Young & Hungry

A relic of my youth, peanut butter & jelly. Sticky hot days at summer camp, cacophonous school lunches in the cafeteria, the pb&j was all-purpose in a way that few things are in the world of grown-ups. Unfortunately, the classic PB&J is just not quite seen as serious enough to cut it in the world of Corporate America and/or dinner parties. Imagine, then, a bar cookie (credit Martha’s Cookies book yet again) that masquerades itself as a perfectly proper dessert for adults that, in reality, embodies the gooey, salty-sweet combination that we all know and (secretly still) love. It’s the best of both worlds and it’s pure heaven.

This PB&J is all grown up!

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter (side note: Peanut Butter & Co has managed to make awesome, sophisticated PBs)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups strawberry jam, or other flavor
• 2/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.

Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla.

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

 

Ready for the oven!

 
Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about thirty-six 1 1/2-by-2-inch pieces.