This recipe for Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars is the perfect sweet, salty, chewy, peanut butter cookie but in quick and easy cookie bar form.
Peanut butter is a staple at our house. We all just love the stuff. We love it in a classic PB&J sandwich, spread over a warm waffle or toast, on apples or crackers, or even just by the spoonful. Jack also loves creamy peanut butter on a warm buttermilk biscuit drizzled with Yellow Label syrup. Special afternoon snacks often include Ritz crackers, smeared with peanut butter, and topped with a few chocolate chips.
And with all that eatin’, we can plow through it pretty quickly. I bet outside of milk and eggs, peanut butter is probably the most frequently bought grocery store item for us. Our sincere love of peanut butter was really the catalyst for the creation of these Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. I took one of my most favorite recipes, my Pecan Chewies, and gave them a peanut butter flavored makeover.
But I didn’t just stir in some peanut butter. Nope. I wanted tons of peanut butter flavor. So, I added salted peanuts and peanut butter chips, too. Y’all, these things are simply amazing. They are just packed with tons of peanut flavor. And those salted peanuts are the perfect complement to the sweetness – giving me that sweet and salty combo that y’all know I love so much.
Now let’s talk about the texture of these babies… All I can say is gooey, gooey perfection. They have the chewy texture of my pecan chewies, but are also tender and a touch crumbly like a classic peanut butter cookie. I honestly don’t think I could have hoped for a better outcome with this chewy peanut butter bars recipe.
What makes them even better is how crazy easy they are. It’s a one-bowl recipe where you just add the ingredients and stir, but they taste like so much more!
If you’ve got a peanut butter lover in your family, you’ve just got to try these.
Cookie Bar FAQs
Can I substitute in chocolate chips? I don’t see why not! I mean I personally love these as is. But if you’ve got a hankering for some chocolate, knock yourself out! You know now that you mention it, peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars sound absolutely delicious! I even thinks some Reese’s Pieces would make a great addition!
Can I freeze cookie bars? Now, I have never tried freezing these cookie bars. I’m sure if you froze these in an airtight container or a freezer bag, they would thaw nicely. If you do try this, let me know in the comments section how they turned out after thawing them.
Other Cookie Bar Recipes
Pecan Chewies – Pecan Chewies are delicious, easy to make, chewy cookie bars that are always a crowd-pleaser and one of my most popular recipes here on Southern Bite.
Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars – Enjoy these chewy and delicious Easy Cake Mix Cookie Bars featuring a store-bought cake mix, 5 simple ingredients, and tons of options!
Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars EVER – Indulge in the Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars EVER! This recipe is a family favorite with a twist: cake mix! Get ready for gooey goodness in every bite!
Oreo Chewies – These Oreo Chewies are an irresistible fusion of Oreos and chewy blondies. It’s a symphony of flavors and textures that will have you craving more with every bite.
Chocolate Chip Dream Bars – My Chocolate Chip Dream Bars are an awesome blend of ease and flavor, reminiscent of chocolate chip cookies but taken to the next level. These jokers feature only 8 ingredients but result in impressive and delicious dessert bars everyone will love.
Easy Pecan Shortbread – This Easy Pecan Shortbread is a quick, easy, shortcut way to make buttery, delicious shortbread cookie bars! No fuss but loads of flavor!
Recipe Card
Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup salted peanuts
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Stir until well combined. Add the eggs and stir until smooth.
- Add the flour and stir until combined. Add the vanilla. Add the peanuts and peanut butter chips, reserving a few of each to sprinkle on the top. Stir to combine.
- Spread the cookie dough mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved peanuts and peanut butter chips. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly. Cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Donna
Just made these the house smells amazing. Love some peanut butter! Like one other said I had to add some chocolate chips. These are a keeper for sure. So easy & delicious!
So glad to hear they turned out great for you, Donna!
Kathy
If I want to test to see how a recipe will freeze, I take just a small portion and freeze it before freezing a larger portion of the whole thing.
Smart thinking!
Judy
Hi! I was wondering if these peanut butter bars could be frozen ahead, and baked later?
I think they’d be best baked and then frozen, but haven’t tested it either way.
Becky
These are easy to make and super delicious.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Betty Cosens
Can I use less butter and more peanut butter in this recipe
I’ve only tested it the way it’s written, so I can’t say for sure.
Helen
I have made these twice to date-they disappear very fast! I took a plate of these to a cookie exchange, and they were the first ones selected!
