I love to bake! Making good food for my family is one of my passions. Monday used to be my baking day, this was to ensure that we would have treats for most of the week. Now that we are on the road full time I sadly do not bake as often as I used to. Some might think this due to having a tiny kitchen, but that is not the case. The truth is that we are very busy now exploring this giant country. We spend so much of our time touring capitol buildings, exploring new cities, and hiking, that baking just kind of falls to the wayside. It has been a big change and I do miss baking day. However, I do still find time to occasionally make a freshly baked treat for my family (and yes me too). I sometimes get an idea for something I want to bake using items I have on hand and I just cannot find a recipe that matches up, so I make up my own. I thought I would share this recipe at the request of one of our readers. It is my own recipe so let me know what you think or any changes you make to it when you try it yourself.
I call them PB&J bites, but I use fresh strawberries not Jelly. Using fresh fresh or frozen fruit in my recipes lets me feel like we are eating healthier. There are some things I do to make baking easier in my little kitchen. I try to make the least amount of dishes possible, as all dishes have to be hand washed. I also try to put away my ingredient immediately after using them because counter space is valuable. Another change that I have had to deal with is baking in my propane oven. It is different than cooking in a gas or an electric oven. IA benefit of a travel trailer sized oven is that it heats up fast because it is small. The down side is that it cooks hot so temperatures have to be adjusted accordingly and I cook everything with the rack at it’s highest level otherwise it cooks to fast on the bottom and not fast enough on the top. Overall Once I learned the differences it’s really not much different than baking any other place I have done so.
Ingredients:
10 Fresh Strawberries, diced 1 Egg
¼ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
¼ Cup Butter, softened 1 ½ Cups Flour
½ Cup Brown Sugar 1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla ¾ Cup Milk
Optional Topping:
2 Tbls. Butter 2 Tbls. Creamy Peanut Butter
¼ Cup Brown Sugar ¼ Cup Flour
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400º F. Grease muffin pan (I used a mini muffin pan, but a regular one would work just adjust cooking time accordingly). Wash and dice strawberries, set aside.
2. Cream together butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add egg and vanilla mix until combined.
3. Stir in baking powder, flour, and salt. Stir just until dry ingredients are no longer dry. 
4. Stir in milk until just combined. Fold in about ¾ of the strawberries reserving some to top muffins.
5. Fill muffin cups with batter. Sprinkle with topping if desired and top with remaining strawberries.
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6. Bake in 400º F oven for approximately 15 minutes. Cool slightly then remove from pan. Enjoy warm or cold.
For the topping melt the butter and peanut butter together in a small sauce pan over medium heat stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add brown sugar and flour then let it cool a few more minutes. Form into crumbly mixture and top muffins.
I hope you get a chance to make these delicious treats. They are good for a snack, breakfast or dessert. They were easy to make even in my little kitchen. My whole family enjoyed eating these little Peanut Butter & Jelly Bites. Let me know what you think.
