These Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars are easy to make and so delicious! They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks and even dessert!
Everyone loves a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars take those flavors to the next level! They’re easy to make, super customizable and perfect for an easy breakfast, snack or dessert! My husband and I loved them too 🙂
I adapted these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars from my Sweet Potato Pie Bars I posted last year. The only thing I did differently was add peanut butter to the cookie crumb part and used jelly and fresh strawberries in place of the sweet potato filling. They turned out SO good!
PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY BAR INGREDIENTS
Below are a few of the main ingredients and possible substitutions for them.
- Flour – I used all purpose flour because that is what I had on hand but you could also use whole wheat or gluten free. I have not tried this recipe with alternative flours (coconut, oat, almond, etc) so I can’t say for sure if they would work.
- Oats – I used Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. This recipe will not work with steel cut oats. If making gluten free, make sure to use gluten free oats.
- Coconut Oil – I use refined coconut oil because it doesn’t have a coconut taste and I prefer not to have a coconut taste when baking with it.
- Coconut Sugar – I always bake with coconut sugar but you could also use brown sugar instead.
- Jelly – A homemade, sugar free jelly would be great for this recipe. If you don’t have that on hand, jarred jelly is perfect too.
Frequently Asked Recipe Questions
- Can I use a real egg instead of a flax egg? Yes! Just use one real egg in place of the flax egg. You could also use a chia egg.
- What can I use in place of the coconut oil? Softened butter will work great, vegan or regular butter.
- Can I use a different flavor of jelly? Definitely! You can really customize these bars to be any flavor you like.
- What if I can’t eat peanut butter? You can use any kind of nut butter or sun butter that you like.
- Can I cut down the amount of sugar used in the recipe? Yes! If you cut it down a ton it may change the consistency of the bar batter, but this recipe is pretty forgiving so it shouldn’t matter too much.
- Can I use something besides almond milk? Yes! Any kind of milk, dairy or non-dairy will work. I’ve even made this recipe with canned coconut milk and it worked perfectly. I’m pretty sure water would work too!
- Can I make these gluten free? Yes! I for sure know that a gluten free all purpose flour mix would work great. However, I have no tried the recipe with any alternative gluten free flours, but I think they would probably work too.
Let me know if you have another other questions in the comment section!
A Few Tips For This Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar Recipe
- You want to take the bars out of the oven when the crumble on top is starting to brown. The jelly filling will still seem jiggly but it will firm up as it cools. These bars can be a little bit messy, so I would recommend chilling for at least an hour before cutting. Overnight would be great too.
- I used a raspberry jelly and fresh strawberries because that is what I had on hand. If you don’t want to use fresh fruit, you can just double the amount of jelly in the recipe. If you’re using a different kind of jelly, like apricot and don’t want to use fresh strawberries you could also use raspberries, blueberries or another fruit that you like.
- I would highly recommend lining your baking dish with parchment paper. These bars can get a little messy and will not come easily out of a pan without parchment paper.
- Recipe can be halved if you want to make a smaller amount.
- I recommend storing these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars in the refrigerator. Freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months.
LOOKING FOR MORE VEGAN TREAT RECIPES?
Strawberry Coconut Chocolate Cups
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Print
Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 14 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars are easy to make and so delicious! They’re great for both kids and adults!
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
! Filling:
1 cup jelly, I used raspberry
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together the coconut oil and coconut sugar. Next, add the vanilla, almond milk, flax egg and peanut butter and beat again.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until the dough is crumbly in texture but holds together when you squeeze it between your fingers. Add the oats and mix again just until oats are mixed in.
- Add all filling ingredients to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Set aside 1 cup of the cookie batter. Press the remaining cookie batter into the bottom of the parchment lined pan. Pour jelly mixture over top and smooth until it forms an even layer. Use your fingers to evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cookie dough crumbles on top and then bake until cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
- Chill Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars for at least an hour, overnight in the refrigerator is best. Slice into desired sizes and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Snack, Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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