Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars

This recipe is from Good and Cheap.

Good and Cheap is a gorgeous cookbook for people with limited income, particularly on a $4/day food stamps budget. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!) and has been downloaded more than 15,000,000 times. I have more cookbooks, too!

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I couldn’t believe it when I realized I had not posted this Peanut butter and jelly granola bar recipe on the blog! It’s one of the most popular recipes from Good and Cheap and if you haven’t given it a go, let this be your moment. They are so flexible and fool-proof, let them be a part of your breakfast rotation.

Tired of endless PB+J sandwiches? Give these bars a try instead! I designed them for my friend Alex, who is allergic to gluten and is the best long-distance runner I know. I wanted to create a simple but nutritious breakfast that he could grab on his way out for a run. They are a little more crumbly than a store-bought granola bar, however.

As a bonus, these are made entirely from ingredients that you can find in any corner store or food pantry. Any kind of jam or jelly will do; I used blueberry, but grape or strawberry or any other flavor would be tasty.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars

Simple-to-make granola bars made from combining just oats, peanut butter and jam or jelly. You can make infinite variations and additions to this flexible recipe.

Course Snack

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats (or 2 cups oats and 1 cup crisp rice cereal)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup jelly or jam
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• butter or vegetable oil

Additions

• nuts
• coconut flakes
• dried fruit
• honey

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 °F.
2. Butter or oil an 8” x 11” baking pan. If you have a different size pan, that’s fine—it’ll just change how thick the bars are.
3. Pour the oats into a large bowl. You can use quick oats if they’re all you have, but I prefer the bite and chew of rolled oats. For a different texture, you can also substitute a cup of oats with a cup of Rice Krispies, but the bars are great either way.
4. Add the peanut butter, half the jelly, the water, and the salt to a small pan. Stir over low heat until it’s smooth.
5. Mix the peanut butter and jelly concoction into the oats until all the oats are coated and you have a sticky mass. Dump the mixture into the oiled pan and press it into an even layer. Spread the remaining jelly over the top.
6. Pop the pan into the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s toasty and brown around the edges. Mmm. Crunchy.
7. Leave the bars in the pan until they cool completely, about an hour, then slice into 12 bars.