Easy & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Peanut Butter Cups

Are you searching for a dessert that delivers on flavor without demanding hours in the kitchen? Look no further than these incredible Peanut Butter Cookie Bars! Forget complicated recipes with endless steps; these bars are all about delicious simplicity. Soft, wonderfully chewy, and bursting with rich peanut butter flavor, they’re elevated by the addition of chopped peanut butter cups, creating a sweet and salty symphony in every bite. Baked in a convenient 8×8 square pan, they’re the ultimate stress-free treat perfect for any occasion.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Life can be complex, but your desserts don’t have to be. These Peanut Butter Cookie Bars offer a delightful escape into simple, homemade goodness. Here’s why they’ll quickly become a favorite in your recipe collection:

• Effortlessly Easy: This recipe is designed for minimal fuss. No chilling dough, no rolling, and no intricate decorating required. Just mix, press, and bake!
• Irresistibly Chewy Texture: Thanks to a precise balance of ingredients, these bars boast that coveted soft, chewy texture that all great cookies possess.
• Perfectly Balanced Flavor: They strike a delightful harmony between sweet and salty, with the deep, nutty flavor of peanut butter taking center stage, beautifully complemented by the rich notes of peanut butter cups.
• Versatile & Customizable: While peanut butter cups add an extra layer of indulgence, this recipe is adaptable. Easily swap them for chocolate chips or other mix-ins to suit your preference.
• Quick to Bake: From start to finish, you can have these delicious bars ready in under an hour, making them ideal for last-minute cravings or unexpected guests.

Unlike some of my other peanut butter blondies recipes where butter is melted, this recipe calls for creaming butter and sugar together, resulting in a distinctly tender, classic cookie bar texture that truly melts in your mouth. It’s the perfect solution when you want homemade taste without all the traditional cookie steps.

Essential Ingredients for Delicious Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Crafting the perfect peanut butter bar starts with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need to create these nutty, sweet, and salty treats:

• All-Purpose Flour: This is your foundational dry ingredient, providing structure to the bars. Make sure to measure it correctly using the spoon and level method to avoid a dense or crumbly texture.
• Baking Soda: Our primary leavening agent, baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar and moisture to help the bars rise, contributing to their soft and tender crumb.
• Salt: A small but mighty ingredient! Salt is crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing the deep, roasted flavor of the peanut butter, making these bars truly irresistible.
• Peanut Butter: For the most consistent and best results, this recipe is specifically tested with creamy, processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy). Natural peanut butter, with its varying oil content, can sometimes lead to a crumblier texture.
• Unsalted Butter: Softened butter is key for creaming with the sugars, creating air pockets that lead to a lighter, more tender bar. It also adds richness and helps with spread during baking.
• Brown Sugar (Packed): Essential for chewiness and a moist texture. The molasses in brown sugar also reacts with the baking soda, aiding in leavening. Always use fresh, soft brown sugar; dry, hard brown sugar can result in a crumbly dough.
• Granulated Sugar: Paired with brown sugar, granulated sugar contributes to the overall sweetness and helps achieve that delightful, slightly crisp edge with a chewy interior.
• Large Egg (Room Temperature): The egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together and providing moisture. Using a room temperature egg ensures it incorporates smoothly into the butter mixture.
• Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla extract brightens and rounds out all the flavors, especially enhancing the aroma and taste of the peanut butter.
• Chopped Peanut Butter Cups: The star mix-in! These add an extra layer of peanut butter and chocolate goodness. If you prefer, semi-sweet chocolate chips or peanut butter chips make excellent substitutes.

How To Make Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookie Bars: A Simple Guide

Making these easy peanut butter cookie bars is a straightforward process, perfect for bakers of all skill levels. Follow these simple steps for perfectly soft, chewy, and flavorful bars every time. Remember, the key to success is in the details, so let’s get baking!

