Gluten Fre Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

These gluten free peanut butter & jelly bars are close to my heart. Quite literally, at the moment, they’re in my stomach. But more poetically, too – pb&j was my absolute favorite sandwich type in elementary school, so much so that I frequently made, brought, and ate TWO of them for lunch. It was always a thrill, crackling open the velcro lid of my 3rd grade lunch box to see a hefty tupperware squished full of whole grain seeded bread with thick layers of peanut butter and marionberry jam. Word to the wise, eating two pb&j sandwiches for lunch every day in 3rd grade can cause you to go off the charts two years later when you’re undergoing testing for Celiac and they just happen to toss in a blood test for the 99 most common food allergies, including peanuts. BUT, I’m happy to report that, more than 15 years later, I’m happily munching away on peanut butter and bananas, peanut butter and apple, peanut butter and celery, and the classic, peanut butter and jelly, with no adverse effects.

This is not to make light of peanut allergies, or any other food allergies, they’re quite terrifying. I actually prefer having Celiac to having an immediately-life-threatening food allergy, huge support to all of you who have to deal with one or more of those. So, if you do have a peanut allergy and are reading this dejectedly, know that the recipe also works with almond butter! And if you’re stuck with a tree nut and peanut allergy, I actually think Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) or even Soy Nut Butter would work really well in this and taste incredible. When I was still avoiding peanuts, I LOVED to scoop spoonfuls of soy nut butter out of the jar for a during-homework snack all through college. Try it, you’ll thank me later. 

Once you land on your nut/no-nut butter of choice (it’s pretty important decision), then go ahead and make these fancy, dessert, adult-version gluten free peanut butter & jelly bars to fuel your nostalgic evening at home or get you through those morning meetings at work. Maybe you’ve even gone the extra mile and actually gone back to school for whatever degree sounds the most awesome, and just want to remind yourself what it was like to be a student when you were still a kid who brought tupperware full of pb&j sandwiches for lunch. Whatever the case, these are an easy, breezy, homey dessert that you deserve to make. If you’re excited about these and want to add to your gluten free bars repertoire, try my macadamia blondies or brondies! Do what tastes good!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

A homey, nostalgic treat worthy of any lunchbox or afternoon work session

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: almond butter, jam, pb&j, peanut butter

Servings: 24 bars

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Peanut butter or almond butter, soy nut butter, sunbutter, etc.
• 1/2 Cup salted butter
• 1 Cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 Cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum included
• 1/4 Cup peanut butter powder or just swap out for extra flour
• 1/2 Cup almond meal
• 1/4 Cup arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 Cup jam any flavor you like! I used marionberry

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan, then line with parchment paper and grease again with butter or cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and sugar until fluffy and slightly lighter in color. Add in the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and continue to beat until fully combined.
• In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flour, peanut butter powder, almond meal, starch, baking powder, and salt until combined. Pour these dry ingredients into the large bowl and stir everything together using a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly to reach each corner. Then, using a spoon, put blobs or lines of jam on top of the batter and use a toothpick to create swirls or patterns that you like. Once you're happy with it, pop it in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until edges are just browned and center does not jiggle (the jam will still move but it will settle once it cools).
• Let cool completely before slicing and serving! Best with a cold glass of milk.

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your bars!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber