Geeesh.... Vacation can definitely throw off your schedule! And that's exactly where I'm at right now. I totally thought that I had plenty of time once we got back, to get my post up for the Get Your Chef On party this month. Yup. I had the date in my head. September 24th, right? I was so ready for this. I had it all figured out. I knew just what I was going to make. I knew I had all of the ingredients on hand.
(or did I?) So, I'm checking my email and I see the one that I received from Jen, giving the instructions and codes for the party. And then I saw the date that our recipes were supposed to be posted. What?! Huh? I was supposed to post it.... yesterday?! On the 18th? O-M-G
So... I ran to the pantry and checked to see if I had everything that I needed. Peanut Butter? check. Flour? check. Raspberry jam? Uhhhh, Oh no! I had NO raspberry jam in the pantry! Starting to feel little beads of sweat collecting on my upper lip, I go to the fridge to see if I have enough in the jar that's in there. Hmmm... apple jelly, apricot jam, wild Maine blueberry jam, apple butter, strawberry preserves.... Jars are flyin' out of the fridge and I'm getting that sick feeling of dread rising up in my chest. Nope. NO raspberry jam. Now, that might not seem odd to most people, but in this house, there is ALWAYS
at least one jar of raspberry jam. It's the hubber's go-to flavor for everything from PB&J sandwiches to English muffins.
So, what do I do? Well, like any self-respecting, menopausal, middle-aged crazy lady, I improvise. I start looking for all kinds of substitutes. I start thinking that maybe I need to start looking for another recipe altogether. But... what if I don't have all of the ingredients that I need for ANY of them?? Then I see the chocolate chips. OK, so instead of PB&J bars, I'll do PB&CC bars. Or PB Blondies. Ooorrr... I have strawberry jam, so maybe PB&SJCC bars?? Oy! Calm down, Mary.
Anywhooo.... I finally figured it out. And since this is my first time linking up with the GYCO party and I'm not sure about whether there's a little leeway in regard to posting time, I'm gonna just post it anyway and hope that our lovely hostesses will take pity on me. So, here it is folks!
{A big apology and an even bigger thank you to
Julie at White Lights On Wednesday and
Jen at Four Marrs & One Venus for hosting and for hopefully forgiving a batty old broad like me, who forgets what day it is, pretty much five out of six, um... I mean, seven days a week.}
Chocolate Chip PB&J Bars
(adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temp
- 2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) strawberry jam (or what you have)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line with parchment, then grease and flour the pan.
In the bowl of your mixer, (paddle attachment) cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. On low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all of the ingredients are combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Staying on low speed, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, until combined. I try to add it in thirds.
Spread 1/2 of the dough into the pan and spread evenly on the bottom with a spatula. Spread the jam over the dough. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chocolate chips over the jam. Then, drop small chunks of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if it doesn't look like enough to cover it. It will spread out as it cooks. Sprinkle with the rest of the chips.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for about 20 minutes and cut into squares.
These will keep, in an airtight container for about a week. (if they last that long) Or, you can freeze them individually in zip-top sandwich bags or wrapped tightly in cling wrap.
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Please Note: Many of the following links to parties are no longer functioning because the blog has been removed or because the name and/or the URL have changed. I'll try to get in here one of these days and update/correct it all but for now, I just don't have the time or the level of health that I used to have. To the very best of my knowledge, the links are all still safe and should not take you to any spam sites if you choose to click on them. Thanks!
I'm linking this up with: (adding the URL's as I link up)
And with:
Creative Thursday at
Michelle's Tasty Creations
Foodie Friday at
Rattlebridge Farm
Friday Fun Party at
Craftionary
Happy Hour Friday at
Happy Hour Projects
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at
Six Sister's Stuff
Saturday Night Special at
Funky Junk Interiors
Scrumptious Sunday at
Addicted To Recipes
Week of 9/25/12
Mix It Up Monday at
Flour Me With Love
Thriving On Thursdays at
Domesblissity
Live, Laugh, {Linky} Thursday at
Live, Laugh, Rowe
Fridays Unfolded at
Stuff and Nonsense
Potpourri Friday at
2805
Overflowing With Creativity at
It's Overflowing
Week of 10/1/12
Metamorphosis Monday at
Between Naps On The Porch
Creative Corner Blog Hop at
Cherished Handmade Treasures
Whatcha' Whipped Up at
DJ's Sugar Shack
Wow Us On Wednesdays at
Savvy Southern Style
All-Star Block Party at
In The Old Road
Week of 10/8/12
Tasteful Tuesdays at
Nap Time Creations