Michelle
Best. Cookie Bar. EVER. Ok, so I LOVE anything peanut butter. My husband, daughter and I all decided to make our own cookie recipe for the holiday. Well…I had saved this one and tried it tonight. Best Ever! Wow. So good, so good. (And it went perfectly well with some vanilla ice cream!). I think this is my new favorite! And it is easy to make. Seriously folks, you gotta try this one!
Thanks so much, Michelle! I’m trilled to hear y’all enjoyed them so much!
Margaret Turner
My husband copied this recipe off of the TV RFD program. I tried it and sent half over to my picky daughter and family who are reluctant to have sweets. She called tonight and wanted more. Seems to think with her busy lifestyle they were a perfect mix to give her some much needed energy and wanted to know how many I had left. This is a win win recipe. Thank you so much
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed them! Thanks for watching!!
Erica B
I will likley get teased for asking! lol. I LOVE peanut butter cookies, but not chunky peanuts in them. Is there something i can add to make up for any possible fat that is needed from the peanuts?
I certainly won’t tease you! I think you can simply leave out the peanuts. I don’t think you need to replace them with anything.
Anna
These came out so good. The only thing I might change is cut down the butter slightly. Between the butter, peanut butter a little greasy. But delish. Can these be frozen? I was wondering about the calorie count for these? Yes I do realize it’s a rich dessert, but curious? Thanks for posting this recipe, Anna 🙂
Hi Anna! Glad you enjoyed them! Varying peanut butters will have varying fat content, so that might have played a roll in the greasiness. When it comes to freezing them, it seems like they should freeze just fine, but I’ve not tried it, so I can’t say for sure. As to calorie count, that’s not something I keep track of. The thing is, varying ingredients have varying nutritional information – peanut butter is a great example – so me providing that using what I have on hand versus what you might use could prove to have very different nutritional counts.
Kathy
If I want to test to see how a recipe will freeze, I take just a small portion and freeze it before freezing a larger portion of the whole thing.
Anna
Help I just made these. The edges are light brown, but when I checked the middle, with a toothpick, the toothpick has some of it on it. Is this okay? Usually it comes out clean when I bake. But I know you said it should be jiggly. Thanks ????????, Anna
That’s perfectly ok! The toothpick test won’t really work with this one. Let them cool and then slice them up.
Lora
I made these today and they are awesome. Like a rich, chewy, peanut butter cookie, but in bar form. One of the easiest and best tasting bar cookie recipes I’ve ever made. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Lora!
Laura
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cookie recipe where the butter is melted. Would you explain the difference between melting the butter as opposed to whipping softened butter?
No matter your answer, this recipe has already gone into my file!
With bar cookies like this it’s not as important to have the butter at any particular temp to be able to help the cookie keep its shape. Since it’s much easier to combine the melted butter, I just write the instructions as such. Enjoy!
Laura
Simple enough! Thanks for the answer. Ingredients are on my shopping list for next week. Also, several other recipes of yours will be on the menu, as a few were this past week. Thanks for good eats!
Love hearing that! Enjoy!
Sadie
I love your recipes!! I’ve never had a favorite “recipe website/blog”, but I definitely do, now. I’ve made enough of your recipes at this point that I feel like I need to start leaving comments/reviews. Your instructions are so thorough and reasonable, I really appreciate the information before the actual recipe.
This was the second recipe that I tried. I had made your fudge iced brownies previously, and I was shocked at how easy and delicious the fudge topping was. So I made a batch and topped my peanut bars with it. It was probably the best tasting dessert I have ever made, everybody that tried it was raving about them.
I am making your carnitas recipe tomorrow and I am very excited to try it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
Thank you so much, Sadie! I appreciate your kind words more than you could know!! Now I MUST try the Chewy Peanut Butter Bars with the Fudge topping!!!
Sarah
Would you double or triple this for a standard 9×13 cake pan?
Sarah (again)
Sorry I just wasn’t reading correctly. I was distracted by all the peanut butter goodness!!
Now worries! All that peanut butter goodness can be distracting! 🙂
Lindsey
Fantastic recipe, these were a hit in our peanut butter loving house too. I did t have self rising flour so I added 2.5 tsp of baking powder and .5 tsp of salt to all purpose flour. I also added some Reese’s pieces for half the chips.
Thank you!
Perfect! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!!
Becky
Stacey, these are delicious. As soon as the recipe popped up yesterday, I knew I had to make them immediately. I did add 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips but they really aren’t necessary.
Yum!! I’m so happy they turned out great for you!
Shery
Can I put chocolate chips in this recipe for my Reeses lovers?
I certainly don’t see why not! Peanut butter and chocolate IS the perfect combo, after all!