Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars – All the flavor and texture of peanut butter-chocolate cookies, but much faster and easier. The batter comes together in minutes by hand and in one bowl. In under 30 minutes, from start to finish, you can be eating one of these bars.
Sometimes I think there’s no new way to combine peanut butter and chocolate.
But then I put my thinking cap on and something always comes to me.
I was craving something dense, thick, peanut buttery and chocolaty, and very easy. I wasn’t in the mood for stand mixers and dough chilling. I wanted something fast and not fussy in the least. Sometimes I can handle tedious baking projects and other times, I have the patience of a flea.
I planned to use browned butter in the batter and finish them with a melted peanut butter-chocolate chip drizzle, but kept them pretty bare bones and am so glad I did. The peanut butter flavor comes through, and the glorious hunks and chunks of dark chocolate shine in every bite.
They’re made in one bowl, no mixer required, and the batter comes together by hand in five minutes. After a short 20 minute stint in the oven, you can be enjoying big chewy bites. I love recipes that don’t require hours of advance planning and that go from cupboard shelves and into my belly in under 30 minutes flat.
They combine many favorite recipes into one. They remind me of a pan-full of peanut butter-spiked Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups. As an aside, if you’re prone to cookies that spread, it’s impossible with those because they’re baked in muffin cups.
I love the soft, fudgy density of Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies and this recipe is reminiscent of those, but because I used a pinch of baking soda and slightly more flour, they have more of a cookie-bar than a blondie texture. And, they’re loaded with chocolate chunks like my favorite Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
To make them, melt the butter, about 1 minute in the microwave. Stir in an egg, sugars, vanilla, a hearty scoop of peanut butter, and the dry ingredients. After the batter comes together, fold in chopped dark chocolate. I used Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar. I love their Pound Plus Bars for baking and the 72% and the Dark Chocolate are my two favorites.
A tip when chopping chocolate is to put a piece of parchment paper on your cutting board before chopping. It makes it so easy to pick up and dump the whole shredded mess into your mixing bowl. Chocolate isn’t able to cling to the cutting board, making cleanup much easier. I chop many batches of chocolate on the same piece of parchment and tuck it inside the wrapper of my leftover chocolate bar for next time. I hate to waste, even paper.
After the chocolate is folded in, transfer batter to the pan, and bake for about 20 minutes. Don’t overbake because the bars will set up in the pan as they cool. A toothpick test may or may not work because there’s so much chocolate in them and I had to insert a toothpick in four different spots until I stopped hitting chocolate and struck dough. Not a horrible problem to have.
They have all the benefits and taste of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, but faster and easier. I love pans of bars because there’s no dough to chill or form into individual mounds. No mixer dishes to do, and nothing can accidentally spread out all over a cookie sheet since it’s baked a pan.
The flavor of peanut butter is distinct and present but not overwhelming and doesn’t overshadow the buttery, sweet dough. The edges raised up and puffed a bit while baking and turned chewy, yet the interior remained dense, tender, moist, and soft.
The chocolate chunks are beautiful surprises that you can sink your teeth into in every bite.
There are so many ways to doctor these up, from using browned butter rather than melted, or adding white, butterscotch or peanut butter chips. Sprinkle in a handful of marshmallows, M&Ms, or a favorite candy. The dough is ripe for add-ins.
Before serving, drizzle with chocolate, melted peanut butter or melted chocolate peanut butter. After the photos, I drizzled some Dark Rum Caramel Sauce over the top on a whim. Oh my, highly recommended and if only I gotten a picture. You’ll have to use your imagination or just make some for yourself.
Those center cut bites are my favorite. Under-baked, gooey, rich, and flanked with hunks of dark chocolate.
Even after writing a cookbook with 100 Peanut Butter Recipes I don’t think I’ll ever run out of ways to combine peanut butter and chocolate.
They’re my favorite food groups.
Pin This Recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars
All the flavor and texture of peanut butter-chocolate cookies, but much faster and easier. The batter comes together in minutes by hand and in one bowl. In under 30 minutes, from start to finish, you can be eating one of these bars. The peanut butter flavor is present, but doesn't overwhelm the buttery, sweet dough. The edges are chewy, and the interior remains dense, tender, moist, and soft. There's an abundance of chocolate in every bite, perfect for those who love pairing peanut butter and chocolate.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter heaping (like Jif or Skippy, do not use homemade)
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 6 1/2 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar, 54%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the egg. Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and stir vigorously to combine, for about 1 minute. Stir in the peanut butter. Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until center is just set and golden (a toothpick test should come out clean if you hit dough but because of the abundance of chocolate, hitting chocolate is more likely). Bars will firm up more in pan as they cool.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store extra bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Bars may be kept gluten-free by replacing the flour with your favorite gluten-free baking blend.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 7g
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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies – One of my favorite cookie recipes on my site. Chewy, filled with texture, and combines three of my favorite cookies in one – chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter. Very easy and fast, no mixer required
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Marshmallow Peanut Butter Double Chocolate Pillowtop Bars – One of my favorite desserts of 2011. Creamy, sweet, rich. A soft and sweet marshmallow-peanut butter top layer adorns a base of oats, sweetened condensed milk, and white chocolate. An all-time favorite
Special K Bars (no-bake) – The recipe is from my Grandma and one of my favorite bars of all time and ironically was the first picture Foodgawker ever accepted of mine. 280+ later, it’s fun to think back. The bars are chewy, peanut buttery and so easy
Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars – No need for campfires, make s’mores at home. These smores have three layers, including a cocoa-crispy cereal top layer that’s made with peanut butter
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares (No-Bake, Vegan, GF) – Dense, sweet, rich, chewy, packed with texture and so fast and easy
Homemade Peanut Butter (vegan if plain peanuts are used, GF) – Ready in 5 minutes and you’ll never want storebought again. It’s life-changing
Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter (vegan, GF) – Even though peanut butter doesn’t need doctoring up, adding a bag of chocolate chips doesn’t hurt. Ready in 5 minutes and so easy
What’s your favorite way to eat peanut butter and chocolate?
