A sweet friend recently went berry picking and made the most delicious strawberry jam. She gifted me with a jar and to prevent myself from eating it straight from the jar by the spoonful, I decided to come up with a great recipe to gift back to her for her kindness. Behold! In all their delicious kid lunchbox beauty. The Peanut Butter and Jam Bar. I started with a basic peanut butter cookie batter, then took it a step further! I hope you like these as much as my family and friends did!

• 1 1/4 cups (5oz or 142g) Better Batter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (you can sub in Wowbutter instead, if you wish)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (you can sub in non dairy margarine, if you wish)
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup jam any flavor you choose! I used Strawberry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I like to line my 8×8 or 9×9 brownie pan with aluminum foil and use the butter wrap to grease it. When the bars are out of the oven, you can just lift them out by the foil and they retain their great shape and cutting is super easy!

Mix the Better Batter, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a larger mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) cream together the peanut butter and butter until smooth and completely mixed. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and blend until light and fluffly. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

In bottom of your lined and greased pan, press 2/3 of your peanut butter cookie mixture. Press to make sure its even and completely spread. On top, spread your 1/2 cup of jam. Take the remaining 1/3 of your cookie dough and crumble it on top. Bake in the oven 30-40 minutes or until you shake the pan and the middle no longer wiggles.

Slice and share! (Or eat them all before any kids get home from school!)

Amy Gillard is a Philadelphia Area Lifestyle Photographer and long time gluten free food lover. When other kids were watching Saturday morning cartoons, she was devouring every cooking show on tv. A diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease in 2010 led to her love of the Gluten Free lifestyle and a passion for healthy, homemade food the way Grandma would have made it. She and her husband also enjoy home brewing beer and gluten free ciders. You can see some of her photography at www.amygillardphotography.com