Peanut butter and jelly bars are a tasty twist on a classic PB&J.
Grab your fave jam and swirl some on top of a sweet peanut butter cookie dough to bake up these chewy PB&J Bars for the ultimate after-school snack.
Holly’s Sweet & Salty Highlights:
- Flavor: Classic peanut butter and jelly flavors in a soft & gooey bite-sized bar.
- Difficulty: Shortcut ingredients make this quick & easy. Prep the cookie dough mix, swirl the jam on top, and bake.
- Swaps: Switch out the jelly for a swirl of Nutella for a chocolatey peanut butter bar!
PB&J Essentials
Cookie Base: Any brand of peanut butter cookie mix will work. Don’t forget about the ingredients on the package, too!
Oats: Use quick oats instead of regular rolled oats to give bars a smoother texture.
Jam: Strawberry is a classic choice for PB&J recipes, but grape jelly, peach jam, or orange marmalade will all taste great.
Peanuts: Dry-roasted and salted peanuts give an extra bump of protein, texture, and flavor. You can switch them up for walnuts, pistachios, cashews, or pecans if you like.
Tasty Twists: Get creative and mix in extras like chia seeds, flax seeds, or crunchy banana granola to the peanut butter cookie dough base.
Baking PB&J Bars
- Prepare peanut butter cookie dough according to the package instructions, and add the oats.
- Press ⅔ of the dough into a prepared pan and evenly spread it with the jam.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the top and bake.
Cool completely before slicing.
Sweet Tips & Shortcuts
- Use ready-made cookie dough for even faster prep time!
- Start with room temperature butter and eggs for faster blending. Cold eggs? Leave them in a glass of warm water for 5-10 minutes to warm them up.
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper that overhangs on each side for easy removal (and easier slicing and clean up).
- Cool bars in the fridge for faster slicing.
Keeping Them Fresh
- Keep leftover peanut butter and jelly bars in a covered container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze bars in a single layer and then transfer them to a zippered bag for up to three months. Add one or two to a backpack or briefcase and they’ll be thawed by lunchtime!
Perfect Peanut Butter Treats!
Did you enjoy this Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (17.5 ounce) peanut butter cookie mix plus ingredients called for on cookie mix pouch
- ½ cup quick oats
- ½ cup strawberry jam or jam of your choice*
- ¼ cup salted peanuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease or line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare cookie dough according to package directions. Stir in the quick oats.
- Press ⅔ the peanut butter dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- Spread the jam evenly over the peanut butter dough.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the jam. Top with chopped peanuts.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is firm.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Store leftover peanut butter and jelly bars in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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REPIN this Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Recipe
I made these with my kids at day care this week. They LOVED them! But, I did have to cook them longer than 20 minutes. My cooking time was almost 40 minutes and they were still moist & gooey.
My son would love this! Thanks for sharing!
Visiting from Delicious Dish Tuesday 🙂
This is such a sweet idea! My kiddos love a good pb & J, so we will have to try this one! Thanks for sharing with us this week at the Monday Funday link party!
Take care,
Trish