Peanut Butter + Jelly Hand Pies

I didn’t really grow up with sandwiches and peanut butter & jellies weren’t a thing that I ate. I don’t think I had my first proper PB&J until I went to college. Peanut butter was and is a crucial ingredient kept for noodle sauces but beyond that I rarely ate it. I am definitely not the kind of person who will lick peanut butter off a spoon. And while I now enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every once in a while, I do not like peanut butter desserts.

So when I initially got the assignment from Taste Magazine to shoot these PB&J Hand Pies I was was picturing warm oozing peanut butter wrapped up in pie dough. Not at all appealing to me. But after reading the recipe by Jessie Sheehan, I was intrigued by her decision to add peanut butter flavor in the dough rather than the filling. Peanut butter is frozen and then rubbed into the flour much like regular butter. Toasted peanuts are also in the dough for an added nutty flavor.

I was also happy to see that instead of store bought jam we were making out own. Beautiful chunky best of the season strawberries are stuffed into flaky peanut layers. As you already know, I love making jams. You can find some recipes below.

Peach & Tomato Summer Galette
Mezcal Damson Plum Jam

I found the dough a wonderfully subtle way to imbue the PB half of the equation in this dessert. It is just enough of the peanut flavor that it is unmistakably a PB&J but not overwhelmingly so that I found myself actually loving these little pies. I was also very happy with the way these photos came out on a new backdrop that I painted recently, so I absolutely had to share this delicious recipe with you. Go and make this…you can thank me later.