Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

It is time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  Woo-hoo!  What is the Secret Recipe Club?  It’s a lot like Secret Santa, but with recipes.  Each month you are assigned a blog.  After selecting a recipe from that bloggers repertoire, you make and post it on reveal day.  It is a great way to find fun recipes and blogs.  I like how it gets me to actually sit down and go through another person’s blog.  Blogs are a lot of work and take time to put together.  Instead of skimming through just the new stuff (as is usually easier when we see a new blog) it is fun to really sit down and go through what else the blog has to offer.  Fun stuff!

My assignment this month was Cindy’s blog, Hon… What’s for Dinner? Along with delicious recipes, she also has cookbook reviews (a weakness of mine!) Yay! We found a recipe to try right away, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars. Super simple to make (and with very little converting to be gluten free, just use gluten free ingredients) AND they looked mighty tasty, too! I used plum preserves for the filling, but feel free to use any jam you like. These bars make a great after school snack and we’ll be making them to take on picnics this summer. I am excited to try other nut and seed butters in the recipe (such as almond butter and apricot jam). Yum!

I apologize for the photo. This was the lone bar I was able to hide until my family went to bed (after they snarfed down the rest of the pan). Of course that meant taking a pic in bad lighting, but sometimes a sacrifice must be made when treats are this tasty! I’ll add a better photo when I make these again (preferably when my family is out of the house- LOL!)

The Recipe: Secret Recipe Club – Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gluten free certified rolled oats
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
  • 1/2 cup jam or jelly of your choice, fruit juice sweetened, preferred

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper leaving the ends to overhang. You will use the overhang as handles to remove the bars from the pan after baking.
  • Pulse oats in a blender or food processor until oats are in smaller pieces, about the size of quick oats. Be sure not to blend into flour, but leave larger apices for texture. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl mix together the peanut butter and sugar. Cream together until fluffy and well blended. Add eggs. Mix well, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add oats and baking powder mixing until a crumbly dough is formed.
  • Press 2/3 of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread the jam/jelly evenly over the dough, in the baking pan. Crumble remaining dough over jelly, evenly distributing over the jelly.
  • Bake for 20-22 minutes; until the top begins to brown slightly. Cool completely. Remove from baking dish using the parchment paper as handles. Cut into bars.
  • Store covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days (if they last that long!).

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