Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart

Desserts

Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart

It’s peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time!

Growing up, my mom always packed me a peanut butter sandwich, raisins, pretzels or chips, and a cookie for lunch, and then I picked up a carton of milk at school. I was such a picky eater that I wouldn’t eat anything else! Surprisingly, I never got tired of peanut butter – it’s just so good! No jelly ever touched my sandwiches though. I actually still leave the jelly off my PB&Js (ahem, or PBs more accurately), mostly out of habit, since I’ve come to my senses and like jelly now. I often think about how some schools now ban peanut butter due to peanut allergies – I think I would have starved!

Peanut butter and jelly are just perfect together, so I decided to make a dessert tart featuring a peanut butter cookie crust and layers of peanut butter mousse and strawberry jam. If only I could eat this for lunch every day now!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Tart
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter and Jelly Filling and Topping:
1 (3.4-oz) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups low sugar strawberry jam
1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:
To make the peanut butter cookie crust, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter and sugar until creamed in a large bowl. Mix in egg and peanut butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; press cookie dough evenly over bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake at 350˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. With back of spoon, press down crust so bottom and sides are evenly covered; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Press down crust again with spoon, if needed. Completely cool the crust, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling by placing instant vanilla pudding, milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until smooth.

To assemble the tart, pour 1/2 cup of the jam into the cooled peanut butter cookie crust and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Top jam layer with peanut butter mousse. Spread remaining 1 cup jam evenly on top of the peanut butter mousse and top evenly with chopped peanuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from tart pan (use a toothpick to gently remove any parts of the cookie crust stuck to the top edges of the tart pan, if needed) and cut into 16 wedges.

Nutrition: 460 calories, 24.9g fat, 2.7g fiber, 11.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

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