“PB&J” Bars, Gluten & Nut Free

Gluten and Nut free "PB&Jelly" Bars

Wow, was it a hot week at camp last week!  For those of you who were out and about in the Midwest, we sure did have our fair share of hot, humid weather.  Campers at our local church found all kinds of ways to keep cool.  It was a challenge for the volunteers to keep up with the energy of the kids in all that heat!  Every morning, the church staff provided volunteers with a quick, energy boosting snack of juice/coffee, fruit and snack bars (the typical pre-packaged cereal bar kind).  So, I brought along a new favorite for our family… gluten and nut free “pb&jelly” bars.  I shared them at the snack table with others that were looking for a gluten free “bar” option.  While I realize they could have chosen a piece of fruit, these bars also pack the protein needed to keep a body going for the long haul… running after kids that is!

I received several requests for the recipe, so I thought I would share it here.  This recipe has been a great after school, before sports practice, and even dessert snack.  I opt for unsweetened sunflower seed butter and have lowered the sugar as much as I could in this recipe.  The jam more than makes up for it!  While I aim to keep our house nut free due to allergies, you could definitely use regular peanut butter in this recipe if you are able to have it.  Enjoy!

“PB&Jelly” Bars, Gluten and Nut Free 

"PB&J" Bar... a "star" for sustaining energy power!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (use one without xanthan gum or follow the link for my GF blend)
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats (check out Trader Joes new GF Oats!)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature (you can use Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening as well for dairy free)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, not packed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature (egg replacer also works fairly well)
• 1 1/2 cups creamy or crunchy Sunbutter (I use the unsweetened version but any of their sunflower seed butter will work well.  Or you can use a nut butter you prefer, such as almond, cashew, hazelnut, peanut, etc.)
• 1 8 oz. jar seedless jam, such as strawberry or grape (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 inch baking pan (or two 8×8 square baking pans) with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl using the paddle attachment for an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the vanilla, eggs, and Sunbutter.  Beat until well blended.  Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until a soft dough is formed.
4. Spread two thirds of the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan.  Then spread the jam evenly on top.  Scatter small mounds of the dough over the jam layer and sprinkle with the chopped sunflower seeds.  I chose to press the remaining amount of dough flat on a piece of waxed paper and used a small star cookie cutter to make star shapes and placed these all over the jam layer.  You could use any shape cookie cutter for this step if you prefer.
5. Bake the dessert in the 350 degree oven about 45 minutes until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack completely before cutting into bars.  Store in an airtight container.