Shortbread Peach Jam Squares

Make Shortbread Peach Jam Squares by surrounding bright sweet peach jam with crumbly buttery shortbread and baking it all to golden perfection!

When sweet peaches are in season, I can’t help myself; I have to make peach jam. While we also eat plenty and I freeze some, jam seems like the best way to make sure we can enjoy the flavorful juicy peaches for months to come.

Is it just me or does anyone else get an inordinate amount of satisfaction from seeing rows of homemade jams, chutneys and preserves in the pantry?

I get a little giddy as my stock grows although I also like to give some away. I have one rule though, if possible, wash my jars and give them back once they are empty! You’ll be much more likely to be a future recipient if you do.

Shortbread Peach Jam Squares

This recipe is adapted from one on Tasty for blackberry jam squares. As long as it’s nice and thick, you can use your favorite jam. I popped one cup of my homemade peach jam on the scale and it weighed 290g. I’ve added the correct measure below, for those of you who weigh ingredients.

Ingredients
2/3 cup or 158g butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/8 cup or 25g sugar
1/8 cup or 25g dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups or 312g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups or 363g peach jam

Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F or 180˚C and prepare an 9x9 in or 23x23cm pan by greasing it lightly and lining it with baking parchment.

Note: If you don’t mind cutting the squares in your pan, you can skip the baking parchment step but I find that I end up damaging my pan if I can’t remove the baked goods before cutting. The parchment makes lifting out easy.

Melt two tablespoons of the butter and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, beat together the rest of the butter and the two sugars until fluffy.

Add in the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat again.

Sift 2 cups or 250g of the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

 

Bring the mixture together using your clean hands to make a dough and divide it into two equal pieces.

Use your clean hands to spread out half of the dough in the baking pan. Prick the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming while baking.

Spread the peach jam on top.

Mix in the remaining flour into the dough and use a fork to make a knobbly crumble.

Sprinkle the crumble on top of the jam.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Leave to cool completely then lift it out with the parchment paper. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

This month my fellow Baking Bloggers are featuring peaches in all of our recipes, some savory, some sweet! Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime for all her behind-the-scenes work. Check out all the peachy deliciousness below:

• Uruguayan Peach Chaja Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
• Peach BBQ Chicken Legs from Making Miracles
• Mini Peach Cobblers from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Flank Steak with Fresh Peach Pico de Gallo from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Single Serving Baked Peach Crisp from Sneha's Recipe
• Shortbread Peach Jam Squares from Food Lust People Love
• Peach Clafoutis from Cookaholic Wife
• Fresh Peach Shortcake from Palatable Pastime
• Gluten Free Peach Crisp from Cook with Renu
• Peach Glazed Chicken Wings from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin these Shortbread Peach Jam Squares!

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Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares #ChocPBDay

These rich chocolate peanut butter squares are like homemade peanut butter cups made easy, just a peanut butter and sugar base topped with dark chocolate. The chopped peanut butter-filled cookies are optional, but they add a nice crunch.  

     Today marks the initial celebration of the best day ever - it's Chocolate Peanut Butter Day! Hosted by Carla of Chocolate Moosey and Miriam of Overtime Cook, 31 bloggers are sharing favorite chocolate peanut butter recipes, ranging from cookies and bars to scones and muffins. Follow the hashtag #chocPBday on social media and join us with your favorite chocolate and peanut butter recipes. Looking for recipes all in one place? Follow our Pinterest board.

My very first real job, after I graduated from university, was my dream job, promoting a “product” I had benefited from since childhood and truly believed in, the Girl Scouts. In fact, I was a registered adult Girl Scout, working in the marketing and development department, which is a fancy way of saying promotion and fundraising. 

Among other responsibilities, my boss and I were in charge of the calendar and cookie sales for our Girl Scout council, based in Houston, but serving 26 Texas counties. As part of our promotion of the cookie sale my first year, we delivered boxes and boxes of cookies to Houston area chefs who had agreed to use them to create sweet recipes for an evening fundraising event.

