What up everyone! I’m in Los Angeles and it’s been a great week so far. As you know, I have one more guest post for you all and it’s from my dear, sweet friend, Nancy from Gotta Get Baked. Nancy is legit. She’s the real deal. She is the baker extraordinaire. She’s the first person I really connected with through food blogging. And by connecting I mean, actually keeping up with one another, going beyond the blog post and learning about each other’s lives, husbands and families.
Nancy makes me laugh and her writing is awesome and clever. She’s honest and tells it like it is. What do I love about Nancy? Other than the fact that this lady can bake, she’s a hard worker, she relates and really connects with people, she actually reads people’s posts and writes thoughtful comments, she’s warm and caring and funny. . and she also has a ghetto fabulous side. She’s my homeslice. My home girl. When I added some rap lyrics to one of my posts, she got it. She knew what was up. Nancy is the friend I would be driving with in the car, with the top down and dancing in the car to Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys. I love this song.
So, if you haven’t visited her blog, get on over there. It’s wonderful. To me, she is the cake queen. Check these out: Coconut Raspberry Layer cake, Peanut Butter Banana Bundt cake, Lemon Faux Napolean cake, and the mother of all cakes, her Chocolate Gingerbread Layer Cake with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting. Word.
Peanut Butter and Jam Cookie Bars from Nancy at Gotta Get Baked
Peanut Butter and Jam Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter I used smooth because I added peanuts
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sifted flour or if you don't sift which I didn't cause I'm lazy use 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts optional
- 1 cup crushed Nutter Butter cookies optional
- 1 jar strawberry jam 250 mL - I used the whole thing
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure there are flaps of parchment paper sticking over the edges for easy removal of the cookie. I didn't butter my pan since the cookie base was going to be pretty buttery and I didn't have any problems removing it.
- Beat the butter and both sugars together until fluffy. Add in the peanut butter and egg, mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the salt, baking soda and vanilla. Mix to combine. Add in the flour and mix until blended. Stir in the chopped peanuts and Nutter Butters.
- Place 2/3 of the cookie dough into the pan and press into an even layer. Pour the jam over top and smooth into an even layer. Drop the remaining cookie dough overtop in rough dollops. You can top with more peanuts if desired.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the cookie is golden in colour. Allow the cookie to cool and stiffen in the pan, approximately 20 minutes. When the cookie is solid enough, lift it out of the pan and let it continue cooling on a rack. Make sure it's completely cool before attempting to slice.
