PB&J - czyli wspomnienia z dzieciństwa

plowing, seeding, and weeding; I must admit that to this day I need a moment to decide which sprigs will yieldsage and which – bitter cress, as I hardly ever paid attention to her. My mind was always focused on the lunch she had made and taken with her to the garden: fresh bread rolls with full fat cream and raspberries; homemade cheesecake dotted with juicy sultanas, and her famous strawberry juice.

In the States I always asked my friends what flavors they associated with their childhood and often got the answer "PB&J with milk". This nutritious snack is nothing more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of milk. Traditionally, it consists of a layerof peanut butter (smoothor crunchy) and a layer of jelly(especially dark berries) between two slices of bread.

In the early 20th century peanut butter was a delicacy and remained so until the Depression in the 1930s. With the coming of Wonder Bread (in ready sliced loaves), PB&J quickly became the most popular snack of the lower classes. It's also thought to be an effective baitfor mouse traps, much better than cheese.

Although peanut butter is most commonly used for cooking in Asia, there are many great recipes for more "American" dishes (and very easy to prepare) such as my favorite peanut butter and cashewbars, the best snack for cold fallnights — even though I learned how to make them in my friend's air-conditioned kitchen in the very heart of hot Austin.

If you don't own cup measures (funnily enough, they can be bought in "Everything for 2 złotys" stores), refer to online converters such as http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Cup-to-Gram-Conversions/Detail.aspx

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

* 8 tablespoons (½ cup) butter, softened

* 1 cup (220g) firmly packed light brown sugar

* ½ cup (100g) creamy peanut butter

* 2 large eggs, at room temperature

* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* ¼ teaspoon salt

* 4 ounces (110g) white chocolate chips

* 4 ounces (110g) semisweet chocolate chips

* ½ cup (60g) chopped cashews

Topping:

* 4 ounces (110g) white chocolate chips

* 4 ounces (110g) semisweet chocolate chips

* ½ cup (60g) chopped cashews

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Linea 9 x 12-inch baking pan with non-stick foil.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring to combine. Fold in white chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and chopped cashews.

Spread batterevenly in pan. Bake about 30 minutes, or until center tests done. Do not overbake or bars will be crumbly.

Immediately upon removing bars from oven, sprinkle remaining white and semisweet chocolate chips on hot bars. Cover loosely with tin foil and set aside about 5 minutes until chocolates are soft. Use a toothpickto create a swirled effect in the soft chocolate. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup chopped cashews.

Let bars cool completely until topping has set, about 4 hours. Cut into bars before serving.

Yield: 24 to 48 bar cookies, depending on cut size.

Enjoy!

Glossary:

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