Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars Recipe

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs

Servings:

36

These peanut butter and jelly bars have all the sweet-salty flavor of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich concentrated into a sweet, cookie-like bar. They make a delicious after-school snack and would be welcome at a picnic or potluck. You’ll need an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then work in the peanut butter and dry ingredients; this forms the crumbly base and topping that sandwiches the sweet fruit jelly. We top the layered creation with a sprinkling of chopped salted peanuts, which helps to offset the sweetness while adding a welcome crunch. Easy to make and fun to eat, these whimsical bars are sure to be a hit with adults and kids alike.

Equipment Needs for Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

You'll only need a few basic pieces of equipment to make these sweet and salty bars, including:

Electric mixer: Like many other cookie and bar recipes, this one begins by beating butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. This accomplishes two goals: It helps to dissolve the sugar in the butter, which keeps the finished result from becoming grainy, and incorporates air into the batter, leading to a lighter, more tender crumb. You can use a stand-mixer or hand-held mixer for this step.

Alternative: In a pinch, you can whisk the butter and sugar by hand until well blended (be sure to start with softened, room temperature butter). The bars may be slightly less tender but the recipe will still come together.

Baking pan: You'll need a thirteen-by-nine-inch baking pan to bake these bars. You can use a metal or glass pan, whatever you have on hand, just be sure to grease it, line it with parchment, and then coat it with butter and flour. This will ensure the bars can be easily removed from the pan after they cool.

Offset spatula: We use an offset spatula to spread the peanut butter layer in the baking dish and then spread the jelly on top.

Alternative: If you don't have an offset spatula, you can use a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon instead.

We used strawberry jam to make the bars, but you can use any flavor that strikes your fancy, from concord grape to raspberry to mixed berry.

Directions

Heat oven; prepare baking pan:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, and coat inside of pan with flour; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar; mix in eggs and peanut butter:

Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
Whisk dry ingredients and add to mixer; add vanilla:

Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add to bowl of mixer on low speed; combine. Add vanilla.
Spread a portion of mixture in baking dish:

Transfer two-thirds of mixture to prepared pan; spread evenly with offset spatula.
Spread jam on top; add remaining mixture, followed by peanuts:

Using offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Dollop remaining third of peanut-butter mixture on top of jam. Sprinkle with peanuts.
Bake; let cool, then cut into bars:

Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; cut into about 36 1 1/2-by-2-inch pieces.

How to Store Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

These bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature or up to five days in the refrigerator.

Freezing

To freeze them, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag, pushing out as much air as possible; freeze for up to three months. Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a few hours.