Comforting with the perfect amount of sweetness, nothing beats the classic flavors in these easy-to-make Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bars!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bars are loaded with the craveable flavors of creamy peanut butter, fruity jelly, and brown sugar oatmeal! Mix old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, butter, flour, peanut butter, and jelly together in minutes to create a deliciously nostalgic layered dessert or snack that everyone will love!
Kid Approved
There are few classic combinations as loved as delicious peanut butter and jelly. Some people love crunchy peanut butter and others love creamy, and then there are tons of options for jelly, but in this house, we can’t help but love strawberry jelly. Creamy peanut butter mixed with brown sugared oats and a layer of strawberry jelly creates the perfect amount of sweetness, so if you want to add a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream, you can! Your inner kid and all the kids around you will love the flavors of these bars and demand them again and again!
Oatmeal bars are so simple to make and easy to love. Be sure to try other mouthwatering favorites like Apple Pie Oatmeal Bars and Blueberry Oatmeal Bars!
Other Recipes to Serve with Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bars
- Start the day off with a healthy and hearty Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, full of everyone’s favorite flavors!
- Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Roll-Ups are the perfect way to treat the family and are fun to make, too!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients: To make these bars, you will need old-fashioned oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Set out your favorite creamy peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and unsalted butter for this recipe. If you only have salted butter on hand, you can certainly use that and reduce the salt used to 1/4 teaspoon.
How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bars
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Beat the peanut butter and butter together until fluffy in a large bowl using beaters or a stand mixer. Add the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well combined.
STEP TWO: Press half of the oat mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan to make a crust. Then spread the strawberry jelly evenly over the crust.
STEP THREE: Top the jelly with the remaining oat mixture. Don’t press it down. It should stay crumbly like a streusel topping. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
STEP FOUR: Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan before cutting them into bars.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to use old-fashioned oats when making this recipe and not quick oats.
- In place of strawberry jelly, you can also use strawberry jam or preserves. Homemade strawberry jam is wonderful to use in these bars! If you’re not a strawberry fan, raspberry or grape jelly are both delicious options.
- Creamy peanut butter is recommended for making these bars, not crunchy, although you could certainly try it out and see how you like it.
Are oatmeal bars healthy?
Homemade oatmeal bars are packed with nutritious ingredients that are both filling and delicious. Peanut butter and jelly oatmeal bars contain whole-grain oats rich in fiber, protein, and antioxidants, along with protein-packed peanut butter.
By making these bars homemade, you can easily adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe and choose to substitute ingredients, such as white whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour. These oatmeal bars are meant to be on the sweet side of the snack choices, so while there are lots of nutritious goodies in these bars, they are meant to be a treat, which is why you can add ice cream!
Why are my oatmeal bars dry?
The main culprit behind dry, crumbly oatmeal bars is simply not using enough butter. For this recipe, one stick plus two tablespoons of butter is needed, so be sure not to forget the extra two tablespoons! The butter helps keep the oat mixture from drying out and falling apart, making it a necessary ingredient in this recipe.
All the Delicious Treats You Can Make With Oats!
- Classic Peanut Butter Delights
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes with Berry Sauce
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon and Toffee Oatmeal Chewies
*This post originally posted on 03/22/2014.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups strawberry jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish or pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth and fluffy. It will be lighter in color. Add the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Press half of the oat mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. You want an even layer to form the crust.
- Spread the strawberry jelly in an even layer over the oat crust. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the jelly. Don't press down. It should be crumbly like a streusel topping.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
- Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the baking dish. Cut into 12 bars before serving.
Notes
- Nutritional information varies based on the brand of peanut butter and jelly used, as well as the size of the bars.
- If you substitute salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
Laura Dembowski says
I love pbj too, especially in bar form. These sound great and easy to make!
Aubrey says
Thanks Laura!
meg says
Is it 1 or 12 cups of oats?
Aubrey says
Sorry about that Meg. It’s 1 1/2 cups of oats. The recipe card has been updated.
Christine from Cook the Story says
These would be perfect for a lunch box!
Aubrey says
Thanks Christine! My kids like them! 🙂
Beth Campbell says
I’m wondering if strawberry preserves would work in this recipe, or would the strawberry pieces throw off the consistency/proportion?
Aubrey says
You could definitely use strawberry preserves in this recipe. I’ve done that too and it was great!
Kathie says
Thank you for this, Aubrey. I’ve been making a similar bar and wondering how to do it with peanut butter. You have made it easy. I have to cook sugar-free, so I adapt everything with sugar to Splenda products. It’s a learning curve, I can tell you. (When do we get off this learning curve? Don’t think about that now.) Anyway, I make a similar bar without the jam, since most sugar-free jams are vile, really. I score the bars while they’re hot and just break them apart when completely cool (It’s hard to wait until they’re cold). Being made with Splenda, you have to refrigerate such things or they don’t stay nice. I wrap each in a little waxed paper and toss them into a storage container in the fridge. When I take them out, I nuke them about 35 seconds to soften them up. Sometimes I serve them with whipped cream. Yummy….and not too high in carbs, for a dessert item. Thanks for sharing. I’m enjoying reading your posts.
Aubrey says
Thanks Kathie!