Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Hi Everyone,

I’m mad at myself, out of all people, I should of known this, Tuesday was National Peanut Butter Day!  Can you believe I missed it?  Well actually I didn’t.  My senses knew that Tuesday was a special day because Monday night, I made a fatty, tasty treat that involves Peanut Butter.  Look!!!

That bottom layer, is Peanut Butter, middle layer strawberry jam and top layer more peanut butter and honey roasted peanuts.  See I knew!  I don’t normally make treats like this, but for some reason I just had to!  It was this or healthy brownies, ummm, I’ll take these over brownies anytime.

What you see here is a Mama bar and a Papa bar.  The little one was for me and the big one was for my Husband to take to work.  I made these late Monday night, and I needed to go to bed, but I wanted pictures so I cut the bars while still warm and you know what I did?  Burnt my tongue.  I couldn’t control myself, I needed a little sliver of a piece, then a second sliver then a third, well you get the point.  I ate the whole mini loaf, got a stomach and went to bed.  It was so good!  Worth the stomach ache.

My Husband asked if I wanted to keep some bars for myself, I said, NO!  Get them out of the house, I have no control, none at all.  Guess what I did?  Sent a text to my Husband and asked if he could bring just one little bar home for me.  He did, but the jerk brought 3 home, 3 bars!  What the hell?  Now I will be forced to eat them tonight!  Sigh…  Really I have no control.  Is there a help group for peanut butter?

I cleared my house of peanut butter making these.  These are thick heavy bars.  I don’t know what the weight was, but there heavy at least a few pounds.  Last night I was on the Brown Eyed Bakers website looking at ideas on what I could make and these bars caught my eye, so I whipped up a batch and out came peanut buttery heaven.  Oh, I wish I never discovered these.  These will have to be a treat only, not a regular thing, way to many calories and no self control.

I didn’t dress my photos up because, well it’s Peanut Butter, no need to dress up Peanut Butter it’s already beautiful.  Sigh….  Oh my sweet, sweet peanut butter bars.

It didn’t register with me, but Tuesday, my blog had way more hits then it normally does, way more, I guess because people were googling peanut butter and they found me.   Yah!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars – Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

11/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan

11/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1cup granulated sugar

2½ cups smooth peanut butter

2 large eggs or substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups jam or jelly, your favorite flavor (I used strawberry)

2/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped ( I used Honey Roasted Peanuts)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. Place the butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add peanut butter and eggs; beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and combine. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

4. Transfer two-thirds of the mixture to prepared pan; press evenly into pan. Using an offset spatula, spread the jam on top of the peanut butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.

5. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about 36 1½x2-inch pieces.

I had left over batter, so I ended up with about 38 or so pieces, that’s were the mini loaf came in.

Calories per piece:  159,  Fat:  8.6,  Cholesterol:  13,  Sodium:  120,  Potassium:  23,  Carbs: 18,  Fiber:  1.3,  Sugar:  8.8,  Protein:  3.2

Well I like to think of my treat as a major energy boost!  With all those peanuts and sugar you’ll be revived up for hours!    Thinking positive here!

When you write your blog and talk about the wonderful treats you make, doesn’t it make you want to eat them all the more?  Right now I know there are now 2 PB&J Bars waiting for me.  I should just say no, but I can’t.  One bar is worth 15 minutes of jump roping, but are two bars worth 30 minutes of jump roping?  Answer is YES!!!

I know I normally don’t post a not so healthy treats to often, but I think once a month or so is worth it.  We all need to indulge sometimes.  Ok, I’m making excuses aren’t I?  No matter how you look at it, I made them, there here, and need to be eaten!

Want to hear a funny story?  I never liked Peanut Butter.  As a kid my Mom would make peanut butter sandwiches, no jelly, just peanut butter on Wonder Bread.  I got so sick of them, blah!  Then I never touched peanut butter again, until last year.  I went to Whole Foods and they have one of those machines that press the peanuts and turn to Peanut Butter, I tried it, liked it and fell in love.  It’s all history from there.  So my whole Peanut Butter obsession started from Whole Foods.  I should never of gone there that day, but you never know what would of happened if I didn’t.  I may not of started a blog?  Never made homemade peanut butter and never got to enjoy my foods like I do now.  So I guess I owe allot to Peanut Butter, that’s why it’s in my name.  Silly huh?  Funny how one day could turn your life around and you don’t even realize it until I type my story for you.  Oh Peanut Butter thank you for sweet creaminess, and your yummy nuttiness.  Ok, I’m going to far here, but you get the point, I’m Crazy!!!  Buwahah!!!

Well I need to go eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar, it’s calling to me.  Please, go make these!  You just must!  You must experience this wonderful little bar, but trust me, you can’t just eat one.  Oh and it’s worth eating them warm, the jelly is so warm and gooey.  Ok I left you with food for thought!  So go bake them now!!!!   Have a great day!!!