Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Just a few simple ingredients easily combine to create this amazing treat. Great for dessert, a snack- maybe even breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 cup oats (old fashioned, not quick), if you are on a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free oats
½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
½ cup light maple syrup
¼ cup sugar free or reduced sugar jelly (I’ve used Welch’s Reduced Sugar Strawberry or Trader Joes Reduced Sugar Blueberry)

Directions:

Add the peanut butter and maple syrup to a small-medium pan and warm on low heat stirring frequently until blended together and softened (a very thick liquid consistency)- about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the oats and continue to stir until mixed well, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool and press mixture into an 8 by 8 inch pan. (Lining the pan with parchment paper and folding it over to press down works nicely.) Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to allow it to harden a bit. Take the mixture out of the fridge and use a sharp knife to make a cut down the center, dividing t into two large rectangle shaped halves. Spread the ¼ cup jelly across one of the halves and place the other halve on top , like a large sandwich. (Using a spatula is helpful to scoop it up without breaking it.) Wrap the sandwich mixture in parchment paper or foil and refridgerate another 1-2 hours . Take it out and cut it into 8 squares, then cut each smaller square in half diagonally to make a triangle ( for a total of 16) and serve. Store in the fridge.

Makes 16 triangles, 16 servings

Serving size: 1/16th of recipe Calories 86 Protein 3 g Carb 9 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 5 g Fat 4 g Saturated fat <1 g Sodium 56 mg