Peanut butter cookie bars are thick, buttery, and packed with melty chocolate chips. The edges turn lightly golden while the center stays soft and chewy, so they’re perfect for potlucks, lunchboxes, and freezing.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Packed with classic peanut butter and chocolate chip goodness, plus deep caramel notes from the brown sugar.
- Why Make It: One-pan peanut butter cookie bars mean no chill time and no scooping required. Just bake, slice, and serve.
- Time-Saving Tip: Line the pan with parchment so you can lift, cool, and slice quickly.
- Serving Suggestions: Great straight from the pan, slightly warm, topped with ice cream, and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce or homemade caramel.
Key Ingredients and Easy Swaps
- Peanut Butter: Use creamy, shelf-stable peanut butter for consistent texture. Natural peanut butter can separate and make bars oily or crumbly.
- Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a chewy texture. Dark brown sugar gives a deeper caramel flavor.
- Eggs & Butter: Classic cookie ingredients that work together to create the best flavor and texture. It’s okay to use margarine in place of butter, but don’t skip the eggs.
- Chocolate Chips: Semisweet balances the sweetness. Milk chocolate is sweeter, or mix chips and chunks for extra melty pockets. Mini chocolate chips work great for more chocolate in every bite.
Favorite Variations
- Peanut Butter Cup Bars: For more peanut flavor, stir in chopped peanuts for crunch, and replace the chocolate chips with chopped peanut butter cups.
- Salted Caramel Bars: Try adding a drizzle of easy caramel sauce after they cool and sprinkle with some flaky salt before slicing.
If you love these peanut butter desserts, try these peanut butter blossoms.
Mix, Spread, Bake, Slice
- Cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Mix in the remaining wet ingredients (full recipe below).
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Gradually combine the two, mixing until just blended. Stir in the milk and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread into an even layer and bake until golden.
For perfect squares, let the bars cool completely before slicing.
How to Store Cookie Bars
- Room Temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Tuck in a small piece of bread to keep the cookie bars soft.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days, and let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Freeze sliced bars with parchment between the layers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Reheat: Microwave a bar 8 to 12 seconds for melty chips, or warm briefly in a low 300°F oven.
Easy Bars and No Bake Treats
Did you make these Peanut Butter Cookie Bars? Leave a comment and a rating below.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1½ cups light brown sugar tightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups chocolate chips semisweet or milk chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour the pan).
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars with a hand mixer until fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until it is completely combined.
- Add milk and stir again until mixture is well incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly into pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Use a parchment sling so the bars lift out easily and slice cleanly.
- Mix just until the flour is blended to keep the texture tender.
- Press dough firmly into the corners so the edges bake evenly.
- Remove when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs and add some extra chips on top.
- Chill before slicing for neat, clean cuts.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 333 | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Recipe updated 4/19/25
I tried the recipe and a 9×9 inch pan is too small because the dough was too thick. I had to bake
for about 45 minutes for the dough to cook, which resulted in it being too brown on the top. I would suggest a 13×9 inch pan so the dough will cook all the way through. Also the recipe does not say whether a glass or aluminum pan should be used.
Belinda, they just need more time in the oven. It’s possible it may be the temperature of your oven, or if you used a glass dish, it will likely take longer to bake. You can bake these in a 9×13 pan if you don’t want them to be so thick. This should take around 25-28 minutes for them to fully bake.
I agree! Same thing happened to me. Definitely need the large pan or the middle won’t cook
I tried this recipe and they didn’t turn out right. The dough was way too thick and they wouldn’t cook through either. Not sure if one of my ingredients was bad or old or what but I’ll have to try it again.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I can’t say for sure why. It’s been tested and has turned out for me, so I hope that next time it works for you Sarah.
These pictures make me want to jump into my computer and take a big bite! I’m serious, a little veganizing and I would make these in a heartbeat.
Like you, I love making cookie bars so I don’t have to chill the dough or form balls of dough! Cookie bars are truly the MVP. LOL Peanut butter totally belongs with chocolate.
Right Britt? Thanks!
Peanut butter and chocolate – the best combination in the world. Especially in a cookie bar! Brilliant!
This is what I will be baking come Sunday ! They look dangerously good, and I am positive they will be a crowd favorite !
PB and chocolate – always a crowd favorite!
These look like they would TOTALLY hit the spot right now! Love the tip for making them in a smaller pan for that extra thick, chewy bar texture!
You’re right, they do hit the spot Ashley!
I so agree – peanut butter and chocolate together is a winner every time! Love a cookie bar too – no scooping, you get that treat faster! :)
Winner winner! You’ll love it Jacqueline!
I meannnnn DROOOL. What I would do for one of these?! NEED.
You won’t be disappointed Dominique!!
Peanut butter and chocolate is a match made in heaven! I LOVE how thick these bars are! So many bar recipes can be on the thin side, and these are just so gorgeous and impressive!
They are thick and soooo great! Thanks Amanda!
Those layers!
PB and chocolate chip sounds interesting recipe!
Nope. There doesn’t need to be anything else invented after peanut butter and chocolate and these bars look amazing. I want to eat that bowl of cookie dough!
These sound SOOOO decadent! But in all the right ways. I could SERIOUSLY eat a whole pan of these. #SorryNotSorry
This is heaven in a bar! And so dangerous because I could easily keep these all to myself and eat the whole pan!
Oh my goodness these look amazing! I love a good cookie bar and it’s been forever since I’ve made any! Your recipe looks delish! Can’t wait to try these out!
Okay, I could eat that whole pan! Peanut butter with chocolate is a weakness of mine. I’m not much of a baker but these look fairly easy for a non-baker like me. I will definitely be giving these a try!
Ummm…hello? You’re my new best friend. These are genius. I love that they don’t require chilling before baking. Sometimes when you have that PB and Chocolate need, you can’t wait for silly things like chilling.
LOL! Hello friend, so glad we’ve found each other!
I unfortunately had the same experience as others have commented. Dough seems to be way too thick for the pan. I cooked for 55 minutes and dough was still raw inside and I gave up.
Sorry to hear that Kelsey :( We have never had that problem with this recipe.
i love anything PB chocolate and your bars look exceptionally deilicious!
Don’t these look scrumptious!!
I love the sound of this so much. Peanut butter, chocolate chips and bars.. That’s all my favorites in one.. Sounds incredible.
All the best flavors in one bite!