair to it. 😉 But seriously, the fact that you brew beer makes you such a cool person. I’m jealous.

  6. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

    I will NEVER get over PB & J either! These bars are such perfection and love the PB chips 🙂
    Medha @ Whisk & Shout recently posted…Herbed Beet Quinoa TabboulehMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Medha! Anyone who gets over PB & J is a weirdo.

  7. Manali @ CookWithManali

    Mir I might not read everyone’s post (even though I try to read most of them!) but I always read yours because you write so well 🙂 I wish I had that art of writing, which you have! And yeah there’s nothing wrong with those who don’t read, life is busy! My blog’s name is pretty self-explanatory I guess…haha..
    love these bars, I want to stuff my face with them because there’s PB!
    Manali @ CookWithManali recently posted…Salted Caramel MacaronsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Yep, I figured out your blog name, Manali! 🙂 I already have stuffed my face with these. Dangerous!

  8. Michele @ Two Raspberries

    do these qualify as something I could have instead of a pb & J sandwhich? YUMMM they look so amazing! 😉

    1. Mir

      They totally qualify, Michele. Go for it!

  9. Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness

    The weird thing is, I never really liked pb&j when I was younger. But now, I can’t get enough 🙂 These look perfect!
    Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness recently posted…No Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Sandwiches)My Profile

    1. Mir

      That does happen, Cathleen! I had this shift right before all my pregnancies where I couldn’t get enough sushi. It’s my favorite food now, but years ago I wouldn’t touch it!

  10. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    I totally would have eaten this entire batch!! OMG!
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted…White Chocolate Raspberry Lemon BarsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      You and me both, girlfriend. I couldn’t stop eating these. Could. Not.

  11. Mira

    My all time favorite combination, although I always make the plain old pbj sandwich! Love these bars! I can tell you always read Mir, I know it! I try to read most of the posts I comment on (I’ll be honest, I skip stuff at times) ! Your stories are always fun!!! Adding these to my PB collection on pinterest!
    Mira recently posted…Orange Creamsicle Cocktail With Whipped Coconut CreamMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks for pinning, Mira! I like telling stories, so I’m glad you like listening. 🙂

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