This blog post and SunButter and Jelly Bars recipe are sponsored by SunButter®! All opinions and experiences are my own.
These allergy-friendly SunButter and jelly bars are perfect treats for kids or sharing at potlucks. With a simple nut free cassava flour crust and stovetop fruit jam, they're quick to make and full of flavor!
A classic combo made nut free
Let's not beat around the bush: peanut butter and jelly is the classic combo I'm recreating here. After all, who doesn't love a good PB&J?
BUT peanut allergies affect 1.2% of the population and 2.5% of children. That may seem small, but that equals roughly 1.2 million children and teens in the United States alone. That number also seems to be increasing, with rates increasing by over 20% since 2010.
Clearly, it's nice to have a nut free option on hand even if no one in your family has a peanut allergy; potlucks, dinner parties, backyard BBQs, and more can all benefit from allergy-friendly food!
SunButter is my favorite peanut butter alternative — the taste is significantly closer than any other nut or seed butter out there. Plus, SunButter makes their sunflower seed butter without other seed oil additives. Their most basic jar is only roasted sunflower seeds — that's it!
How to make simple stovetop jam
The strawberry jam is part of what makes this recipe really shine. Sure, if you're short on time, you could use store-bought jam.
But using frozen fruit, making a perfectly thickened filling without a lot of additives is easy and quick!
To thicken this stovetop jam, I used gelatin. I tried a few different methods of thickening, and I found this one had the best result for the bars overall!
That said, if you'd prefer a vegan version of this recipe, you can thicken the jam with a couple tablespoons of arrowroot powder dissolved in cold water and poured into the almost-finished jam.
But don't let the thought of cooking with gelatin or making your own jam turn you away from this recipe. The bulk of making stovetop jam is simply letting it all cook in a pot — no effort required from you!
Snag this exclusive coupon for SunButter!
Don't have any SunButter on hand? I've got your back. SunButter gave me a special coupon to pass along to you that you can use at most major retailers!
Click here to download a printable coupon for $1 off SunButter
More SunButter recipes you have to try
- SunButter No Bake Cookies
- SunButter Pumpkin Butter
- SunButter Maca Smoothie
- No Bake SunButter Energy Balls
- Chocolate SunButter Mug Cakes
Did you make these bars? I want to know how they turned out! Let me know how you used it in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram!
SunButter and Jelly Bars (Nut Free, Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple stovetop jam and sunflower seed butter are best of friends in these SunButter and Jelly Bars! Also nut free, dairy free, and paleo-friendly.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cassava flour
- ⅓ cup arrowroot flour
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the Filling:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ teaspoons gelatin
- 3 cups frozen strawberries or raspberries
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon SunButter
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine cassava flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup, mixing until a ball of dough forms.
- Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to the baking dish and use your hands to press the dough into one even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center is dry to the touch and the edges are browned. Set aside to cool.
For the filling:
- Add lemon juice and water to a small, shallow bowl. Sprinkle gelatin overtop and set aside to let the gelatin bloom.
- Add the strawberries, coconut sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries are soft and mushy. If desired, use an immersion blender to blend the strawberry mixture until smooth. Otherwise, use a spatula to break up large pieces of fruit. Add the vanilla extract and bloomed gelatin mixture, stirring until the gelatin has completely dissolved into the jam. Cook for another minute, then remove from heat.
- Pour warm strawberry mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Drop dollops of SunButter into the jam, then use a knife to swirl the SunButter throughout the jam.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours so the filling can set. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
You can use whatever frozen berries you'd like for the jam. I made it with both raspberries and strawberries (raspberries won out as my favorite), but I'd love to try it with blueberries too!
Keywords: sunbutter, sunflower seed butter, nut free, sunbutter and jelly bars
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