an after school treat: barefoot contessa peanut butter & jelly bars

Tomorrow is the first day of school. We've had to adjust to new bedtimes and getting up early the past few days in preparation. Our school is nut-free, an effort to protect those children with life-threatening nut allergies. My children cannot get enough peanut butter and jelly so this afternoon we made a batch of these bars; an after-school treat in lieu of the sandwich tomorrow. (And in case you're wondering, usually our after-school snacks are healthy; these are for the special occasion of the first day of school.) Here's the recipe.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups creamy peanut butter

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups raspberry or other jam (we used homemade blackberry)

2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medicum speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs and peanut butter and mix until well combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread two thirds of the dough in the prepared pan, using a knife to spread it evenly. Spread the jam evenly over the dough (very fun for kids to do). Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; the dough will spread when it bakes. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting; cut into small squares.