Gluten-free Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Despite peanut butter and jelly sandwiches being one of my favorite sandwiches, I don’t get to have them very often. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to making peanut butter and jelly snacks! These gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars were a spur-of-the-moment snack idea that turned out fantastic! I wanted to make a simple snack recipe that made plenty of bars (so that we couldn’t eat them all within one or two days), was healthy, was filling, and used simple ingredients that I would have on hand. These peanut butter and jelly bars are all of that and more! 

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

These peanut butter and jelly bars are a modern pioneer recipe. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were not a popular pioneer sandwich back in the Old West days. While canning and preserving jelly did become an essential way to store fruits and berries, making peanut butter wasn’t a common household practice. Not until pre-processed peanut butter became available did peanut butter and jelly sandwiches really take off! 

No matter… these delicious snacking bars make a great modern pioneer snack! They are allergy-friendly and made with wholesome ingredients. Since I made these bars to serve more as a snack, rather than a dessert, I also wanted them to be nutritious, filling, and not too sugary. Also, the peanut butter and jelly bars had to be easy to make and use ingredients that I would have on hand on a regular basis. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are simple and easy to make, so these bars should be too! 

As far as allergy friendly goes, these peanut butter and jelly bars are….

• gluten-free
• nut free
• dairy-free
• refined sugar
• corn free

Peanut Butter & Jelly 101

Peanut butter and jelly… it’s a classic pairing with so many not-so-classic recipe options! I mean seriously, you look up peanut butter and jelly recipes and you’ll find way more ideas than just your typical sandwich! There’s ice cream, donuts, smoothies, cupcakes, cakes, pies, cookies, overnight oats, French toast, pop tarts, chia pudding, scones, muffins, energy balls, and so much more all featuring the peanut butter and jelly flavor. Try to limit yourself to just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and you still come up with some bizarre recipe ideas! Grilled, fried, cinnamon, spicy, banana, the options are endless for adding variety to your pb&j sandwich! One variety that I might just be inclined to try is a bacon peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 

I love peanut butter and jelly, but for me, the bread is just as important as the peanut butter and jelly. So when I make a peanut butter and jelly recipe, there always has to be some ‘carb’ aspect if you will. Now, that does not mean the recipe has to be unhealthy! Making bread from scratch is a great pioneer life skill to master! For non-traditional recipes, there are still plenty of grain-free and gluten-free options to replicate the ‘carb’ factor of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, check out these options:

• Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free breads
• Against the Grain baguette or pita
• Grain-free bread
• Chebe bread
• Grain-free waffles
• King Arthur gluten-free pancakes

I love making non-traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich using other bread products besides a loaf of bread! Some of my favorites include a waffle peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a pita peanut butter and jelly sandwich! I have also experimented with other peanut butter and jelly recipes, besides this snack bar recipe that I’m sharing with you. These peanut butter and jelly energy balls are another perfect, no-bake snack option! I have also tried a peanut butter and jelly smoothies, peanut butter and jelly pie, and peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies with varying degrees of success. 

Making 10 Minute Jelly

One big hold up that often prevented me from enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was the fact that most jellies contain lots of additional cane sugar and some contain binding agents that are less than wholesome. Finding a healthy jelly was difficult until I decided to try making my own jelly! I have made my own jelly two different ways, using the traditional canning method and then also using a 10 minute method that makes for a quick, low sugar jelly. 

My favorite jellies to make using the traditional canning method include elderberry jelly and dandelion jelly. Elderberry jelly uses elderberry infused water and honey as the sweetener to make a thick, sweet, nutritious, and smooth jelly that is even the same color as a traditional grape jelly! Dandelion jelly uses dandelion petal infused water and cane sugar as the sweetener to make a sweet, honey-like jelly. I prefer the elderberry jelly because it uses raw honey as a sweetener rather than cane sugar.

For these peanut butter and jelly bars though, I use my quick 10 minute method of making jelly. The 10 minute method requires fresh or frozen berries of your choice. I like to use blueberries since they mimic the color of grape jelly. However, strawberries would work just as well! To make quick jelly, here’s what I do:

Instructions:

• Heat the berries over low heat in a large saucepan along with about 1 tsp. of tapioca flour per 1/2 cup of berries.
• Continually mash the berries as they heat.
• Bring the mashed berries to a simmer.
• Once simmering, mash and stir the berries until the mixture thickens.
• Transfer the mixture to a glass container to cool in the fridge.
• The cooling will further thicken the jelly.

This method makes for a very thick, slightly chunky jelly. The tapioca flour makes for a slightly different consistency than traditional jelly, but it functions just the same in sandwiches and recipes! 

Storing and Serving PB&J Bars

I initially made these gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars to serve as a delicious, nutritious snack, but I quickly realized I could use these bars for any number of things! Having one for snack gives me energy and satisfies both my sweet tooth and my love for peanut butter. I also love that they are healthy and use wholesome ingredients. Aside from snacking on, these bars would also work great as a…

• breakfast bar– they would pair perfectly with a fruit smoothie, bowl of homemade granola, or some homemade yogurt
• dessert– these bars are just sweet enough to serve as a dessert
• granola bar– these bars hold together very well and would work great as a granola bar for hiking, an energy bar, or for any adventure

These bars are so delicious, I could enjoy one for breakfast, snag one for a quick mid-morning snack, and have one for dessert after dinner too! However, common sense tells be to keep my diet varied. Plus, it’s nice to make these bars last a little longer than a few days! 

Since these gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars contain fruit, there are a couple of ways you can store these bars. These bars can be stored at room temperature for a short period of time. Keep them in an airtight container and avoid storing them in a warm or humid location. I suggest a room temperature storage no longer than 2-3 days. However, these bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a longer period of time. Refrigerated, these bars will stay fresh for up to a week. I have also frozen these delicious bars. I do recommend letting them unthaw before enjoying them though! Room temperature, chilled, or frozen, these peanut butter and jelly bars are delicious either way!

Recipe Tips

These gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars are super easy to make. When I decided to try out this recipe, it was kind of like a kitchen experiment. I wanted to make a delicious snacking bar that is also simple to whip up quickly. These bars turned out perfectly! Here are a few recipe tips.

• You can use crunchy, smooth, or homemade peanut butter in these bars.
• For the jelly, I mostly use frozen berries, but fresh berries would work as well. I recommend blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
• You can also use homemade canned jelly or your favorite brand of healthy, wholesome jelly.
• When making the jelly, make sure you add the tapioca flour before you start heating the mixture, otherwise the tapioca will form clumps.
• I have only made these bars using whole rolled oats, so I don’t know how any other type of oat would work.
• For the coconut milk, you can use your favorite dairy-free milk substitute, regular milk, or homemade dairy-free milk.
• Also, the coconut milk does not have to be full-fat coconut milk from a can.

Wholesome bars that are simple to make and taste delicious, these gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars are perfect! They satisfy my peanut butter and jelly cravings plus they serve as a nutritious, energy-packed snack!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
• Nutiva coconut oil
• Nutiva coconut sugar
• Pacific unsweetened coconut milk
• Hain Pure Foods baking powder
• Redmond real sea salt
• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Supplies: 9×13″ glass baking dish, large saucepan, hand held mixers, potato masher

Gluten-free peanut butter and jelly bars are the perfect modern pioneer snack bar! I love whipping up a batch of these simple bars and enjoying them throughout the week as a quick, filling snack. Making the simple jelly takes just a few minutes and it’s not long before these baked bars are cooling and almost ready for me to enjoy! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will still be savored, but I can have these bars to get my peanut butter and jelly fill! You are going to love these soft, sweet, and slightly chewy granola bars! 

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by Alexa