Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
Fresh strawberries and strawberry jelly are swirled into soft peanut butter blondies to create these Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars that taste just like your favorite childhood sandwich! They’re super easy and come together in one bowl.
Feels like it’s been a while, huh? Between my trip to Cabo, getting tonsillitis (icky), having my dad in town, and making 15 different desserts for my sorority’s Red Dress Gala, things have been hectic and crazy. I’ve been baking a ton, but I’ve barely had a minute to sit down and write to share something totally delicious with you all.
I do seriously need to go back and remake a few of the desserts I made for that event though. The event has a sort of dessert auction at the end where each table puts cash into an envelope and the table who donates the most chooses dessert first, and so on. I was tasked with making all of the desserts, which meant two straight days of baking. I had a few stressful moments. It is so not awesome when the last batch of cookies spreads ALL over the tray. However, it was so much fun to be able to make so many different things.
I tried out some new recipes (risky…I know) but they turned out awesome and I need to share them with you all. I’ve had lots of requests after my Instagram photo featuring just a couple of desserts. These dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies though, guys…
Also on the menu was my carrot cake, mini versions of toffee caramel cheesecake, no-bake snickers pie, mini vanilla bean cheesecakes with strawberries & cream, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, brownies, apple crumble pie, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cake, and some other goodies you may be seeing on here soon!
Let’s make Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars!
Now, let’s talk about the recipe you’re seeing on here now! These Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars, no joke, taste exactly like a peanut butter and jelly. Spot on. If you were a strawberry jelly person, these bars taste like childhood.
The base of the bars comes together super quickly in one bowl. Just stir, spread the batter in a pan, and swirl in the jam. It takes literally 5 minutes of your time. 25 minutes in the oven and you have PB&J goodness.
I want to switch the jam flavor!
No problem at all. If you prefer raspberry, or blueberry, or grape jam, or whatever kind – just sub in your favorite flavor and fruit.
If you’re a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you have got to try these. They’re irresistible. And, if you’re like me (a peanut butterholic), give those bars an extra drizzle of peanut butter. They deserve it. You deserve it. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4.25 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup fresh strawberries, chopped
- ¼ cup strawberry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper or foil and grease lightly.
- Melt butter in a large microwaveable bowl in the microwave. Add peanut butter and brown sugar and whisk to combine. Add the egg, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Add the flour and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in the strawberries. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife. Dollop the strawberry preserves over the top in tablespoon drops and swirl into the batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving into 16 squares. I like to refrigerate them before cutting to make them easier to cut. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months
Girl I don’t know how you’re in school full-time, fully participate in the sorority AND run this blog. Crazy!! Your sorority sisters are lucky gals to have a great baker around like you! LOVING these PB&J bars!
Haha, well I only have the school and sorority part for another 6 weeks…scary!! Thanks so much, Nicole!
I love peanut butter and jelly bars. I made some a while back but yours look way better, Rachel. Love the strawberries!
What could be better? Uhhhh… nothing. These are perfection :)
Rachel, these look fantastic! I have never had peanut butter and jelly bars before. I need these in my life! It sounds like you have been busy and only 6 weeks left of school? Congrats!
Thanks so much!! It’s totally crazy that I’m graduating already…doesn’t feel real!
These bars look AMAZING Rachel! Can’t beat PB&J. A match made in food heaven : )
These bars look amazing! I love anything PB&J related. Sorry to hear about your tonsilitis, hope you’re feeling better nad this week is a little less hectic :)
Things have definitely calmed down for the better :) thanks for the well wishes and kind words, Medha!
Whoa you have been baking up a storm!! haha I love it!
And these bars look fantastic – I don’t think I could ever turn down something peanut butter and jelly!
Sounds like you were super busy baking, but that’s never a bad thing right? These bars look so amazing, you can’t go wrong with peanut butter and jelly!
These look so rich and dense –perfect! Love the Pb & J combo!
These bars are like sunshine on a plate. They are SO pretty! I’m dying for one of these right now!
Wow those look incredible! So gooey and peanut buttery, mmm… love that shot with the melted peanut butter, totally making me drool right now :)
Totally drooling here! Those peanut butter and jelly bars look to die for!
Very interesting recipe! I think I would love it. I can’t wait to try these jelly bars. Thanks for sharing.
You can’t beat pb&j! These are calling to me right now. I neeeeeed!
There must be something in the air. I just made strawberry bars yesterday. LOL No peanut butter…but that sure looks good!
My favorite sandwich ever in a dessert bar form? YES! Perfection!
These bars look incredible, Rachel! I’m a huge fan of PB&J (who isn’t???), so in my opinion, this is pretty much the perfect dessert.
I can’t wait to see some of the new treats you made for that event. Two straight days of baking sounds SO fun (and a little stressful, but in a good way.)
xoxo
It totally was, Abby!! I was mildly annoyed when the last dessert didn’t turn out (of course) and I had to bake the day of the event when my dad was in town, but it turned out great :) thanks so much, girl!
Hi Rachel – just an FYI that this recipe does not include measurements for salt, baking temperature, or pan size. Bars are in the oven right now – they look good!
Whoops, totally missed adding the top line of the recipe! I didn’t use salt, so that shouldn’t have even been in there. Thanks so much for pointing this out, that’s what I get for putting recipes together too late at night, haha! Hope they bars still turn out awesome :) I’d love to hear how you like them.
Baking so many desserts sounds like a lot of work! Good job! These bars look amazing!
These are really REALLY awesome! I found this recipe earlier and then made it this evening. I’ll be honest I wasn’t 100% sure these were going to come out right being that the consistency was seriously thick. I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan instead of the 8 x 8 that the recipe calls for but kept the main ingredients the same. (I did use grape jam, it’s just how I eat my pb & j) All I can say is wow!!!! They are chewy and taste exactly like they should I’m not regretting finding these at all and I can’t wait to share these with my friends and their kids! Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Katherine! Sounds delicious with the grape jelly :) thanks so much for stopping by to share your experience – we all appreciate it!
You are so welcome Rachel, and they are (almost were, I think I have two bars left since yesterday!! I had to share!) I can’t wait to try your other tasty treats! Keep’em coming sister!
By “1 cup 4.25 oz flour” do you mean 12.25 oz (1 cup + 4.25)? Or is this a typo? Thanks! :)
Hi Neal – 1 cup weighs 4.25 oz of flour, so this indicates just one cup of flour plus the weight of that flour.