Those days came back to me as I was making these chocolate peanut butter squares for Chocolate Peanut Butter Day and so I added some chopped Girl Scout peanut sandwich cookies to the tops. What’s better than peanut butter with chocolate on top? Peanut butter and chocolate with extra peanut butter cookies on top. They add a lovely crunch.

Ingredients
For the base:
1/4 cup or 50g brown sugar
1 2/3 cups or 200g icing sugar
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter
1 cup or 255g smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the topping:
10 1/2 oz or 300g dark chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
 3 oz or 100g peanut butter-filled cookies 

Method
Mix all the ingredients for the base together. When I’ve made this before, I used my stand mixer and got a more homogeneous dough but I am in a rented house this week so I had to do it by hand. It worked but was much more crumbley. It still presses down nicely into a base and tastes the same, so don’t let that bother you. Use a mixer if you have one or a spoon and then your hands, if you don’t. It's kind of like a peanut butter shortbread. I know, right?! Mmmm, peanut butter shortbread. 

Chop your peanut butter-filled cookies roughly, if using, and set aside.

Line your square pan (about 9 in x 9 in or 23cm x 23cm) with parchment paper or foil. Press the base out evenly into the bottom of the lined pan.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt your chocolate and butter with a few short zaps of 20-30 seconds each, stirring well in between. Pour the melted chocolate on to your base and spread it around evenly, all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the chocolate with the chopped cookies and press them down gently into the chocolate.

Refrigerate the pan until the chocolate is almost set. Cut into small squares. Enjoy!

If you love chocolate and peanut butter like we love chocolate and peanut butter, you are going to want to check out every single one of these recipe links:

• Buckeye Cheesecake Bars by Chocolate Moosey
• Peanut Butter Bundt Cake with Chocolate Cheesecake Filling by Overtime Cook
• 4 Layer Chocolate Brownie Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting by Neighborfood
• Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cannolis by Souffle Bombay
• Chocolate & Peanut Butter Crumb Parfait by Hungry Couple
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Jam Bars by Poet in the Pantry
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies by In The Kitchen With KP
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls by Gotta Get Baked
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Earthquake Cake by I Wash You Dry
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Doughnuts by It’s Yummi!
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle by Kelli’s Kitchen
• Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies by Jen’s Favorite Cookies
• Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Blondies by What Smell’s So Good
• Chunky Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies by Snappy Gourmet
• Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream by Kelly Bakes
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cups by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares by Food Lust People Love
• Dark Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies by Mind Over Batter
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cup Swirl Brownies by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Mini Chocolate Caramel Peanut Butter Cheesecakes by The Spiffy Cookie
• Peanut Butter & Chocolate Scones by All Day I Dream About Food
• Peanut Butter & Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies by The Cooking Actress
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips Bars by Roxana’s Home Baking
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Biscotti by Lauren Kelly Nutrition
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Quick Bread by Magnolia Days
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Parfait by Hip Foodie Mom
• Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars by Crumb: A Food Blog
• Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Cheesecake Bars by Food Faith Fitness

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Be sure to follow them on social media:

OXO: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube
King Arthur Flour: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Peanut Butter & Co: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest| Instagram | YouTube

Three lucky winners will win one of the following:

Prize Pack #1: OXO Baking Tool Set: One 3-in-1 Egg Separator, One Bent Icing Knife, One Brownie Spatula, One Cake Tester, One Cookie Spatula, One Cupcake Icing Knife, One Cupcake Corer, One Egg Beater, One Stainless Steel Measuring Cups, One Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons, One Medium Cookie Scoop

Prize Pack #2: King Arthur Flour ingredients: One bag of all-purpose flour, one package of Guittard bittersweet chocolate disks, and one bottle of pure vanilla extract

Prize Pack #3: Peanut Butter and Co. package including: one Dark Chocolate Dreams 6-pack, One Variety 6-pack, and One 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams cookbook

This giveaway is open to US residents only and winners will be picked from random draw.

Giveaway ends Monday March 31 at 11:59 PM. The winners will be notified via email and have 24 hours to respond. If not, the prize is forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

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***Disclaimer: This giveaway is being provided by OXO, King Arthur Flour and Peanut Butter & Co. #ChocPBDay bloggers have not received product or been compensated as a part of this giveaway.***