Peanut butter & jelly bars

More than ever, the weeks absolutely fly by. Sometimes things pass by so quickly that I wonder if I have somehow "lost time," like Edward Norton's character in Primal Fear. The weeks used to pass quickly back when I was working full-time, but it was so. much. different. Back then I constantly felt a twinge (ok, a lot of twinges) of guilt about spending most of my time away from home. And I always knew what day of the week it was. Now I feel that my time is almost always productive and that I expend my energy on worthwhile tasks and people. And I never know what day of the week it is.

As I sat down to write this post, I first tried to grasp where I was in time. It's Monday morning, great! Oh, um, Wednesday afternoon. Nope! It's nearly Saturday evening. Goodness! So I'm clearly clueless about the passing of time, but I am just fine with that because I love what I spend my time doing. Even when it's crazy in this crazy crazy but awesome house of mine.

I am finding that baking helps me to keep better track of my days. I still have a few of these PB&J bars on my counter and I know I made them three days ago, so that was Wednesday and now it is Saturday! What a perfect excuse to bake more often! Or something like that.

I'm chewing on one this very second, and these things are goooood. Just like a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, but better.

(Recipe adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a food processor, combine:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Pulse until combined.

Cut a chilled stick of butter into cubes.

Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add 1 cup of creamy peanut butter.

Process until crumbly.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/2 cup of the peanut butter mixture from the food processor

1 cup salted, roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Press the remaining peanut butter mixture from the food processor into the bottom of the prepared pan with your fingers.

Top with 1 cup of grape jelly, spread out evenly.

Sprinkle the peanut-crumb mixture over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into squares.

Happy SATURDAY! Enjoy the holiday weekend! It is a holiday weekend, right?!

Printable recipe: Peanut butter & jelly bars

Peanut butter & jelly cookies

It has been a gloomy week here in Minnesota. Lots of low, thick clouds that cause Elijah to constantly ask me if it is night-time. This winter has been uniquely and awesomely warm, minus a handful of cold and snowy days, so I'm not complaining about the gloom. Last year at this time I had icicles hanging from my frozen body that I thought would never melt. We Minnesotans are tough, but I don't know that we could survive two of those winters in a row. We would be forced to flee, like those being chased by "walkers" on The Walking Dead. Have you seen this show? It is grossly intriguiging and addictive! I highly recommend it.

And how does all of this relate to PB&J cookies? I HAVE NO IDEA (insert crazy laughter)! Cookies! Cookies cookies cookies! I have been dreaming up these babies for a good month and a half. Sometimes when I think too long and hard about a recipe the final product dissapoints. This one did not dissapoint. They were every bit as delicious as I dreamed them to be back in that meeting in December. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine:

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a hand-held mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until just combined. Add 1 egg and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls with your hands. Place them onto ungreased baking sheets and press into the center of each cookie with your thumb to create a divot. 

In each divot, place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly and 1/2 teaspoon of creamy peanut butter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Pour yourself a nice big glass of milk and enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe!