When I came across this recipe over at Vegan Good Things back in May, I very swiftly bookmarked it. Anything with peanut butter in it is pretty much awesome in my books. But PB&J? That’s even better. I never thought that it would take me this long to get around to making this recipe, but it seemed like every time I went to make it, I was missing one of the rather basic ingredients. Peanut butter… Jelly… heck, I didn’t even have an 8×8 pan until last week. But finally, the stars have aligned because today I decided to finally make these little babies.
Modifications to the Recipe
- I used coconut oil instead of the margarine (and nonstick vegetable oil spray). I think coconut oil is a much healthier option and I’ve had so much success baking with it that I don’t really buy margarine anymore. The trick is to chill your coconut oil beforehand, so that it has the same consistency as margarine/butter.
- I used whole wheat flour instead of unbleached all purpose flour to make the bars even healthier still.
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I went with raspberry jam on this one because I’ve always loved raspberry jam in cookies and other baked goods. Speaking of jam, I absolutely love St. Dalfour jams. They come in cute little glass jars, and the best part is that they’re vegan and contain no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. Check-out the 3-ingredient list: raspberries, grape juice and fruit pectin. Awesome! Oh, and it turns out that a jar contains about a 3/4 cup of jam – which is exactly what this recipe calls for. It’s jelly destiny!
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As for the bars, they taste like a gooey PB&J sandwich, yet they’re a little bit crumbly too. It is well advised to serve them with a big ol’ glass of (non dairy!) milk… but if you want to get really serious, a scoop of (non-dairy) vanilla ice cream would be out of this world.
Updates
October 8, 2011 – I cut these guys right from the counter top last night, but I realize now that they would have been easier to cut had I put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes (after they had cooled completely on the counter). This is because the coconut oil really firms up when cold. I stored the bars in the fridge overnight and a little taste-test this morning (hey, no one said running a food blog would be easy!) tells me that’s the way to store these guys, especially if you make them with coconut oil. ALSO, after eating a few of these, I’ve realized that they’re quite sweet. So if your jam is very sweet, you could probably reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. Hope this helps – let me know if you make them!
PrintVegan Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
PB&J sandwiches, in dessert form! These vegan bars are made with creamy peanut butter, sweet jelly, and salty dry-roasted peanuts.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 1tsp coconut oil, hardened in fridge until the consistency of soft butter
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
- 1 vegan egg (such as Ener-G Egg Replacer)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup jelly or jam (raspberry or strawberry)
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving 2-inch overhang around edges and pressing firmly into corners and up sides of pan. Coat foil with 1 tsp coconut oil. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, sugar, and remaining coconut oil in large bowl until smooth.
- Add vegan egg and vanilla; beat on low speed until smooth.
- Add flour mixture; beat on low speed just to blend.
- Transfer half of dough to prepared pan (about scant 1 1/2 cups). Place remaining dough in freezer for 10 minutes. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto bottom of pan. Spread jelly over in even layer. Remove dough from freezer; using fingertips, break into grape-size pieces and scatter over jelly layer. Sprinkle chopped nuts over.
- Bake bars until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool bars completely in pan on rack.
- Using foil overhang as aid, lift bars from pan. Gently peel foil from edges. Cut into 16 squares.
- MAKE AHEAD: can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in fridge.
Notes
Adapted from: http://vegangoodthings.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/peanut-butter-jelly-bars-some-vegan.html
Hi Angela,
I came across your site a few days ago,! Tried a couple of recipe, I’m in LOVE!!! Can’t wait to try that one too!
Was wondering is their anyway to know the nutritional facts of the recipes? Fat, carbs ,etc
Hi Rana – Thanks for the kind words. There are tons of calorie counter websites and apps. Just run a Google search – you should be able to find something that suits your needs. Cheers!
Just made these and they were super easy and delicious! I used a flax egg and it worked perfectly!
★★★★★
The picture is of the peanut butter bars looked amazing. I gave it a try. The crust was very crumbly-like a graham cracker crust texture. It would not compact into the pan or look like yours in the silver bowl. Can you check the ratio of ingredients and see if they ar correct? I went ahead and baked it but since there was the crust/cookie part is dry it didn’t really bake. Thanks!
I love all your recipes as u went through your site. I can’t wait to try the,!
Sheri
I’m really sorry to hear the crust didn’t turn out for you. I’ll try to make these again soon and will update you (and the recipe) if I have any issues.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is the measurement on that coconut oil 1 cup + 1tsp? Thanks for posting this! I love your blog/food! You and Angela Liddon are the only food bloggers whose recipes I KNOW will turn out well!
Oh my goodness! Thanks for catching such a bad typo. All fixed now. And thank you so much for the kind words – means a lot!
Look very yummy just looking for a recommendation/ clarification on golden brown sugar? Thank I just stumbled upon ur site I have a lot I’d like to try:)
Sorry for the extreme delay – regular brown sugar is fine. I’ll update the recipe now.
coconut oil is good to use but is INCREDIBLY fatty. beware those of you on diets!
Yes, it’s fatty but much healthier than margarine 🙂
Looks great, I love pb and j combinations, actually I like almost anything which involves pb.
Me too! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Ohmygoodness! These look soooooooo good!!!! I’m such a sucker for anything that is peanut butter and jelly-ized. But these…these look heavenly! I want one RIGHT NOW 🙂
Hi Cara – Thanks for your comment. Let me know if you try them 🙂
I am so going to make it this weekend! I made a few jars (actually, a couple of dozens to be more accurate) of fruit jams this summer, so I’ve been looking for ways to use them not just on toast. Thank you for the post!
Hi Mieko – I’m glad you’ll be using this recipe – and wow – it will be amazing with homemade jam. Please let me know how they turn out 🙂
YUM! Love peanut butter and Jelly and vanilla ice cream would be great with these. I agree, the St Dalfour ranges of jam are really good!
Hi Preeti! Thanks so much for your comment. I need to check out your blog now, I’m so behind on my reading!
Great idea to use Coconut Oil instead of margarine, I’ll have to try that sometime with my baking. Although I admit I don’t bake as much as I should. 🙂
Hi Heather – Coconut oil is a great replacement and I’m trying to use it more and more. I don’t bake very often either but it’s nice to have it as an option. Let me know if you try it and how it works out for you!
Your bars look great! I’m also a big fan of the St. Dalfour jams. So happy you tried out the recipe & liked it! 🙂
Thanks again for the awesome recipe, Leinana 🙂
Oh, man. You know, I’m not a big peanut butter fan really but… PB&J? I do like that. And those look really wonderful. Thanks for sharing your pictures, I might need to try this recipe too!
Thanks so much. PB&J were meant for each other. Checking out your blog now 🙂
Wow, those look incredible. Thanks for the coconut oil tip. I’ve actually never used it.
Thanks Heather. Coconut oil is awesome in your baking. I’ve added a little update to the bottom of the post. Keep that in mind when you bake with it 🙂
Those look like the bomb! PB&J is a classic for a reason 🙂
Thanks Faith – I totally agree!