If you’re a fan of the classic flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate, these homemade peanut butter chocolate chip bars are a must-try. With swirls of peanut butter and plenty of chocolate chips, they are truly indulgent!
Chewy Cookie Bars with Chocolate Chips & Peanut Butter
Chocolate and peanut butter are a beloved flavor combination, and I am at the top of the fan club list! I’m obsessed with peanut butter cup ice cream, and these peanut butter monster cookies are a personal favorite cookie recipe.
I thought it was about time I came up with an easy cookie bar recipe that could satisfy my chocolate peanut butter craving. I don’t think it’s possible to have too many peanut butter dessert recipes, do you?
The first time I made these bars, I used both granulated sugar and brown sugar, but just 1/2 cup of peanut butter. They were good, but, weren’t as chewy as I wanted, and just had a mild peanut butter flavor.
So the next time I used all brown sugar and added more peanut butter. They were better, but not perfect.
For my last attempt, I added a swirl of peanut butter on top, as well as a sprinkling of chocolate chips. Finally, the perfect peanut butter chocolate chip bars – soft, chewy, packed with peanut butter, and studded with plenty of chocolate chips!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER BARS
- PREP– Spray a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray. (You can line it with parchment paper for easy removal if you prefer.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- WET INGREDIENTS – Combine melted butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter in a large bowl; whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk again.
- DRY INGREDIENTS – Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- ASSEMBLE – Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Drop small spoonfuls of peanut butter over the top of the dough; swirl with a butter knife. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup chocolate chips over the top.
- BAKE – Bake bars for 25-30 minutes at 350°. They should be barely set in the middle and lightly browned on the edges. Be careful not to overbake or they will be dry.
- COOL – Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
They are easiest to cut when they have been completely cooled.
Leftover bars can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in an airtight container. For maximum freshness, wrap them individually in plastic wrap.
They also freeze well. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty zipper bag. You can store them in the freezer for 3-4 months.
PRO TIPS:
- Natural peanut butter doesn’t work well for these peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars. Use a traditional peanut butter like Jif or Skippy for best results.
- For soft and chewy bars, bake them only until the middle is barely set. They will continue to set up after you remove them from the oven.
- If you cut the bars while still warm, they tend to fall apart. Delicious, but not very pretty! For clean-cut bars that hold their shape, give them plenty of time to cool.
VARIATIONS:
- For even more peanut butter flavor, stir in some chopped peanut butter cups, or Reese’s pieces.
- You can use any kind of chips in these bars. I like a combination of milk chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chips, but you can also use peanut butter chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or a combination of any of them.
- You can use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy, but I would add an extra tablespoon or two to make sure your bars aren’t dry.
TASTY PEANUT BUTTER TREATS:
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
MORE DESSERT BARS:
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough:
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- 2 cups brown sugar
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ⅔ cups chocolate chips milk or semi sweet
Topping:
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter in a large glass bowl. Add the brown sugar and peanut butter and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the peanut butter mixture. Stir just until barely combined. Fold in the 1 2/3 cups of chocolate chips.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Drop small dollops of the 1/3 cup peanut butter evenly over the dough; swirl with a knife. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup of chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until the middle is set and the edges are golden brown.
- Let the bars cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
- If you are using unsalted butter, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.
Nutrition
This easy recipe has all the flavor of your favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, but in bar form. Chewy peanut butter cookie bars will become your go-to recipe any time you need a chocolate peanut butter fix in a hurry!
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