This post is sponsored by the National Watermelon Board.
PBJ Crumble Bars made more wholesome with homemade watermelon chia jam, peanut butter, and whole grain oats for a yummy after school treat or dessert for your next party!
Crumble bars are having a moment. Specifically these PBJ Crumble Bars made with Watermelon Chia Jam.
Hold the phone… jam made with watermelon??? Yes, that’s right my friends!
You know I’m all about rushing into fall because after a long and hot summer I’m ready for a little cool off, but when it comes to summer flavors… I want to hold on to the freshness.
Well, now you can hold onto summer by making watermelon chia jam!
Watermelon tastes the best when you eat it right when it’s cut out of the rind (on a hot summer day, right?).
What do you do with all that rind? Most of us toss it, BUT not so fast!!! Did you know the rind is edible too?
Watermelon rind has many culinary applications from pickling to making jam! Like this Watermelon Chia Jam that I used in these PBJ Crumble Bars. I love making jam at home because you can control how much sugar you add to it.
In this recipe we only needed a couple tablespoons of maple syrup! Chia seeds hold the jam together and provide a big dose of fiber and omega 3s!
Oh and the rind is nutritious too– it’s a good source of amino acid L-citrulline that is used to produce nitric oxide, a blood vessel relaxor that helps with improving blood flow.
These PBJ Crumble Bars are pretty simple and fun to make. Mix together the crumble crust, press it into a pan, spread on the peanut butter and jelly, top with a little more crumble and bake them up!
If you’re a peanut butter and jelly lover like me, you’ve gotta make these PBJ Crumble Bars ASAP.
Check out this step-by-step video on how to make watermelon chia jam and PBJ Crumble Bars.
PrintPBJ Crumble Bars
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
PBJ Crumble Bars made more wholesome with homemade watermelon chia jam, peanut butter, and whole grain oats for a yummy after school treat or dessert for your next party!
Ingredients
- For Watermelon Chia Jam
- 2 cups small diced watermelon rind
- 1 cup small diced strawberries
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- For Crumble Bars
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup raw old fashioned oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup natural peanut butter, melted
- 1 cup jam
Instructions
- To prepare Watermelon Chia Jam
- In medium sized pot over medium low heat, cook watermelon rind and strawberries, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid and cook about an hour until softened and ready to mash.
- Using a pestle or back of a spoon, mash watermelon and strawberries to form a jam-like texture.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, maple syrup and chia seeds. Transfer to storage container and place in fridge at least an hour to thicken.
- To prepare PBJ crumble bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Slice butter into small cubes (about the size of a pea), and crumble into flour mixture with your hands. Stir in egg and vanilla extract to form crumbly dough.
- Firmly press ⅔ dough into bottom of pan to form a layer of crust.
- Gently spread melted peanut butter over crust. Pour jam into pan and carefully spread a layer of jam over the peanut butter. Crumble remaining dough on top of jam.
- Bake in 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes until crust is golden. Allow to cool before slicing into 12 bars.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16 recipe
- Calories: 221
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 112 mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!
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Watermelon chia jam, wow! That sounds fantastic, and what a great pack ‘n go snack!
The watermelon chia jam looks so interesting….and the bars!
So clever to use the watermelon rind in your jam, and I had no idea how nutritious it is! These look SO good-I’d love to experiment with making a gluten free version. Yum!!
These bars sound absolutely amazing and I love that they have watermelon in them- that’s so creative!
This sounds amazing! PB&J is my fave but watermelon jam….mind blown! Can’t wait to try
these bars look fantastic! My mouth is watering!
Yes please to watermelon jam!
★★★★★
Yum! I turned to making chia jam for bar filling last year and haven’t looked back – it’s so much better! I haven’t tried watermelon chia jam though and am all over this!
These remind me of one of my favorite baked goods my mom used to make – oat and date bars. The watermelon chia filling in these is so creative. I can’t wait to try them!
I’ve seen all sorts of jam flavors but never watermelon!!! What a wonderful way to enjoy the last of the watermelon harvest this year! Plus you can never go wrong with peanut butter! 😉
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing!
You had me at peanut butter but now I’m just in aww and trying to wrap my head around watermelon chia jam. Sounds interesting and delicious!
I can’t tell what I’m swooning over more the crumble bar or the watermelon chia jam! These look incredible.
These pbj crumble bars are calling my name! They’ll make the perfect afternoon snack!
This is so creative! I love the idea of watermelon jam!
I make a strawberry chia jam but never watermelon. I will have to try this…can I use watermelon or is it better tasting with the rind? Just curious. The pbj bars look amazing and my kids would gobble these up quickly.
★★★★★
I have never heard of making watermelon jam! I love this idea! I just threw a rind out yesterday! Dang it! I’ll have to get another one so that I can give this a try! Can you can it in a water bath? Maybe it doesn’t have enough acid? Thanks for the inspiration!
★★★★★
Yum! I love chia jam but never though of a watermelon version before. So perfect for summertime!
★★★★★
Wowzah! I could eat even the crumbs. This looks so good.