Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are great but peanut butter and jelly bar cookies are the best! Kids of all ages will love this chewy crunchy peanut butter filled with jam cookie. Whether you use cherry or grape jam it is totally up to you, any firm jam works well.
No special ingredients needed for this recipe. Butter, sugar, brown sugar, crunchy peanut butter or almond butter if allergic to peanuts, egg, flour, leavening agents, peanut butter morsels or chocolate chips and of course cherry or grape jam. You can whip these bars together in minutes and bake for 40. After cooling completely they are ready to cut into bars. Whats great these bar cookies can be baked and frozen. Perfect for bake sales or to give away.
Pack a few bars for kids lunch boxes and save a few for you, the baker. You will be glad you did. If you love peanut butter and jelly you will love these bar cookies.
How to make these bar cookies
In stand mixing bowl, add softened butter, sugar and brown sugar beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract, continue beating to until blended. If you don’t like crunchy peanut butter use smooth or sub for almond butter/cashew butter.. any nut butter would work just fine.
Lower speed on mixer and add flour, baking soda, and baking powder to creamed butter mixture. There is no salt in this recipe unless you want to add 1/4 teaspoon. The peanut butter has enough salt to make this cookie work.
Reserve one cup of batter without morsels. Stir in one cup peanut butter morsels in remaining batter. Mix by hand to blend and press dough into 9 x 13″ baking dish. (Lightly spray baking dish before adding dough.) Add layer of jam/jelly spread evenly over unbaked dough. Crumble reserved dough over the jam and sprinkle with peanut butter morsels.
Bake bars at 325 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. In conclusion, this recipes makes 3 dozen bars, but depends on how you cut them. Squares or long fingers, 1 ” wide x 2″ long. However, you can cut them into 2 x 2 ” squares for about 12-15 bars.
Easy Peanut Butter & Jelly Bar Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen bars (depends on how you cut) 1x
- Category: Dessert- Bar Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter or smooth
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1–1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups peanut butter morsels, divided
1 cup cherry jam/jelly or your flavor choice
Instructions
- Lightly spray 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
- Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually add sugars, beating well. Add peanut butter, egg and vanilla, mix well.
- Combine flour, soda and baking powder, gradually add to butter mixture, mix well.
- Reserve one cup of dough.
- Stir one cup peanut butter morsels into remaining dough, pressing into bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread jam evenly over the dough. Crumble reserved dough over the jam and sprinkle with remaining morsels.
- Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Cookies may be frozen.
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