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Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are homemade treats that are perfect for the peanut butter lover in your life! This recipe features peanut butter cookie dough that’s speckled with both peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips and baked to perfection in bar form. They’re filled with the best amount of creamy peanut butter flavor that’ll have you coming back for more!
There’s really only one question to consider here. Are you more of a corner or center piece person? While this question usually only arises with brownies, it certainly pertains to cookie bars as well. As for me…I can’t help it – I’m both! There’s something to be said for both the softer centers AND the chewy corner pieces. I can’t resist either piece, that’s for sure. Although, I do lean more edge if I had to choose.
I’m also a huge cookie/peanut butter/general dessert fanatic, so you can see why I’m so obsessed with this recipe! It features the best amount of peanut butter flavor in every sweet bite. I really love cookie bars specifically because you get all the goodness of a peanut butter cookie, just in a thicker, chewier bar form. Consider making a double batch of this recipe if you’re headed to a large event, because these bad boys go FAST.
Why You’ll Love This
- Oh so sweet. Just like any good cookie bar recipe, this one has just the right amount of sugary sweetness to hit the spot! With that being said, don’t worry – it’s not so sweet that your teeth will hurt or anything crazy.
- Did I mention the peanut butter? Well, it’s worth repeating! The creamy peanut butter and peanut butter chips work in tandem to create the best peanut buttery flavor throughout the cookie bars.
- Quick and easy! You’ll only need about 15 minutes of prep time and a handful of ingredients that are so inexpensive and simple. You may already have everything you need in your kitchen now if you’re an avid baker like me!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make peanut butter cookie bars. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.
- Unsalted butter (softened)
- Creamy peanut butter
- Sugars – You’ll need both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Peanut butter chips
- White chocolate chips
How To Make Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Here is a general overview of the steps involved to make this peanut butter cookie bars recipe. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients. Stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Mix the wet ingredients. Cream together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Mix in the vanilla and eggs.
Combine to make the dough. Add the dry mixture into the wet a little bit at a time until fully incorporated. Gently mix in the peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips. Set some aside for topping later.
Bake. Press the dough into an even layer in your baking dish and sprinkle the remaining chips all across the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes.
Let it cool. Don’t slice too soon! You’ll want to wait until the bars have cooled to room temp before slicing and serving.
Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
Here are just a few ways to make these cookie bars the very best that they can be!
- Yes, you can add chocolate. I can already see where your thoughts are heading. If you’re a fellow chocolate + peanut butter fan, feel free to sprinkle in some milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips into the cookie dough. You can either substitute the other chips with chocolate chips or have a medley of all three!
- I recommend using creamy peanut butter. I kept things real simple with this recipe by using sweetened creamy peanut butter – you know, the same kind your mom used to slather on your pb&j! There’s nothing fancy here. I haven’t experimented with chunky or natural peanut butter, so I’m honestly not sure how that would turn out.
- Great for making ahead of time. You have to let these bars cool to room temperature before slicing anyways, so you may as well make them ahead of time! They travel very well and are great for bringing to parties of all kinds. Scroll down just a tad to see more details on how long they stay fresh.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerator or room temperature: Once cooled to room temp, you can store these cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days. You can keep them in the fridge for 4-5 days, but they may harden a bit when chilled.
Freezer: Properly stored in an airtight container, these bars will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to date and label. When ready to serve, let them slowly thaw in the fridge for about 8 hours.
More Dessert Bar Recipes We Love:
Slice, serve, and enjoy all of the very BEST bars! Some of my favorite bar recipes that you may enjoy as well:
- Golden Grahams S’mores Bars
- Homemade Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Brookies
- Cake Mix Brownies
- Oatmeal and Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Blondie Brownies
Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ tsp) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) baking powder
- 2 cups (340 g) peanut butter chips, reserve a handful for topping
- 1 cup (180 g) white chocolate chips, reserve a handful for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper (or grease well).
- Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Cream together butter, peanut butter and both sugars for 1 minute. Add in vanilla and eggs and continue mixing until just combined.
- Add in flour mixture in a few batches, mixing until just combined. Stir in peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips, reserving a few for topping.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with remaining peanut butter and white chocolate chips.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
