One afternoon I discovered four (yes, four) half-eaten jars of peanut butter in my refrigerator and was determined to not let any of it go to waste. There are plenty of great uses for peanut butter, but when I also realized that I had a considerable amount of frozen pie dough in the freezer, my solution was inspired by nostalgia: homemade “Pop-Tarts” filled with peanut butter and blackberry preserves.
Totally decadent and they got my runaway peanut butter supply under control!
1 Double Pie Crust or store-bought double-crust pie crust, such as Pillsbury
Flour, for dusting
¼ cup smooth natural peanut butter
¼ cup preserves, jam, or jelly
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
2. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thick and cut it into about twenty-four 2 x 3-inch rectangles.
3. Place 1 rectangle on a lightly floured work surface and drop 1 teaspoon each of the peanut butter and preserves in the very center.
4. Lightly dip your index finger into a cup of water and “brush” a bit of water along the edge of the dough (this will allow the two sides of the rectangle to adhere to one another).
5. Top with another rectangle of pie dough. Gently press down along the edges of the tart with the tines of a fork to seal it (making sure the mixture stays inside the tart).
6. Place the tarts on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden.
7. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
TO FREEZE: Place the unbaked tarts on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Remove, place in a ziplock bag, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Add an extra 2 minutes to the baking time.
LAURA: PB&J “Pop-Tarts” are the perfect go-to snack/meal. I make them and toss them in my bag for the kids when we go out to the museum or zoo.