I love peanut butter, and my son adores chocolate. I tried for a long time to find the perfect recipe to make both of us happy. These peanut butter cookie bars do just that! The cookie bars are soft, chewy and thick with a chocolate layer on top covered with a sprinkling of M & M's. You will just have to check out these peanut butter cookie bars for yourself!
I am a BIG fan of peanut butter. I can eat it by the spoonful. Anyone else like me?
My family loves desserts and sweets. My son's favorite treat are cookies. He prefers chocolate. He will eat any kind, anyway he can get it! I was trying to figure out how we could both me happy. That's how I came up with this recipe. It combines his love of chocolate and my love of peanut butter!
These cookie bars will please a crowd because it can be customized in so many ways.
I start with using different types of chocolate. I usually use a combination of different kinds. Some of our favorites are; M&M's, mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, etc. As you can see, as long as it is chocolate it will work perfectly!
Another way you can customize this recipe is the peanut butter you choose. I have tried both creamy and chunky varieties. Both are delicious. If you are looking for a little extra crunch, go crunchy!
This was inspired by my peanut butter cookie dough bars, Reese's Brownies and easy no bake peanut butter bars recipe on this site, and pairs well with this salted caramel milkshake.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: These cookie bars only use a few simple baking ingredients.
- Easy: It only takes a little mixing and baking to make these bars.
- Classic Flavor: Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic flavor combination.
- Always a Hit: Whether you serve them for dessert or at parties, everyone always loves them.
Ingredients
- Salted Butter: Salted butter adds the fat and salt necessary for the cookies.
- Large Eggs: Eggs bind the dough together and add fat for richness.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds deeper color and flavor that's perfect with the peanut butter.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds that classic, deep, smooth flavor we love in baked goods.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter gives the bars their signature flavor.
- Mini Peanut Butter M&M’s: Peanut Butter M&Ms add more sweetness and peanut butter flavor.
Topping
- Chocolate Chips: Everyone loves peanut butter and chocolate!
- Butter: Butter helps create the creamy, rich chocolate topping.
- Mini Peanut Butter M&M’s: More peanut butter M&Ms complete the look and flavor profile.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
- For chocolate peanut butter bars, use regular M&Ms in place of peanut butter or Smarties instead for color.
- Instead of chocolate chips for the topping use caramel, peanut butter or butterscotch chips instead. Each one changes the flavor of the bars just a bit.
- Try chunky peanut butter for more peanut flavor and extra texture.
How to Make The Best Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Add the flour and baking powder together in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the slightly cooled butter and eggs together till smooth.
Add the brown sugar, and vanilla and whisk again till smooth. Add the peanut butter and whisk till smooth.
Add the flour mixture and M&Ms and mix with a spoon till just combined.
Turn the batter out into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top slightly so it’s even.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool in baking dish till nearly completely cool before making the topping.
In the microwave in 20 second increments at 50% power, melt the chocolate chips and butter together.
Once melted, spread the chocolate on top of the bars and sprinkle with the peanut butter M&M’s
Hint: Don't use all-natural peanut butter for this recipe. It's almost impossible to blend it well enough for the bars to have the right texture.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our caramel cookie bars, magic cookie bars or cake mix cookie bars.
Storage
Store these bars for up to four days in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Refrigerator: DO NOT refrigerate these bars. It will dry them out.
Freezer: Wrap the individual bars in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 2 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
Reheat: While you won't reheat the bars, you will have to defrost them if they're frozen. Just leave them on the counter until they're room temperature!
Make Ahead: These are best served at room temperature, so feel free to make them in the morning and serve them later in the day.
What to Serve with Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Serve these bars with a glass of milk for the kids or a cup of coffee or tea for the grownups. They also make a great addition to a larger dessert spread at parties.
Tips
- Be sure to cool your butter a little before whisking it with the eggs to avoid scrambling them.
- Mix your dry and wet ingredients until just combined to avoid dense, tough cookie bars.
- Use regular peanut butter and not all-natural for this recipe. All-natural peanut butter is too oily.
FAQ
Yes, it is. Cookie bars are simply a version of cookies where all the dough is baked at once on a sheet and then cut into squares or rectangles.
Technically, you can, but it's difficult. Natural peanut butter separates, so you'll have to stir and stir and stir and stir until the solids and oil are completely reintegrated. And if they aren't it affects the texture of your cookies. It's far easier and produces far better results to use regular peanut butter.
More Delicious Peanut Butter Recipes
If you love baking with peanut butter as much as we do, then check out some more of our delicious recipes featuring peanut butter.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted and cooled slightly *see note (226 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups brown sugar packed (440g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter not all natural (240g)
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 350 g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups mini peanut butter M&M’s
Chocolate Topping
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon butter
Decoration
- ½ cup mini peanut butter M&M’s
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 Fahrenheit and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. *see note
- Add the flour, baking powder, and mini peanut butter M&M’s together in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the slightly cooled butter and eggs together till smooth.
- Add the brown sugar, and vanilla and whisk again till smooth.
- Add the peanut butter and whisk till smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and M&Ms and mix with a spoon till just combined.
- Turn the batter out into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top slightly so it’s even.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool in baking dish till nearly completely cool before making the topping.
- In the microwave in 20 second increments at 50% power, melt the chocolate chips and butter together.
- Once melted, spread the chocolate on top of the bars and sprinkle with the peanut butter M&M’s
Notes
- If you use unsalted butter in the batter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to your flour mixture.
- If you use a glass baking dish your cook time will likely be a few minutes less than if you use a metal dish.
- I prefer using a baking dish that has more defined corners than rounded edges because it makes more bars squared.
- If you can’t find mini peanut butter M&M’s you can use regular M&M’s. I found mini peanut butter M&M’s at my local Walmart.
- If you don’t want to make as many bars, you can half this recipe and bake in a 8x8 inch baking dish.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in March 2017. It's been updated with new content, images, and an updated recipe.
Ester says
Yummy and delicious and loaded with chocolate. I just can't get enough of these cookies. I make a bunch and curl up on the couch and enjoy with a movie. They demand a glass of milk 😉
Karin and Ken says
We’ve loved these cookies for so long. I’m so glad to hear you enjoy them too. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. As always I’m grateful. All the best. Karin