Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

Peanut butter and jelly never gets old. Especially when it’s baked into bars.

I made these blondies while I was in Aruba but held off on posting them until now because I made them on the heels of these Coconut White Chocolate Chip Blondies and didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with blondies.

I tweaked my go-to blondie recipe and the simplicity of melting a stick of butter in the microwave, adding peanut butter, brown sugar, an egg, vanilla, flour and giving it a stir makes this such a fast batter to make.

I like simple one-bowl recipes with batters that are ready to be baked in five minutes almost as much as I like PB&J.

Before baking, I added a couple big dollops of peanut butter and jelly to the surface of the batter and marbled it with a knife.

I love swirls. Especially swirls of two of my favorite ingredients mish-mashed together. Just be careful when you’re swirling not to get too carried away or you’ll end up with more muddy-mess than swirly-ness.

I used peanut butter twice; both incorporated into the batter and swirled on top so they chock full of peanut butter flavor. If I’m eating a peanut butter cookie or a peanut butter blondie, I want to really have that punch of peanut butter and these do just that.

Because only brown sugar and no granulated sugar is used, not only are they incredibly moist, soft, and dense, but the blondies take on caramel-flavored tones.

I’m also a fan of jelly in every bite. I am never stingy with jelly and the blondies are no exception. The sweet jelly balances the saltier peanut butter perfectly.

The recipe is a 30 minute project from start to finish and makes a modest 8-by-8 inch pan so you won’t be forced to consume a huge batch of PB & J.

Although I can think of worse things.

[print_this]

Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies

Makes an 8-by-8-inch pan, 9 generous squares

1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 to 1/3 cup jelly (strawberry, grape, raspberry, cherry)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 60 seconds. To the melted butter, add 1/4 cup peanut butter and heat for 30 to 45 seconds to soften the peanut butter. Stir until the melted butter-peanut butter mixture is smooth and combined. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the egg, vanilla, and stir to combine. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix or the blondies will be tough. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife if necessary.

To the top of the batter, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter, dolloped out in 4 or 5 tablespoon-sized mounds. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup jelly, dolloped out in 4 or 5 tablespoon-sized mounds. Using a knife, marble the peanut butter and jelly in a zig-zag pattern, up and back, back and forth, across the pan until peanut butter and jelly is dispersed and marbled; do not over-do it or surface will look muddy rather than swirled or marbled.

Bake for 22 to 27 minutes, or until edges begin to slightly pull away from sides of pan, center is set and golden, and a toothpick comes out clean; do not overbake. Allow blondies to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving. Store blondies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The blondies are ripe for substitutions and variations. Add about 1 cup of any of the following stirred into the batter: peanut butter, chocolate, butterscotch, or white chocolate chips; toffee bits, fresh or frozen fruit including cherries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries; diced or whole peanuts, slivered almonds; diced candy such as Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, Peanut M&Ms, Peanut Butter M&Ms or whatever strikes your fancy.

To keep gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend.

[/print_this]

Related recipes:

Chocolate Chip and Cherry Blondies – thanks to many of you who’ve made these and reported back; you can use any fruit, fresh or frozen, including peaches, nectarines, blueberries, strawberries