PB & J Bars

Peanut butter and jelly is one of my favorite sandwiches. In high school, it was what I made for lunch when I was in a hurry, and it still is. I go through phases where I HAVE to have a pb&j every day. I eat it mid-morning because lunch is too long a time to wait.

Because of my deep love of peanut butter, these bars are right up my alley. The are reminiscent of the sandwich. I also love them because they are 1) easy to make, and 2) easy to make a double batch of. This came in very handy when I was making goodies for Hubs' private students. I only had enough time to pass them out to about half his students, but I plan on catching up with the other students very soon.


And because you can't talk about peanut butter and jelly without bringing up this, here you go.

PB & J Bars
Adapted from Christmas Cookies 2010
By Better Homes and Garden

¼ c (1/2 stick) plus 2 Tbs butter, softened
¼ c shortening
¼ c creamy peanut butter
1 c packed light brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ plus ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour

10 oz jar grape jam (or whatever flavor you like)

¼ c packed light brown sugar
¼ c rolled oats (not instant)

Preheat oven to 375˚F.
With a hand held mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and peanut butter in a large bowl until combined. Add the brown sugar, baking powder, salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in flour until just combined. Press 2 cups of the cookie dough into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9” baking pan.

Bake the crust about 10 minutes until set. Spread jam carefully over the hot crust; make an even layer. Add the oats, brown sugar, and ¼ tsp cinnamon to the remaining dough. Use a pastry blender or a fork to cut in the remaining 2 Tbs butter. Mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle over the jam.

Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, cut into bars.