Tart up PB&J for all-day snacking

I like baking but usually in small doses. The times I’ve spent all day mixing, folding, chilling and manically looking through my tiny oven window haven’t been worth it.

I’m a galette gal, cookie guy, loaf oaf, etc. If I’m baking carrot cake this weekend it’s only because it’s my husband’s favorite birthday cake. I probably wouldn’t make the cut on the “Great British Bake Off.” I probably wouldn’t even get on.

I’m into spending an hour on something sweet, maybe two, tops. I also want whatever I’m baking to still be beautiful, impressive and, of course, delicious. I want it all. Practicality isn’t always my strong suit, but I know that as long as I always have store-bought puff pastry in the freezer I can bake a tart and eat it, too.

This week’s recipe is all that and more. It’s part dessert, part snack and even appropriate for breakfast. It’s a strawberry and peanut butter snacking tart that comes together quickly while letting me actually whip out my rolling pin and pretend I’ve been there all day laminating that dough instead of just defrosting.

Peanut butter and strawberry are an iconic duo that makes for really tasty, all-day snacking. It’s totally something I want to bake weekly to bring to a picnic, dinner or just keep all to myself, reheating a square here and there throughout the day. I’ve enjoyed this at 2 a.m., but I can also see having this during tea time with Grandma. Or maybe your friend’s cool stoner mom might make this snacking tart for you, too.

I like smooth peanut butter for this tart. It’s easier to thin out into a spreadable layer, and as the tart bakes it holds onto the pastry, leaving it golden brown with a caramel hue. I can imagine that it would be nice to thin out the peanut butter with an alt-milk like almond or cashew. But besides oat milk, I usually have halfand-half available, and I like the extra, balanced richness it brings here, so I stir that into the butter, splash by splash.

Once the peanut butter has been spread, I cut and macerate the strawberries. I like small to medium strawberries for this tart because I can just slice them in half, toss them in sugar and bake them on the tart until they’re soft and jammy; tangysweet little pockets against the rich, nutty butter.

Chopped, roasted peanuts and a drizzle of strawberryhoney finish the tart before I cut it into rectangles or squares. But there’s nothing square about this tart.

Photos courtesy Christian Reynoso

Use smooth peanut butter mixed with a little half-and-half so it’s easy to spread over the puff pastry.