Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 pinch baking powder
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup golden sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup jam (I used raspberry, but choose your favourite)
2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F.
 

Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with a little vegetable oil.
 

Pop your baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl and put to one side.
 

Now, cream together your peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add your flour mixture and continue to beat until fully combined. You should be left with a slightly crumbly, pastry like dough.  Pop half of this into a bowl & place it in the freezer.
 

Squidge the rest of it into the bottom of your pan.
 

Smear a layer of jam over the top.

Leave it for about 5 mins & remove your dough from the freezer.
 

Crumble it over your jam layer and press down gently to level.
 

Sprinkle your chopped peanuts over the top.
 

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 mins, until the top starts to brown.

 

When it's ready, remove it from the oven & leave to cool on the side. 

Don't try and tip it out of the pan, it will not end well!
 

Go & distract yourself for a couple of hours.

When it's cold, use a sharp knife to split it into manageable peanutty portions.