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.
- 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.
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Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour the pan).
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In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars with a hand mixer until fluffy.
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Mix in the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
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Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until it is completely combined.
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Add milk and stir again until mixture is well incorporated.
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Fold in chocolate chips.
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Transfer batter to prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly into pan.
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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.
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Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
- 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.
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
