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Stack of PB&J cookie bars with honey roasted peanuts and fresh blueberries on top
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars
Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars have a sweet blueberry jam sandwiched between chewy peanut butter cookie bars. This takes the classic peanut butter and jelly combination to a whole new level!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peanut butter and jelly cookie bars
Servings: 9 Bars
Author: Michelle
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy*)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, large
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
  • 1 cup fruit jam/jelly (I used blueberry jam)
  • 1/3 cup fresh blueberries, or any berry, optional
Topping
  • 1/3 cup honey roasted peanuts you can use regular salted peanuts as well
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line your baking pan** with parchment paper or non-stick tin foil. Set aside.
  2. With a standing mixer or a hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and peanut butter together, until light and fluffy.
  3. Next, add in the brown sugar and the granulated sugar. Cream the mixture until well combined.
  4. Next, add in the egg and mix until combined.
  5. Add in the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
  6. Finally, add in the salt, baking soda, and all purpose flour. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
  7. Press 2/3 of the peanut butter cookie dough into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
  8. Next, spread the jam/jelly over the top of the cookie dough in an even layer (or as even as possible).
  9. Next, if adding fresh berries, sprinkle them over the top of the jam.
  10. Take the remaining peanut butter cookie dough and spread it over the top of the jam. Take a little dough at a time, flatten it into your hand, and then place it on top of the jam.
  11. (It’s okay if not all of the jam is covered, but flattening the dough will help to cover more of the jam as well as help the cookies to bake more evenly.)

  12. Sprinkle the top with peanuts.

  13. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the tops of the cookie bars are golden brown and the center is set. If the bars are browning too quickly, tent a piece of non-stick foil over the top of the bars and continue cooking.

  14. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
  15. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
Recipe Notes

*Natural peanut butter does not work well in this recipe. I highly suggest using Jif or Skippy (or something similar). Natural peanut butter is a little too dry for this recipe.

**For thick cookie bars, use a 9x9 square baking pan. However, you can use an 8x11 or a 9x13 rectangular baking dish as well. The bars will be thinner in size, and the bake time will most likely be a few minutes less.