Blondie meets PB&J Sandwich. Indulge in the perfect blend of sweet and salty with our irresistible Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars, boasting a chewy peanut butter base topped with a layer of luscious strawberry jam. These bars are sure to satisfy both your nostalgic cravings and your taste for something new!
Why you’ll love these PB&J Bars
I mean, I LOVE peanut butter & jelly. I grew up on my grandma’s homemade strawberry jam and it made everything better. I’ve got a few PB&J recipes on my site that I just LOVE like this Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and these Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups. I even thought about making a peanut butter & jelly cocktail with the Peanut Butter Whiskey – stay tuned for that if I do.
I really think you’re going to love these pb&j bars. They start with a simple peanut butter blondie base and have thick, creamy peanut butter and your favorite jam swirled on top.
When you sink your teeth in, you experience an indulgence of textures and flavors reminding you of your favorite childhood classic sandwich matched with peanut butter cookie bar energy.
What’s also great is these take just 10 minutes to whip together before heading to the oven and are made with simple, natural ingredients you probably already have on hand! And if you’re looking for another cookie bar recipe to try, also check out these Apple Cinnamon Bars or these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Blondies, too!
Recipe Ingredients
This is such a simple recipe. You probably have ingredients on hand!
- Butter – This will make our bars rich and tender.
- Peanut Butter – Use creamy peanut butter for the dough. You can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter for the topping if you prefer some texture.
- Brown sugar – Makes for a chewier cookie bar as compared to using white sugar.
- Strawberry Jam – I used smackers squeezable jam and also tested with a jar of raspberry preserves (for convenience).
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Any kind of jam or any flavor of jelly! I love using strawberry jam or raspberry jam, but triple berry or mixed berry would be tasty, too. Grape jelly is also an option for that nostalgic school snack combo.
- Switch up the nut butter: Replace peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or hazelnut butter, or opt for sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut-free alternative.
- Want some texture? Add peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, or crushed pretzels to the batter.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, in 30 second intervals until melted. Let the butter cool slightly before using. Whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Then whisk in light brown sugar and egg until everything is combined.
2. Pour dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt) into the large bowl with the peanut butter mixture. Stir until all of the wet ingredients are absorbed. Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
3. Add the batter to the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it to fill the pan. You may need to press dough into the baking dish with your hands or use a flat spatula. Top the bars with melted peanut butter drizzles and small scoops of jam. I recommend melting the peanut butter and pouring it over the bars.
4. Optional: use a knife to swirl the peanut butter and jelly mixture together. Less is more here, don’t over mix. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the bars have baked through, the top layer has slightly hardened, and the are edges golden brown.
5. Let cool and slice into 9 squares. If the jam sank into the bars, feel free to dollop a bit more to create an aesthetically pleasing bar to enjoy!
PRO TIPS
Melt the peanut butter before drizzling on top of the bars. The result is a much more even spread as opposed to large peanut butter chunks on only certain portions of the bars.
Fun Idea
For cookie bars more similar to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, consider a strawberry jam layer as the middle layer between the peanut butter shortbread. Spread just half of the cookie dough batter in an even layer, then the drippy, natural peanut butter and your favorite type of jam followed by the remaining dough. Bake for the same amount of time and you’ll have tasty layered dessert bars.
Recipe FAQs
Once cooled completely, store your peanut butter jam bars in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter for up to 5 days.
Absolutely! Gluten Free 1:1 baking flour will work just fine for these bars. Dairy free? No problem, just swap out the butter for a plant based version like Earth Balance. You should also be able to use coconut oil, but I’ve not tried it.
Jelly is smooth and gel-like vibe, courtesy of its fruit juice base mixed with added sugars and pectin, while jam brings a chunkier consistency because it’s made from crushed or chopped fruit. Either one works in this recipe!
Serving suggestions
I love grabbing one of these bars as an afternoon sweet treat paired with a Triple Berry Smoothie to sip on or crumbled over some Greek yogurt. These also make for a picnic snack to pack with a Turkey Apple Cheddar Sandwich and some homemade Ranch Snack Mix.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- parchment papper
- measuring cups / spoons
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch sea salt
Topping
- 1/2 cup strawberry/raspberry jam
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, in 30 second intervals until melted. Let the butter cool slightly before using.
- Whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Then whisk in light brown sugar and egg until everything is combined.
- Pour dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt) into the large bowl with the peanut butter mixture. Stir until all of the wet ingredients are absorbed. Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
- Add the batter to the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it to fill the pan. You may need to press dough into the baking dish with your hands or use a flat spatula.
- Top the bars with melted peanut butter drizzles and small scoops of jam. I recommend melting the peanut butter and pouring it over the bars. Optional: use a knife to swirl the peanut butter and jelly mixture together. Less is more here, don’t over mix.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the bars have baked through, the top layer has slightly hardened, and the are edges golden brown.
- Let cool and slice into 9 squares. If the jam sank into the bars, feel freel to dollop a bit more to create an aesthetically pleasing bar to enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
tested these 4 times to get them JUST PERFECT. Love the nostalgic memories of PB&J!
Sooo tasty! I grew up on PB&J every day growing up and these were definitely a treat!
Warning! If you make these, make them to share otherwise you may eat the whole pan….like I did! They hit just right.
Didn’t know how bad I needed these 😍