PB&J on the go

Years ago I was in a gift shop in rural Virginia that sold little packets of what they deemed “peanut butter and jelly on the go.” Little bags of Oyster crackers, raisins and peanuts, it was a clever way to market their unique brand of snack packs. It was with this idea of portable peanut butter and jelly in mind that I slightly altered a recipe we have used many times to come up with a healthier and tastier play on the classic PB&J. These PB&J Super Bars use super healthful whole grains like oats, whole wheat flour and ground flax seed along with peanut butter and dried cranberries to make a protein rich, slightly sweet and very tasty portable bar. PB&J Super Bars 2 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats 1 cup whole wheat flour 2/3 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoon ground flax seed 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or creamy is fine 1/2 cup applesauce 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed or whole Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the oats, flour, sugar, flax seed, cinnamon, salt and cranberries. In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter, applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients into the oat mixture. Mix well and then add the nuts. On a well greased cookie sheet –OR- one covered with parchment paper or a Silpat liner, spread the mixture with a spatula until your mixture is in a uniform shape, approximately 10 inches by 16 inches and ¾ inches thick. It is important it is uniform so the bars cook evenly. Bake for about 25-27 minutes or until the bars seem firm. Remove from the oven and cut immediately into bars or whatever shape you wish. Makes 20-24 bars. Have a great weekend all- SPC