Go Back
Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Enjoy your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich flavors in a soft, chewy dessert bar.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 506
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups jam ((your favorite flavor))
  • ⅔ cup salted peanuts (coarsely chopped optional)
  • powdered sugar (for dusting)

Equipment

  • 9x13 baking dish
  • Offset spatula
  • Hand mixer

Method
 

  1. Prep the pan
    Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter. Skip this and you spend the next hour chiseling bars out of the pan with a knife.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients
    Beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter in color and feels fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter, then mix until the batter looks uniform. Scrape down the sides once to catch any butter clinging to the bottom.
  3. Add the dry ingredients
    Add the flour and baking powder and mix until a thick, heavy dough forms. The density keeps the jam suspended in the middle during baking rather than sinking straight to the bottom of the pan.
  4. Layer the pan
    Press two-thirds of the dough across the bottom of the prepared pan with your hands. Spread the jam over the dough in an even layer, leaving a half-inch border around all four edges. Jam that touches the pan sides caramelizes, burns, and fuses the bars to the metal. Scatter the salted peanuts over the jam.
  5. Top and bake
    Drop the remaining dough in rough teaspoon-sized pieces across the jam. Gaps between pieces are fine. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the top looks set. The center feels slightly soft at 30 minutes and firms up completely during cooling.
  6. Cool before cutting
    Let the bars sit in the pan for at least 1 hour. The jam stays molten long after the top looks done. Cut with a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe Notes

Use processed peanut butter, not natural.Natural peanut butter separates in the oven and releases oil into the dough, making the bars greasy and loose. Standard creamy peanut butter keeps the fat evenly distributed and gives you a stable, chewy bar that holds its shape after cutting. 🧈
🍓Leave a border around the jam.Jam spread to the edge of the pan bubbles out during baking, burns against the hot metal, and fuses the bars to the sides. A half-inch gap around the perimeter keeps the jam contained and your pan clean. ✅
🌡️Pull the butter and eggs from the fridge 45 minutes early.Cold butter refuses to cream properly into the sugar. Cold eggs cause softened butter to seize into lumps. Both problems disappear with 45 minutes at room temperature, and the mixing step takes two minutes instead of ten. ⏰