Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
These peanut butter and jelly bars make the perfect breakfast treat. They have all the flavors of classic PB+J layered with a crunchy peanut crust and chopped peanuts. This is a simple recipe you are going to love! The bottom layer crust is relatively thin, but if you like your bars on the thicker side, multiply each ingredient by 1.25 and use ¾ cup of jam instead of ⅔ cup.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (50g) neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil, or melted unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (80g) honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup (65g) peanut butter, any kind
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups (150g) quick-cooking rolled oats
- ½ cup (70g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- ⅔ cup jam, any kind
- 3 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease or line a 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the bars out of the pan after baking. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, peanut butter, and salt. Whisk in the baking powder, then stir in the oats and flour. Set aside half of the mixture and press the remaining batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan (Note: It will be a thin layer of batter, but that's ok - just do your best to avoid making any holes).
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Dollop the jam on top and spread it across the peanut butter dough to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining ½ of the peanut butter mixture evenly on top in clumps, like a streusel. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned on the edges and golden on top. Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer the bars to the fridge - they are much easier to slice evenly when cold. Once chilled, life from the pan using the overhang of parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Slice into 16 squares and refrigerate for up to a week. Bars can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to 2 months.