PB&J Crumb Bar Recipe

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4.67 from 3 reviews

Eileen Gray

Peanut Buttery Crust is layered with your favorite jelly and topped with chunky brown sugar and peanut topping.

Prep Time20

Bake Time35

Total Time55

Servings:24 bars

Ingredients

For the dough

5 oz honey roasted peanuts (1 heaping cup)
20 oz all purpose flour (4 cups, see note)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 oz brown sugar (1 cup)
4 oz granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz Peanut Butter (1/2 cup)
8 oz unsalted butter (1 cup, room temperature)

For the Filling

18 oz Concord Grape Jam (2 cups)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 13" x 9" pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and allow it to hang over the sides for easier removal of the bars. (see process photos)
Pulse the peanuts a few times in a food processor until they're roughly chopped. You want them to be a bit chunky. Alternately, chop the nuts by hand. Remove the nuts from the processor and set them aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of the food processor or in a large mixing bowl. Pulse a few times in the processor or mix to combine the ingredients. If using a mixer mix on low speed. You can whisk together the ingredients by hand.
If working in a food processor, toss in the peanut butter and pulse a few times until the it is incorporated. Add the butter and run until the dough forms clumps. If you're using a mixer or working by hand mix in the peanut butter to combine then add the butter and mix until the dough clumps together when squeezed.
Reserve 1/3 of the dough for the topping. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 of the dough into the pan and and press into an even layer.
Bake 10 minutes until set and beginning to brown. While the crust bakes mix the chopped peanuts into the reserved dough.
Remove the pan from the oven and spread the jelly over the pre-baked crust. Grab a handful of the remaining dough and form it into a large clump. Allow it to break into chunks and crumble it over the jelly. Crumble all the dough over the jelly in an even layer.
Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into 24 bars.

Notes

The butter should be slightly cool, but a little pliable. If the butter is very cold it will be more difficult to cut it into the dry ingredients. If the butter is very soft, it will completely mix in and you won't get nice large clumps of crumbs.

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

This recipe can be halved and baked in a 9" square pan.

Nutrition