Nutter Butter & Jelly Cookie Bars

Nutter Butter bars are an amazing cookie for any peanut butter and jelly lover. This easy recipe is the ultimate PB&J cookie bar with a Nutter Butter base, a sweet strawberry preserves layer and a crumbled topping.  These cookies with the jelly in the middle are pretty, yummy, and sure to be a kid’s favorite (adults too!) 

Peanut butter and jelly bars are a great snack or dessert when you want something sweet and salty.  This quick and easy recipe combines traditional creamy peanut butter with strawberry jelly into one amazing cookie. If you like Goober Grape or peanut butter with Smucker’s strawberry jam, this cookie recipe will be your new favorite.

Ingredients for Nutter Butter Bars

The main ingredient in these Nutter Butter & Jelly Cookie Bars is, of course, the Nutter Butter cookies.  These peanut butter sandwich cookies with a peanut butter cream filling are what make these cookies so delicious but also easy to make. I call recipes like this half’-scratch because it is using a store-bought ingredient to make them quick and easy.

Then you only need a few other ingredients that are likely already in your pantry and refrigerator.  You will need salted butter, flour, peanut butter, jelly/preserves/jam, and brown sugar.  I recommend only using creamy peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy, for this,] so the cookie mixture sticks together. If you like crunchy peanut butter, adding the optional chopped nuts into the top crumble layer will be your kind of thing and I highly suggest you do that.

You can use your favorite jelly/preserves/jam for this recipe. But I think strawberry or grape works the best for this cookie recipe with a jelly center.  The optional ingredients you may choose to include, are peanuts and sea salt flakes.

How to Make PB&J Cookie Bars

These Nutter Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars are an easy recipe. The Nutter Butter cookies are the base for the cookie layer and the crumble topping.    It starts by crushing the cookies which I do by getting them in a Ziploc bag, sealing it, and smashing them with my meat mallet tenderizer.  They should be crushed as small as you can get them – note the PB filling will make all the crumbs stick together but once you touch them they will just fall apart.

In your mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the cookie base. This includes the finely crushed Nutter Butter cookies, peanut butter, flour, brown sugar, and melted butter.   Mix it together until it starts to stick together but should still be a bit crumbly.

Press the cookie base mixture into a 9×9 baking dish that is nonstick or has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Make it an even layer that covers the entire bottom and corners.    Bake at 350° for 15 minutes in the oven so it will set.

While the base is baking, mix together the crumble topping in the same bowl.    When the cookie base is done baking take it out of the oven and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

Next, add the jelly and spread evenly over the freshly baked Nutter Butter cookie bar base.    We used strawberry this time but as mentioned above you can use your favorite – strawberry, grape, raspberry,  – any kinds of jam for these cookies.  Then dollop on the crumble topping in small dots across the jelly layer. The last step, sprinkle on some sea salt flakes.

Bake the cookies in the oven for 30 minutes.  The jelly will be bubbling on the edges and the top will be slightly brown.   Let cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes before cutting into 12 bars.

ENJOY!    These are like having your favorite PB&J sandwich in dessert form.  You may want to have a cold glass of milk ready when you bite into these amazing Nutter Butter bars.    Grab a cookie bar and try to uncover stories behind some of your FAVORITE COOKIE BRANDS.   It is actually pretty fascinating.

Storing Cookie Bars

You can store any leftover cookie bars in an air-tight container or wrap the top of the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil.  The Nutter Butter & Jelly Cookie Bars will keep on your counter for up to 3 days if sealed or covered correctly.

Other Amazing Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes

• FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER CUP PIE
• OLD-FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
• BEST KETO PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!

Product Recommendations for this Recipe:

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Nutter Butter & Jelly Cookie Bars

Angela

Nutter Butter bars are an amazing cookie for any peanut butter and jelly lover. This easy recipe is the ultimate PB&J cookie bar with a Nutter Butter base, a sweet strawberry preserves layer, and a crumbled topping.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Equipment

• meat mallet tenderizer
• 9x9 baking pan

Ingredients

  

• 2 C Nutter Butter cookie crumbs about 16 cookies
• 2 TB creamy peanut butter
• 4 TB salted butter melted
• 2 TB all-purpose flour
• 1/2 TB brown sugar

Jelly Layer

• 1 C preserves/jelly strawberry or your favorite flavor

Crumble Layer

• 1/2 C Nutter Butter crumbles about 4 cookies
• 1 TB creamy peanut butter
• 1 TB salted butter melted
• 3 TB flour
• 1/4 C roasted peanuts coarsely chopped optional
• 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray or use a nonstick pan.
• Crush the Nutter Butter cookies by placing them in a sealed Ziploc bag and hitting them with a meat mallet tenderizer.
• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the first set of ingredients with the last item being the brown sugar. Mix to combine.
• Press the cookie base layer into the prepared 9x9 dish. Make sure the layer is even and covers the bottom and corners of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
• While the base is baking, in the same mixing bowl, mix together the crumble topping ingredients. For a crunchier topping add the chopped peanuts, but this is optional.
• Once the base is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Next, spread on the preserves/jelly in an even layer. Then drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the crumble topping into spaced-out drops over the preserves/jelly layer. Sprinkle on the sea salt flakes if you are using them.
• Bake an additional 30 minutes in the oven. The jelly should be bubbling on the edges and the top will be slightly brown.
• Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into 12 evenly sized squares. Enjoy!
• Nutter Butter & Jelly Cookie Bars can be stored in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Notes

Nutrition info with both the sea salt and chopped peanuts added to the recipe -

Amount per serving
Calories	395
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19.1g	24%
Saturated Fat 6.3g	32%
Cholesterol 23mg	8%
Sodium 322mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 54.3g	20%
Dietary Fiber 2.6g	9%
Total Sugars 27.3g
Protein 5.6g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 42mg	3%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 71mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Keyword baked, baking, cookie, dessert, easy, half-scratch, kid favorite, peanut butter, quick, simple, snack, treat

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