Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
Do you love a good peanut butter & jelly sandwich? A quick and easy dessert, these Peanut Butter And Jelly Bars showcase the classic combo in a fun new way. These easy to make dessert bars are a sweet treat perfect for beginning or ending any day of the week!
Did you ever eat so much of something growing up, that you were just done as an adult?
I can’t tell you the number of things I ate so much of that I steadfastly refuse another bite in my adulthood.
Peanut butter has become my adult nemesis, for this very reason- even though my sons can’t ever get enough of it.
While I’m not typically a ‘sweets’ person, I have discovered that in the guise of a yummy dessert– I can be all about some peanut butter.
Like with these quick and easy, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars. It’s all about balance, folks.
Making this sweet treat is super easy, and something the kids and I can almost always agree on for breakfast or dessert.
Balance remember!
Ingredients Needed
Unlike a lot of traditional dessert bars, this recipe doesn’t require any obscure ingredients or even and the list isn’t too long.
To make these peanut butter and jelly bars you’ll need:
- Butter – One cup of softened butter, or two sticks, and salted butter works best since a bit of salt enhances the sweetness of baked goods.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar
- Extract – Vanilla flavored extract, homemade or store bought- you can also use the imitation kind.
- Eggs – Two large eggs, at room temperature
- Peanut Butter – You’ll need creamy peanut butter for this recipe, NOT the crunchy kind.
- Flour – Plain white all purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Grape Jelly – You can also use grape jam- use your favorite flavor or variety.
Once you’ve got all your ingredients together you’re ready to make these indulgent peanut butter and jelly bars!
How To Make Peanut Butter And Jelly Bars
To get started, add the butter & sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whip them together, creaming until the mixture’s light & fluffy.
Add the eggs, extract, and peanut butter to the creamed butter and sugar mixture in the bowl.
Mix everything together, again until evenly incorporated and the mixture’s light & fluffy.
Slowly add in the flour and baking powder. I find it’s easier to do it in small increments that way it doesn’t poof up and get all over everything when you start the mixer.
Add them both to the batter, and mix until both are all added and everything’s evenly incorporated.
Lightly grease a 9×13″ baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
Add 2/3’s of the batter to the prepared dish, and then using a spatula spread it out over the bottom in an even layer.
Add the grape jelly to the peanut butter layer, and using another spatula spread it out in an even layer- but leave a half inch around all the edges that’s just the peanut butter layer.
Using a teaspoon, or a small spoon, drop the rest of the peanut butter batter in dollops evenly out over the grape jelly layer. Do this until all the batter’s been used.
Bake the peanut butter and jelly bars at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the bars are cooked through.
The jelly will be soft, but the peanut butter mixture should be solid.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow the bars to cool- I recommend about 30 minutes of cooling off time.
Once significantly cooled, using a sharp knife you can cut them into 9 squares.
The cooler the bars are, the easier they will be to cut and the better they will hold their shape when removed from the dish.
Serve slightly warm & enjoy!
Storing
While it’s tempting, it’s probably not best to eat an entire tray of these peanut butter bars in one sitting.
To store the extras, first make sure they’ve cooled completely.
Transfer the cut bars into an airtight container.
You can leave them on the countertop for up to 3 days, or stored in the refrigerator for a week.
Can These Dessert Bars Be Frozen?
Yes!
After they’ve cooled completely and been cut- wrap them individually in wax paper.
Store them in an airtight container or ziplocking bag, and they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Let them thaw and then you can warm them in the microwave for a quick, easy treat.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Don’t like grape jelly? You can sub strawberry jelly or raspberry jam.
- Want to add even more peanut butter flavor? Sprinkle a handful of peanut butter chips on top before baking.
- Want to add some crunch? Instead of peanut butter chips, add a sprinkle of chopped salted peanuts instead.
- Let the bars cool SIGNIFICANTLY before slicing and serving. If you skip this step they will want to fall apart and crumble.
- For an extra sweet finish, serve these dessert bars with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
- For easier removal, instead of spraying the baking dish with nonstick spray- you can line it with parchment paper instead.
Other Easy Dessert Bar Recipes
Rich and creamy peanut butter bars are slathered with thick layer of grape jelly. Dolloped with more spoonfuls of the peanut butter batter, these Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars are a yummy hybrid snack or dessert.
I may have even had one for breakfast with a cup of coffee for me and a cold glass of milk for the kids- it’s a sweet treat the whole family adores.
- Strawberry Crunch Bars
- Toll House Cookie Pie Bars
- Cherry Pie Bars
- Rolo Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Oreo Cheesecake Bars
- Copycat Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies
If you’ve tried these PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY BARS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Peanut Butter And Jelly Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cup grape jelly
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until whipped and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, extract, and peanut butter-- mixing until evenly incorporated.
- Slowly add in the flour and baking powder, mixing consistently until evenly incorporated.
- Lightly grease a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 2/3 of the batter evenly out over the bottom of the pan.
- Using a spatula, spread the jam/jelly out over the batter leaving a half inch clean on all sides.
- Using a teaspoon, drop the remaining batter/dough evenly out over top of the dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- Don't like grape jelly? You can sub strawberry jelly or raspberry jam.
- Want to add even more peanut butter flavor? Sprinkle a handful of peanut butter chips on top before baking.
- Want to add some crunch? Instead of peanut butter chips, add a sprinkle of chopped salted peanuts instead.
- Let the bars cool SIGNIFICANTLY before slicing and serving. If you skip this step they will want to fall apart and crumble.
- For an extra sweet finish, serve these dessert bars with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
- For easier removal, instead of spraying the baking dish with nonstick spray- you can line it with parchment paper instead.
Nutrition
recipe originally posted June 19, 2017
Haven’t I commented on this post? I am sure I saw this somewhere – hmmm…
These are so good – I love PB&J. I’ll be making this very soon! Thanks for sharing & it’s always nice to see you at Fiesta Friday party!
YUM! I love anything PB&J! Happy Fiesta Friday!
Can you substitute the butter with unsweetened applesauce and if you can how much would you use. Thank you.
I’ve never done it before, so I can’t attest to the results BUT I know in theory you can sub applesauce for butter by using half of the amount of butter called for.