I call this my thank-goodness recipe. As in, thank goodness that dang hurricane didn’t hit, but now what do I do with all this peanut butter?

In those wild and windy days as Hurricane Lane powered toward us, it seemed wise to load up the pantry. Here in the newsroom our supplies included giant jars of peanut butter and jelly, both of which were cracked open by foraging staffers in the hours spent waiting for something to happen.

We also have boxes of granola bars, bags of dried fruit and other nonperishables, all stashed away for the next storm threat. But the opened jars had crossed over to perishable and needed to be dealt with.

I decided the answer was cookies. (Actually, cookies are the answer to many of life’s exigencies.)

These are bar cookies, easy to bake in quantity, and conveniently (for me, anyway) they use up 2 full cups of peanut butter and almost as much jelly. If a peanut butter cookie and a PBJ sandwich had a baby, this could be it — soft, chewy and just sweet enough.

The middle is actually a little doughy, which sounds like a mistake, but in this case it’s a plus. You can see it in the photo, a layer beneath the jelly that’s darker than the crusty top and bottom. This soft center makes for an extra chewy bar.

If you prefer your cookies cooked through more, you’ve got two choices: Make the bottom layer thinner or prebake it about 10 minutes, as you would a shortbread in a layered dessert.

THANK GOODNESS PBJ BARS

By Betty Shimabukuro

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups grape jelly (or any type of jam or jelly)
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate each one. Add vanilla and peanut butter, beating until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until incorporated.

Pat 2/3 of dough in bottom of prepared pan, pressing with fingers to make a uniform bottom crust. Spread jelly over bottom layer, not quite to the edges. Sprinkle remaining dough in clumps over the top. Sprinkle peanuts over top and press into dough.

Bake 40-45 minutes, until top is browned.

Let cool completely before slicing. Makes about 3 dozen bars.

>> TIP: If bars are too soft to cut, or if they need firming up after cutting, refrigerate for a few hours.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Write By Request, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.