Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
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Love a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Now you can enjoy your favorite flavors in dessert form! These Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars are soft and chewy. The base peanut butter crust is topped with jam and chopped peanuts and then more peanut butter crust. Perfect dessert, bake sale treat, potluck dessert or after school snack.

I’m not gonna lie – when I first thought about peanut butter and jelly together in a dessert I wasn’t too excited. I love it for sandwiches, but a dessert? Let’s just say I wasn’t convinced. Well, I was wrong to ever doubt because these peanut butter and jelly bars are amazing. If you love PB&J sandwiches you will love these bars!
I absolutely love fruit bars like strawberry pie bars and apple caramel bars and so it makes total sense to use jam! I mean, it’s made of fruit, right? So, you get all the fruit flavor but you don’t have the hassle of prepping the fruit yourself. In other words, jam is a perfect shortcut. Add a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie base and you end up with that classic combination of flavors served up as a sweet treat.
My kiddos love these as a snack and they’re also great for potlucks or bake sales. This recipe makes a big batch so there’s plenty to share! If you’re looking for a fun and easy dessert you have to give these a try!
Ingredients Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Most of the ingredients you need are pantry staples that are already in your house.
You can use any flavor of jelly you want and this is a fun way to mix it up!
If you love chunky peanut butter it’s fun to add the chopped peanuts, but if you’d rather leave them out that’s fine too!

How to Make Them!
The base of the dessert bars is like a giant peanut butter cookie – soft, chewy and so good! Plus, you only need one bowl to make the dough.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix until the dough comes together and is well combined.

- Spread 2/3 of the dough in a prepared 9×13 baking dish (the rest of the dough will be the topping!
- Spread the jam over the top of the dough. If you want to go classic use grape jam but any flavor will work! When you spread it over the dough, leave about 1/2″ around the edge plain.
- Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the top of the jelly and then drop the rest of the dough by the teaspoon over the top.
- Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Cool the bars in the pan and dust them with powdered sugar before slicing.
Get out the PB&J – you’re going to want to give these a try.
Storage
You can store the bars in an airtight container and they’ll keep well at room temperature for three to four days. If they last that long – they never do when I make them!

More Desserts to Try!
Want more recipes? Here are a few more I love to make:
- If you want an easy snack cake, my chocolate zucchini cake is dense, tender and loaded with chocolate chips. You can’t taste the zucchini – it just gives the cake a lot of moisture!
- Classic scotcharoos are our FAVORITE no-bake treat! This is the recipe that my Mom made for us growing up and it is the BEST scotcheroos recipe ever.
- For a really easy dessert, you have to try my cinnamon roll peach cobbler – it’s perfect for summer!
- Carmelitas are ooey-gooey dessert bars that are easy to make!
- Quick and easy 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic old fashion recipe that is easy to make from scratch because you just need three pantry staples.
- Peanut Butter and Banana Icebox Cake is a Homemade Light & Fluffy Peanut Butter Mousse Layered with Peanut Butter Cookies and Bananas and then Drizzled with Peanut Butter! The Perfect No Bake Dessert!
- These Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars are soft and chewy.
Try it and love it? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure to tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Ingredients
- 1 c. butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 c. creamy peanut butter
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 c. jam of your choosing
- 2/3 C salted peanuts coarsely chopped, optional
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13×9 inch baking pan.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix until combined.
- Add flour and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
- Spread 2/3 of the batter mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Spread jam over the batter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Leave about 1/2 inch around the sides without jam. Drop the remaining dough over the jam, in about teaspoon size drops.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the edges start to brown. Remove from from oven.
Tips
- You can use any flavor of jelly you want and this is a fun way to mix it up!
- If you love chunky peanut butter it’s fun to add the chopped peanuts, but if you’d rather leave them out that’s fine too!
- You can store the bars in an airtight container and they’ll keep well at room temperature for three to four days.
Tonia@thegunnysack says
I love peanut butter and jelly bars! Your recipe sounds delicious!
Jennifer says
I’d like to invite you to my Friday Flash Blog, where you can share your best blog entry of the week! The party goes on ALL weekend at thejennyevolution.com. And who knows, you may just get featured next week.
Jennifer
thejennyevolution.com
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Peanut butter and jelly is such a classic combo…I love it in a fun dessert bar! Great picture 🙂
Karyn - Pint Sized Baker says
these sound Wonderful. I could use a treat right now! Thanks for linking up at Pint Sized Baker’s Two Cup Tuesday Party! I’ve pinned this! I hope to see you again on Monday Night!
Julie Evink says
Thanks Karyn!
The Better Baker says
Oh Lands! You sure sucked me in with that big spoonful of peanut butter…I’m heading to the kitchen for some now. LOL This sounds like a fabulous treat. Thanks so much for sharing it at Weekend Potluck.
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
Peanut butter and jelly – oh, one cannot go wrong with this classic combo and these bars look amazing!
kristy @ gastronomical sovereignty says
great photographs!! i love the way you styled the PB & J!
…also, your bars look fantastic.
Happy SRC reveal from a group C member!!
Julie Evink says
Thanks Kristy. I love when someone compliments my pictures…I struggle with them so much!!!
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
Oh yum, these look fantastic and I have everything I need too, don’t you just love that? Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.
Julie Evink says
Yes I love recipes like that. I am a total cravings person so that helps me out, well maybe not. It might help my hips if I didn’t have the ingredients!
Veronica says
Why did I think it was a good idea to read your blog at 2 am when I should be sleeping and NOT baking these delicious bars?! Because that’s all I want to do now. Wow, your pictures just sucked me right in. Wow. So making these. Maybe not at 2 am….or maybe yes.
Julie Evink says
Haha you make me giggle, but what on earth are you doing up at that hour?! Go to bed!!
Veronica says
LOL, that’s just how I roll. I get off work at 11 pm and usually stay up until 2 am…or 6. lol
Julie Evink says
I would sleep the day away!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
I love these Julie!!! Wish I had a batch right now…
Julie Evink says
If you did, I might just invite myself over for a few 🙂
Tonia@thegunnysack says
I love peanut butter and jelly bars! I made some recently using a white cake mix and we loved them! Thanks for sharing at Time To Sparkle!
Julie Evink says
Thanks Tonia!
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
You had me at peanut butter & jelly! Can’t wait to make these – while I adore brownies, these would a wonderful switch up (and I’m sure kids would love them too – if not, more for me 🙂
Julie Evink says
Thanks Deanna!
Colleen, The Smart Cookie Cook says
Oh boy, these look awesome! I am such a sucker for PB & J.
Julie Evink says
Me too, but now I’m craving a PB&J sandwich after this post!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
I’ll never ever ever be too old for PB&J — it’s still one of my favorites to this day! In fact, I had it for breakfast, haha. These bars look SUPER yum!
Julie Evink says
I think this could pass for breakfast, well my hubby did at least!
Rhonda says
Peanut, Peanut Butter and Jelly. I can’t help but hear my kids singing this childhood song. I’m sure they would be singing it for these bars too! Something are just meant to be together.
Julie Evink says
Haha I haven’t heard that song in forever!!