1. Prepare Your Pan and Preheat Oven: First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. This creates “slings” that make it incredibly easy to lift the cooled bars out of the pan for cutting.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisking ensures these ingredients are evenly distributed, preventing pockets of leavening agent or salt in your finished bars. Set aside.
3. Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), beat together the creamy peanut butter, softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. This creaming process incorporates air, which contributes to the bars’ tender texture.
4. Add Egg and Vanilla: Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.
5. Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Mix-Ins: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the prepared flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just a few streaks of flour remain. Overmixing the flour can develop the gluten too much, leading to tough bars. Finally, gently fold in the chopped peanut butter cups (or your chosen mix-ins) until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
6. Bake to Golden Perfection: Transfer the cookie dough to your prepared 8×8 pan. Press it evenly into the bottom of the pan using your hands or the back of a spatula. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few melted chocolate bits are okay!). The bars might look slightly soft in the middle, but they will continue to set as they cool.
7. Cool Completely: This is perhaps the hardest step – waiting! Allow the peanut butter cookie bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to cut them. This ensures they firm up properly and cut cleanly without crumbling. Once cool, use the parchment paper overhang to lift them out, then slice into squares.

Store any leftover peanut butter cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay wonderfully soft and delicious!

Do Peanut Butter Bars Need Frosting? Enhance Your Treat!

Your homemade peanut butter cookie bars are undeniably delicious on their own, offering a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and nutty flavors. However, if you’re looking to elevate them to an even more decadent level, a layer of frosting is an excellent idea!

For the ultimate indulgence, consider a rich chocolate frosting. The classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate is simply divine. Alternatively, if you want to double down on the nutty goodness, a creamy peanut butter frosting will make these bars an absolute dream for any peanut butter lover. Feel free to experiment and find your favorite combination!

Troubleshooting: Why Are My Peanut Butter Cookie Bars Crumbly?

A crumbly cookie bar can be disappointing, but often, the issue is easily identifiable and preventable. If your peanut butter bars aren’t as perfectly soft and chewy as you’d hoped, here are a few common culprits and how to avoid them in the future:

1. Too Much Flour: This is a very common baking mistake! Excess flour can dry out your dough, leading to a crumbly texture. Always measure your flour using the “spoon and level” method: fluff the flour in its container, then gently spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with a straight edge. Avoid scooping directly with the measuring cup, as this can pack in too much flour. Learn more about how to measure flour correctly.
2. Dry Brown Sugar: Brown sugar contains molasses, which contributes to moisture and chewiness. If your brown sugar has dried out and become hard or crumbly, it won’t add enough moisture to the dough. Rehydrate it before baking by placing it in an airtight container with a slice of bread or a brown sugar softener for a few hours.
3. Overbaked: Overbaking is a sure way to dry out any baked good, including cookie bars. Keep a close eye on your baking time and trust your instincts. The bars should be golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine, but not wet batter). Investing in an oven thermometer can also help ensure your oven temperature is accurate.
4. Wrong Type of Peanut Butter: While natural peanut butter is fantastic for many things, its oil content can vary significantly, which can sometimes lead to a drier, more crumbly cookie bar. This recipe is specifically formulated for creamy, processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) because of its consistent texture and sweetness, which yields the best results for chewiness.

More Irresistible Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes

If you’ve fallen in love with the ease and flavor of these peanut butter cookie bars, you’re in for a treat! Peanut butter is a versatile ingredient that shines in countless desserts. Be sure to explore some of my other favorite peanut butter creations:

• No Bake Peanut Butter Bars: A quick and easy classic for when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
• Peanut Butter Brownies: Fudgy brownies swirled with creamy peanut butter for an ultimate chocolate-peanut butter experience.
• Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies: Two soft peanut butter cookies hugging a delightful filling.
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies: A surprise peanut butter filling awaits inside these tender cookies.
• Microwave Peanut Butter Cookie: For those intense, single-serving cravings that need to be satisfied instantly!

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Yield:
12 bars

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Total Time:
35 minutes

Easy, soft, and chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars loaded with delicious peanut butter cups, baked in a simple 8×8 square pan. These sweet, salty, and incredibly satisfying bars are a must-try!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup creamy processed peanut butter (not natural)
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (soft and moist, not dry and crumbly)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, or semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the peanut butter, softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chopped peanut butter cups (or chosen mix-ins) until evenly distributed.
6. Transfer the dough to the prepared 8×8-inch pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few melted chocolate bits are okay). Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before lifting out and cutting into squares.

   Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

• For more delightful peanut butter treats, be sure to try my Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies for a quick fix, or indulge in rich Peanut Butter Blondies.

Recommended Products

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• 8×8 Square Pan

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First published March 19, 2013