PB & J Bars – Super soft peanut butter bars topped with strawberry jelly, peanut butter chips, and a peanut butter drizzle!! Fast, EASY, and they’ll be your new FAVORITE way to eat PB & J!!
Post is brought to you by Santa Cruz Organic. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
Peanut butter and jelly is an all-time classic that you can’t go wrong with. These super soft bars that are brimming with peanut butter flavor and topped with sweet strawberry spread, peanut butter chips, and a melted peanut butter drizzle are a definite swap up from a PB & J sandwich.
School is right around the corner, and I know every kid would love to open their lunchbox and see one of these staring back at them.
And I know many adults who would enjoy that too.
You can upgrade your child’s lunchbox or after-school snacks with delicious Santa Cruz Organic® products.
With organic apple sauces, peanut butters, and fruit spreads, Santa Cruz Organic makes it easy to nourish your entire family with delicious, high-quality ingredients.
For the bars I adapted my infamous blondie recipe and used Santa Cruz Organic® Peanut Butter in Dark Roasted Creamy.
It keeps these easy, no-mixer bars so tender and moist. The peanut butter drizzle on top is the proverbial icing on the cake.
For the strawberry element I used Santa Cruz Organic® Fruit Spread in Strawberry. It’s perfectly sweet and of course complements the peanut butter beautifully.
I have a video demonstrating just how fast and easy the bars are to make. You and your kids are going to love sinking your teeth into this kind of PB & J.
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PB & J Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- ⅓ cup Santa Cruz Organic® Peanut Butter Dark Roasted Creamy + 1/4 cup, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- scant 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ⅓ cup Santa Cruz Organic® Fruit Spread, Strawberry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add 1/3 cup peanut butter and whisk the butter and peanut butter together until smooth and combined.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan and smooth the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly dollop the fruit spread over the pan in small teaspoon-sized ‘blobs’. Using a knife or spatula lightly spread it into an even layer; it will be thin and spotty and you won’t have completely coverage which is okay.
- Bake for about 21 to 25 minutes, or until done. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before evenly sprinkling the peanut butter chips or they will melt (not bad, but you won’t have the same visual appearance).
- Add 1/4 cup peanut butter to a small microwave-safe bowl, heat for about 20 to 30 seconds or until just beginning to melt, stir to smooth it, and lightly drizzle it over the bars before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Adapted from Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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