Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

These Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are soft in the center, golden at the edges, and packed with chocolate chips in every bite. They're the one-pan treat you'll come back to again and again—easy to make, full of nostalgic flavor, and perfect for connecting around the table.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 383kcal

Author Chellie Schmitz

Cost $10

Equipment

8x8 square pan
parchment paper
stand mixer with whisk attachment

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter 4oz, 115g (salted or unsalted)
1/2 cup brown sugar 3.5oz, 100g
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup or corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 4.4oz, 125g
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour 5.3oz, 150g
3/4 cup chocolate chips 4.6oz, 130g
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts optional

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper.
In the bowl to your stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup on high speed until fluffy.
1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoon honey
Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined.
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Turn down the mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until just combined.
1 cup all purpose flour
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips and add the remaining chocolate chips to the batter and use a rubber spatula to fold them through.
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle the chopped peanuts (if using) and reserved chocolate chips over the top of the bars.
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
Bake for 25 minutes. Cool the bars completely in the pan before slicing and serving.

Notes

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are the easy cousin of your classic cookie — baked in one simple pan and sliced into golden perfections. The texture is a cross between a soft baked cookie and a fudgy blondie that absolutely melts in your mouth. They’re very peanut-y, but the sweetness of brown sugar and vanilla balances it out. A scattering of chocolate chips throughout the batter adds little pools of melty richness in every bite. These bars are pure comfort, soft in the middle and slightly crispy on the outside and full of nostalgic flavor.
Store leftovers in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
You can freeze these bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you are ready to serve.
Use the commercial creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. Natural peanut butters don't give the same texture.
I used smooth peanut butter for this recipe but crunchy peanut butter works too.
It’s tempting to dive into the pan straight from the oven but it really needs time to cool so that the cookie can set and won’t be crumbly when you slice them.
If you find peanut butter cookies a little too sweet, sprinkle a little bit of sea salt over the top before baking. Have a little fun with it.
I used chocolate chips but peanut butter or butterscotch chips or even a swirl of jam or nutella can be fun to add and will give you a different flavours and textures.
See the post for lots of variations on flavor and for more expert tips.

Nutrition