up until recently, i hadn’t eaten a peanut butter + jelly sandwich since I was a child. but, when i wasn’t able to do much cooking in the first few months of my pregnancy, due to stubborn morning sickness, my husband had to fend for himself dinner-wise many nights, + peanut butter + jelly sandwiches became his go-to meal. i took a bite one evening + holy moly, i had forgotten how delicious a good ol’ pb+j is! since then, i’ve eaten an alarming amount of pb+j sandwiches – they’re just so darn tasty! so when I stumbled across a recipe for pb+j bars, i knew i had to try them.
so, how are they? just as scrumptious + addictive as i expected they’d be. the rich, peanut buttery layer pairs wonderfully with the sweet-tart jam layer, + they have the perfect combo of sweetness + saltiness. they make for a seriously delicious afternoon snack or dessert, especially when paired with a cold glass of milk. so, if you’re looking for a fabulous new way to enjoy peanut butter + jelly, absolutely give these amazing bars a try!
Peanut Butter + Jelly Bars
makes 24 bars, adapted from Ina Garten/The Barefoot Contessa
ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam (or other flavor fruit jam)
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely choppeddirections
preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan. line it with parchment paper, then grease + flour the pan.
in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter + sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. with the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, + peanut butter + mix until all ingredients are combined.
in a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, + salt. with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. mix just until combined.
spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan + spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. spread the jam evenly over the dough. drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. sprinkle with chopped peanuts + bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. cool + cut into squares.
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
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These sound fantastic! I love the sweet/salty combo and that you can vary these with any flavor jam. I’d love to try it with blackberry.
Ooh, they’d be fantastic with blackberry jam! You’ve gotta try ’em. =)
Peanut butter and jelly bars take me back to childhood! I should make these bars again.
I’m so glad I got to try these. M & I both loved them & I’m glad you posted the recipe. I was really trying to figure out what flavor of jam you used
And I’m so glad you liked ’em! And yep, i used raspberry jam because it’s one of my favorites, but I think the bars would really work with any flavor fruit jam. =)
I made these for SRC a while back -and then I made them again and again…
Sorry about the morning sickness but at least you got to experience the joys of a peanut butter sandwich!
Amy, these bars look so good. I’m a peanut butter addict. Yum!
i’ve started eating more pb&j since having kids…and funny i almost made this recipe a few weeks ago but ended up making pb&j granola…now your post has me wanting these bars all over again!
Ooh, pb+j granola sounds delicious. You’ll have to try the bars soon, too!
Love, love, love! These look so pretty, Amy.
Such a classic flavour combo. These bars sound lovely!
My husband loves all things pb&j! He will love these!
Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Where you at?
Hooray for these great bars! I definitely want these for some lunchtime snacks!
i made these a few years ago and we went crazy for them! definitely need to make again!!!
I wasn’t crazy about pb & j as a kid but as an adult I freaking love it! The jam gives it that perfect hint of sweetness that I live for!
These bars look quite scrumptious! Do you think I could pass it off for lunch since it’s practically like eating a sandwich? 😉
Hope all is going well for you my friend, these bars look delish 😀
Cheers
CCU
I want to combine crushed pretzels in this . . . for an all around childhood treat.
Thanks, Amy, for making me hungry!
Ooh, I love your idea of adding crushed pretzels – genius!
Yum! Great recipe. And judging by the looks of it, this is my kind of blog
Lovely 
Best combo ever! I’m sure I could gobble these up in the blink of an eye!
I haven’t had a pb&j in forever either, but now you’ve got me craving one. Maybe with fluff too
These bars are awesome, I made them a while ago and ate way too many!
Tracey, I also have had a few “fluffernutters” in the past few months and they are SO good – you’ve gotta make yourself one soon!
oooh a good pb&j can absolutely hit the spot! these bars sound amazing!!!!
Yum! I just had a PB&J for lunch today! 😉 And my husband has them quite frequently for lunch. I’ve tried coming up with other ideas for his lunch, but he seems to prefer to go old-school! 😉 These look delicious and something I would love. I am a peanut butter freak!
I can see these being VERY addictive, I would have problems staying away from these bars!!
Oh heck yes! Yum. I will sheepishly admit resorting to pb&J sandwiches many evenings when I have classes after work. They’re just so portable!
ain’t no shame in that! portable + delicious = awesome. =)
These do look pretty amazing!! Every now and then I have a PBJ-always so yummy. You should TY my PBJ smoothie-vanilla soy or almond milk, fresh or frozen berries, and peanut butter. So good
I will definitely have to try it – thank you!
2 cups of peanut butter?! Woohoo! That instantly makes this recipe a winner. I haven’t had a pb&j since I was a kid. They just don’t sound that appetizing any more. But these… these I could just overdose on. So yummy looking! I hope you don’t have any more morning sickness.
These are adorable! I love peanut butter so much, and I bet these taste so good with the jelly – yum!
Yum! Your bars look totally delicious
we love pb&j…they’re michael’s go-to midnight snack. I pack them for lunch at my desk a couple times a month too.
Oh my! These bars look divine. A decadent version of the classic.
A perfect pair of flavors in a fun sized bar! Delish!
I always take pb&j with me on days when I’m working outside (or just playing outside on a hike or something). These bars look fantastic!
These are GORGEOUS Amy!!!
Oh wow, these look fabulous Amy! Total nut (ha) for peanut butter and jelly here, so I can definitely see myself digging these tasty bars!
These look sooo good, Amy! The salted peanuts on top are perfect!
These look so good! I still eat PB&J sandwiches on occasion…brings me back to my childhood
I’m so scared I’d make these and eat the whole pan.
Totally crushing on these pb & j bars!
I always have and always will adore a good peanut butter sandwich. Clearly, I need these bars in my life ASAP! Thank you for sharing! I’m glad to be back home after a week of traveling…and finally catching up on my favorite blogs. I hope you have a blessed week!
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have always been and will always be my jam .. haha, pun intended
these look SO good and like such a perfect, homey comfort food that takes me back to my childhood when I could eat a billion pbjs and not gain a single pound haha.
midway between nutritious and delicious, excellent as sushi, you must try the nashville sushi , is yummy, I invite you to try it and if you do not know where I also recommend Nomzilla, the service is excellent and the dishes are delicious.
no waaay! I can’t believe you haven’t had pb + j for so long! haha! They’re the best! But seriously I never learned about the magic of pb+j sandwiches until I lived in North America! In Asia it’s more of pb… or j…! and of course other condiments the locals enjoy! But yeah these bars sound totally delicious! I bet your little baby must have enjoyed it too!
Wow, Amy. These look really, REALLY good! When I first graduated college, I discovered my NYC office cafeteria would make PB&J sandwiches upon request (discovered while watching a fellow coworker order for her visiting child). For probably 12+ months, I had more PB&J sandwiches than I’m willing to admit.
Pinned for future use! (and I hope you are doing well! baby time is getting closer!)
I *love* that you used to order pb+js at your office cafeteria – too cute!
Oh, these look delicious. Like a really decadent, fancified version of the sandwich. Yum!
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