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These Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars turn a classic lunchtime snack into a delicious, gooey cookie bar! Easy gooey bars start with a cake mix and are full of peanut butter and jam flavor – you’re going to love them.

stacked bars with peanut butter and jelly layered.


These cookie bars use a cake mix as base, and the outer layers are primarily peanut butter, while the middle layer brings in the sweet jelly. You can use jam or jelly all depending on whatever you prefer!

I Love gooey bars so much because they are so versatile and can be done in so many different ways. Just like this fun recipe. When my daughter was little she loved them, therefore they are perfect for anyone!

ingredients in peanut butter and jelly laid out on a marble counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Yellow cake mix: You really can use any flavor or brand, but I love using yellow cake mix.
  • Vegetable oil: Helps moisten the dough and keep it soft.
  • Peanut butter: Make sure to use a no-stir (not natural) peanut butter
  • Jam or Jelly: Use your favorite flavor.
process shot of peanut butter and jelly bars.
process shot of peanut butter and jelly bars.
process shot of peanut butter and jelly bars.
process shot of peanut butter and jelly bars.
process shot of peanut butter and jelly bars.

How to make PB&J Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • With a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat eggs, cake mix, oil, and peanut butter until mixture is crumbly. Press about 1/2 of the mixture into prepared pan.
  • Spread jam over the crust. Scoop bits of remaining batter and flatten between your hands and place on top the jam. It won’t fully coat.
  • Bake for 25-28 minutes, until top just starts to get golden brown. Cool completely before slicing into bars.
stacked bars with peanut butter and jelly layered.

Expert Tips

  • I would recommend using seedless jam or jelly to avoid an extra texture that is not wanted in these bars.
  • You can add peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips into this recipe if you would like too!
  • You know they’re done when they become golden brown around the edges and are no longer glossy.

FAQs

How do you know when gooey bars are done baking?

You know they’re done when they become golden brown around the edges and are no longer glossy.

Can you freeze gooey cookie bars? 

Yes you can in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

stacked bars with peanut butter and jelly layered.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

5 from 3 votes
These are the perfect peanut butter cake bars with jelly in the middle – the perfect PB&J!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 16 bars
Serving Size 1 serving
Rate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1 (approximately 15 ounces) box yellow cake mix
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ½ cup jam or jelly (I used seedless strawberry jam)
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • With a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat eggs, cake mix, oil, and peanut butter until mixture is crumbly. Press about 1/2 of the mixture into prepared pan.
  • Spread jam over the crust. Scoop bits of remaining batter and flatten between your hands and place on top the jam. It won't fully coat.
  • Bake for 25-28 minutes, until top just starts to get golden brown. Cool completely before slicing into bars.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months.
  • Don’t use natural peanut butter (only a no-stir brand).
  • Seedless jam/jelly is best.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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48 Comments

  1. I was allergic to peanut butter as a child so that wasn’t my lunch box staple. When I eventually started eating pb and j it was with strawberry jam only. Neither of my kids would eat grape jam either. These bars cater to our jam pickiness, however, the crumbly topping may be my favorite part!

    Reply

  2. WAHM = Hardest. Thing. Ever. And no one gets that you have a schedule, and a REALLY busy life, and they can’t just drop in at a moment’s notice or call and say, “Hey, we should for sure drag the kids to the zoo today!!” Well of course we should, I mean it’s not like I have a ton of deadlines and a pie in the oven. 🙂

    These look amazing Dorothy.

    Psssst .. . . be my neighbor.

    Reply

  3. I love the combination of white chocolate, PB, and jelly! I can’t believe we are already talking about back to school. Where did the summer go!!!??

    Reply

  4. Oh yum! These look delicious 🙂 I’ve loved PB&J since I was a kid – I still crave it sometimes!

    Reply

  5. Such a great idea for a fun twist on gooey bars! So perfect for back to school too!
    Yeah, and working at home with (soon to be) 4 little ones? Not easy. Babies need their mama!

    Reply