Peanut Butter, Jelly and Chocolate Bars

Since it's been well-documented here that I like to eat with my hands, it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of the sandwich. Endlessly adaptable, the sandwich has an infinite variation - but there is one that has attained almost iconic status. Yes, I'm talking about the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Now, I can't claim that I've eaten a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the past few years, but the few that I have had have been more of a 2 a.m. snack then lunch, and I tend to sneak in a little chocolate. A bit like these bars.
These cookies are almost like a sandwich themselves, the peanut butter dough on top and bottom with the jelly in between - and just a touch of chocolate sprinkled on top.
Tip of the Day: There are dozens of varieties of peanut butter out there: chunky, creamy, low-fat, organic, natural, and everything in between. Now I'm not going to tell you that any of these won't work, but if for some reason you are interested in my recommendations, I would say skip the all natural stuff and go for a jar of [insert name brand] peanut butter - the texture and flavor are better calibrated for baking; use the other stuff on your sandwich.

Recipe: (from Baked Perfection)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups jam
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and peanut butter, and beat until combined.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix to combine, then add the vanilla.
Spread 2/3 of the mixture in a greased 9x13" pan. Spread the jam on top, and drop the remaining dough in spoonfuls on top.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool completely in the pan.