Peanut butter chocolate chip bars are thick, soft, and chewy cookie bars made with creamy peanut butter and plenty of chocolate chips. This one‑bowl recipe is simple to prepare, bakes up in a 9 x 13 pan, and is perfect served warm with a scoop of cold ice cream for a decadent dessert.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
Cookie bars are a convenient and reliable way to get cookie flavor with minimal effort. Instead of scooping individual cookies, you press a single dough into a pan, bake, slice, and serve. These peanut butter chocolate chip bars are a favorite because they are quick, use pantry staples, and yield thick, chewy squares that satisfy a crowd.
- Simple pantry ingredients: The recipe uses common baking staples—flour, sugars, butter, peanut butter, eggs, and chocolate chips—so you can usually bake a batch without a grocery run.
- Feeds a crowd: Made in a 9 x 13 pan, this recipe produces many portions, making it ideal for parties, potlucks, or family gatherings.
Ingredients
Have these ingredients ready before you start so the dough comes together quickly and evenly.
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: melted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, creamy peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are folded into the dough and a few are reserved for the top.
Substitutions
If you need to adapt the recipe, these substitutions work well:
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or oat flour, measuring by weight (240 g) for best results.
- Leavening: If you don’t have baking soda, replace it with 1 tablespoon of double-acting baking powder. Expect a slightly cakier texture.
- Butter: Unsalted “sweet cream” butter is preferred. If using salted butter, omit the added salt. Dairy-free butter can be used as a substitute.
- Sugars: Both granulated and light brown sugar add flavor and chew. For a refined-sugar-free version, alternative sweeteners like maple sugar can be used.
- Peanut butter: Any creamy (no-stir) peanut butter works. Stir natural peanut butter thoroughly if using.
- Chocolate: Swap semi-sweet chips for milk or dark chocolate or use chunks for more melty pockets.
Variations
- Mix-ins: Reduce chocolate chips by ½–1 cup and add ½–1 cup of mix-ins like crushed pretzels, mini chips, M&M’s, mini peanut butter cups, or peanut butter chips.
- 8 x 8 pan: To make a smaller batch, halve the ingredients and bake using the same method.
- Nut-free option: Substitute sunflower seed butter for peanut butter to make a nut-free version with similar flavor and texture.
How To Make
These bars come together in a few straightforward steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two long sides of a 13 x 9-inch pan.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and creamy peanut butter until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined, adding the flour mixture in two additions if desired. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving about ½ cup for the top.
Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan using a flexible spatula. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 22–27 minutes, until the edges turn light golden brown, the bars are slightly puffed, and the edges pull away a bit from the pan. Cool in the hot pan for 25–30 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out and transfer to a cooling rack. Slice into bars and enjoy.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make ahead: Prepare the dough and wrap it tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for 2–3 days; bring to room temperature before baking. For longer storage, freeze the wrapped dough for up to 2 months, then thaw before baking.
- Store: Keep baked bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze.
- Freeze: Once fully cooled, place bars in a zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Let frozen bars thaw at room temperature. Warm a piece in the microwave for 20–30 seconds to revive that just-baked texture and melty chocolate.
M’s Expert Tips
- Room temperature ingredients: Bringing eggs and other cold ingredients to room temperature helps them combine evenly and reduces mixing, which keeps the bars chewy.
- Prefer metal pans: The recipe was developed in a 9 x 13-inch aluminum pan. If using glass, lower the oven to 325°F (160°C) and add 5–10 minutes of baking time.
- Look for doneness: Use visual cues rather than the clock alone. The bars are done when the top is golden, the edges look set and slightly pulled from the pan, and the center is no longer jiggly.
- Reserve chips for topping: Keeping some chips aside for the top ensures each square looks and tastes chocolatey.
- Finish with flaky salt: A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the warm bars brightens the sweet and nutty flavors.
FAQs
Line the pan with parchment paper across the bottom and up two long sides for easy removal. If you don’t have parchment, grease the pan well with butter or nonstick spray.
The edges should be lightly golden and slightly pulled away from the pan. The top will be set and fragrant; the center should not be overly jiggly.
Other Peanut Butter Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
- Fluffernutter Cookies
Other Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chewy Cookies
If you try this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars recipe, please rate it and leave a comment. Tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram so I can see your bakes! – M
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
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Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper (optional)
- 1–2 mixing bowls
- 1 whisk and a flexible spatula or spoon
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (256 g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two long sides of a 13 x 9-inch pan.
- Melt the butter and cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and creamy peanut butter until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined, then fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving about ½ cup for the top.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the reserved chips. Bake 22–27 minutes or until the edges are light golden and slightly pulled away from the pan.
- Cool in the hot pan for 25–30 minutes. Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out, transfer to a cooling rack, slice, and serve.
Notes
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