Sunday, April 27, 2008

Peanut Butter & Jam Bars


Hey everyone! I've taken a break from my train ride to crazytown to update my blog. Hope everyone is doing (and eating) well.
I can't decide how I feel about these. They're rich, to be sure, but I can't decide if I'm eating a dessert or a really rich peanut butter sandwich. That didn't stop me from eating about five, and they're great with a glass of cold milk.

Peanut Butter & Jam Bars

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 lg. eggs
2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 1/2 c. raspberry jam (or your preference)
2/3 c. salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 x 13 pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients.
Spread two thirds mixture in the prepared pan. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; the dough will spread when it bakes. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.
One note about the jam. I couldn't bring myself to dump an entire 12 oz jar of jam in the pan, so I only used about 1 cup. Carrie taste-tested these and thought they could've used more of the "goo factor", so next time I'll close my eyes and add all of the jam.