Barefoot Contessa's PB&J Bars

I have had this recipe for probably over a year and I have always wanted to try them. Actually I have always wanted to try some of the Barefoot Contessa's recipes, but never have. I love peanut butter. I love peanut butter. I love peanut butter. You get the idea. Sadly I did not get a picture before they were all eaten, so here are a couple of links with pictures. I've noticed that lots of fellow food bloggers have baked them. Je Mange la Ville , Sugar Delirium , Alpineberry
So now you have three pictures to ooze over. My only wish was that I had a incredibly large glass of milk to down these with. They were so rich, not sweet, just rich. I loved the crunch of the peanuts on the top. I used strawberry jam, because we always seem to have an endless supply of it. The jam on the edges got nice and chewy. I love the edges of bar goodies because they bake chewier. Some people prefer the middle, but I'm a corner person myself.

Barefoot Contessa's PB&J Bars

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs, at room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup jam or jelly
2/3 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped (salted or unsalted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13x2 inch cake pan with parchment and then butter and flour the parchment and pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and mix for another minute. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until flour is just incorporated.
Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small pieces of the remaining dough over the jam making sure to leave some of the jam exposed. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting and serving.