Green Monster Reward: PB&J Bars

I have always loved baking.   You know the saying "he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth"?  I think I was born with a wooden mixing spoon because I have always loved baking.  If you asked my spunky miniature blonde self what I wanted to be when I grew up the answer was always a baker.  When I was in kindergarten my grandmother (the home economics teacher) used to record David Rosengarten and Sara Moulton cooking shows from the Food network on VHS and give them to me when we didn't have cable at my house.  I wonder if you have even heard of those TV chefs-it was a long time ago!  I went through an Emeril phase from 3rd to 5th grade, no big deal.  When I was homesick in the dorms my freshman year I used to pull out my cardboard box of baking tools, head down to the shared kitchen, and make homemade yellow birthday cake with chocolate frosting.  I bake when I'm happy but I also bake when I'm sad or stressed.

Levi, my sous chef and
floor cleaner

Anyways, after calculating my scary DPD GPA (see previous post) I knew I needed baking time.  I'm going to my uncle's for dinner tonight for some tapas (yum) and wanted to bring him and his family some treats.  These are Ina Garten's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars.  She is my favorite chef on the Food Network and responsible for many of my favorite recipes (Potato Salad, Coconut Cupcakes, Guacamole, Peanut Butter Brownies).  Anyways, these bars are to die for.  Besides being an Ina recipe, they entail an entire jar of peanut butter. Did we just become best friends? YUP.  Have I mentioned I could live on peanut butter?  Unless you have a peanut allergy or a peanut butter aversion like my sister, once you've eaten these you will die and go to peanut butter heaven.  

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars ("The Barefoot Contessa," Food Network)

Makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp (or throw them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds)

1 1/2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs at room temp

2 c (18 oz jar) creamy peanut butter

3 c AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c (18 oz jar) raspberry jam (I used strawberry because that's what we had; btw mom if you're reading this, we're out of jelly because this also uses a whole jar!)

2/3 c salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x13x2 inch pan.  I like to do this after I have used the butter because I use the used wrappers to wipe butter on the pan.  Then line with parchment paper and butter that too, and sprinkle with flour.  I don't know how necessary it is to double grease and add parchment, but if Ina says to do it I do.

2.  Using your handy KitchenAid mixer and its paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow and looks like this (takes about 2 minutes). 

3.  Now putting the mixer on a low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter.  I liked to add each ingredient one at a time, including the eggs one at a time.  Mix until combined and looks like a whole lotta light colored peanut butta.

4.  In a small bowl, sift (I was lazy and didn't, sorry Ina) flour, baking soda and salt.

5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture.  I did this in 3 parts, mixing in between each time.  I still had a flour explosion, so I used a trick I learned working as a food service assistant at the Cal Poly Children's Center.  Take a large dish towel and wrap it around the mixing bowl, then mix.  This insures that any flour that flies up will hit the towel and not your face/clothes/counter/floor/ceiling.  Mix until just combined.

6.  Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared pan.  I tried using my fingers to spread and push the dough evenly but found that my cleaned empty peanut butter jar worked great!  I rolled it side to side and up and down until it looked even and marvelous.

7.  Spread jelly evenly over dough.  I tried using an offset frosting spatula but ended up using clean fingers to get a more even result.

8.  Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam.  The messier the better!  The globs have will have lots of crispy surface area and brown up nicely when cooked to make tasty peanut butter cookie nuggets.

9.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.  Keep an eye on it.  I took mine out 5 minutes early because it looked done. Let them cool!  (I got impatient when I had to leave for my uncle's in Long Beach and lifted the whole thing out by gripping the parchment paper-no bueno.  It will slowly fall apart!  So I carefully placed it back in the pan, and then into the freezer for a bit.  When it was time to leave, I divided it into large pieces, transported it, stuck it in the fridge there for more chill time, and then cut it into portions.)  I would definitely advise chilling the whole thing once it is slightly cool for an hour or two.  Then cut it.  But feel free to break off a little cookie nugget, just to make sure it tastes ok!   I like to portion the pieces on the smaller side due to the fact there is a whole jar of peanut butter and jelly goodness going on!

These babies are an estimated and totally worth it 386 calories each according to Spark People.  If you're curious I have provided the link for the nutritional breakdown.  It would be the responsible thing for me to do: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calories.asp?recipe=2098319