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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 still love a good PB&J and find myself nibbling on my kids when I make it for them. My kids and I would go nuts for these bars! Great little afternoon snack.

    Reply

  2. You’re gooey bars have been the jam (ha!) recently! I love this pb and J version! So funny that you had never tried jelly. I used to hate pb and grew up eating jelly sandwiches, haha. Guess I’ve always been a sugar fiend. But then one day – I liked pb. 🙂

    Reply

  3. What a great idea for bars! These look delicious, I love that you added the peanut butter and jelly flavors to them! They look wonderful!

    Reply

  4. I know you are excited for back to school! I remember my mom couldn’t wait until we were in school. Of course she liked spending time with us but all day, every day got old real fast. Especially with me and my brother. LOL

    These look really good, Dorothy! Oooey and gooey are always delicious! Pinned and sharing on FB and Twitter tomorrow. Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Mondays!

    Reply

  5. Our schools don’t start until September and that means I go back to work too 🙁 It’ll be a nice break from the kids fighting, arguing and saying “Mom, I’m bored!” 🙂

    Reply