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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!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 16 bars
Serving Size 1 serving
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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 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

  2. I am totally going to make these for my kiddos for an after school snack!! They look darn good! 😉

    Reply

  3. Dorothy, all summer I’ve been admiring how you both blogged consistently (with a LOT of new recipes, all created by YOU!) and made lots of time for Jordan. You posted plenty of Instagram pictures of the two of you at Costco, Disneyland, getting her a loom, going to the fair, at “Monsters University”… You balanced both blogging and “momming” REALLY well, and you definitely deserve a “break” once school starts!!

    P.S. Maybe once the start-of-school craziness dies down, we could meet up one day!

    Reply

    1. HA! Balance. That’s funny. 😉 But thank you! And yes, we should totally meet up sometime!! Lunch in the middle. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Balance doesn’t always mean that everything is perfectly even — the scales can tilt one way or another for a little bit! 😉 YAY sounds great!! I’m excited! 🙂

  5. Peanut butter and jelly is a classic. Turn it into gooey bars and I”m all over it! Theses look amazing. I love how you only need a few ingredients to make these. Peanut butter chips rule!!

    Reply