Recipes links welcome.
Thanks for the Barre Real Food Bars Giveaway entries
These bars are our favorite peanut butter recipe ever. Quick to make and bake. Next time we will be doubling the recipe since we ate the first batch in 1 day.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are your favorite peanut butter recipe ever! Wow! Glad to hear you’re going to double them and make another batch!
Just made these tonight for my coworkers tomorrow! They turned out lovely and I added in butterscotch chips! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I love butterscotch chips and bet they added a ton of great flavor!
These look fab!! Now I’ve never tried mixing peanut butter since I don’t have a mixer, so could you please guide me on how that works? PB looks sticky so does it mix smoothly in a few minutes or would I have to keep stirring for 10 mins? I’m kinda new to baking here. I think its finally time for me to try a peanut butter recipe of yours!
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://www.averiecooks.com/faq for answers to the most common questions.
I just made these  and followed directions exactly and they came out way underdone.  My daughter tried them and she said way to much chocolate and not enough peanut butter. There is no way I can cut  these so I put  them back in oven for a few more minutes, if not hard enough we will just scoop them in a bowl and put some vanilla ice cream on top.
All ovens vary and you have to judge baking time based on YOUR oven and climate, the pan used, the metal, etc. Putting them back in was a good thought to save them; but in general with baking, trust your gut and bake til done. And yes, they do have plenty of chocolate. You can always reduce it next time to your taste. Thanks for trying the recipe.
I have made this recipe so many times and always get rave reviews. However since I always make a double in a 9×13, I have struggled with the appropriate baking time. So I decided to check out the comment section. I see the previous person found 30 minutes was good. Have you tried a double batch? Thanks for such a wonderfully delicious recipe :)
I personally haven’t doubled this recipe because I bake every day something new for my blog and have a small family and don’t.need.big.batches. So I can’t help you but thanks for trying the recipe and glad it always gets rave reviews!
I made these for my husbands coworkers and got nothing but compliments! I made a double batch in a 9×13 pyrex and increased the baking time to 30 minutes. They came out great! Definitely going to try more of your chocolate and peanut butter recipes! Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that you looked like a superstar with your hubby and his coworkers! LMK if you try other recipes!
These look fantastic, but have you ever made them in cookie form not bar? And any adaptations to the recipe if so?
Thanks!
I haven’t made them as cookies but if you want a great chocolate PB cookie, I’d recommend these https://www.averiecooks.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
I made these the other night and they are amazing! Baked through perfectly, so soft, chewy, and moist! Instead of chocolate chunks, I put in milky way bites and m&ms– so good! Definitely needed to let it sit for the 30 minutes and though it was hard waiting it was definitely worth it! Thanks for this great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them and I love your idea of Milky Ways and M&Ms. Based on what you just wrote, you may like these too! https://www.averiecooks.com/loaded-mm-oreo-cookie-bars/
I made these a few nights ago and my husband and I both LOVED them! I will definitely be making them again. I may try slightly less sugar next time…but even if that doesn’t work I’d be happy to switch back to your recipe again :)
Dear Averie, i tried your peanut butter chocolate bars this weekend and they turned out great. I was quite sceptical while they were in the oven, but as you said, they have to sit another 30min after baking and then they are superdupergood. I used less sugar ( I just skipped the white sugar) and added some almonds for the crunchyness. Greetings from Germany!
So glad you enjoyed them and yes, they really do take some time to just rest and if you do that, they’re so good! Glad the little tweaks you made worked for you!
Do you know how many carbs are in these? If I missed it above, sorry. :)
Made these last night and they were perfect and so easy! Dangerously easy! My husband told me I should probably burn the recipe because he’s afraid we’ll make them too often. Luckily I can’t burn the internet. :-)
So glad you love them, Annie! And that they were perfect and dangerously easy. LOL to that comment your hubs made :)
I made these today and they did not turn out. I followed the directions except I used chocolate chips. I didn’t think that would make a difference. I baked for 22 minutes and my toothpick came out clean. I let them sit for 30 minutes. They looked really underdone but since the toothpick came out clean I let them go. When I took them out of the pan they just fell apart. I threw them out they were so raw. I decided to try one more time. Again they looked way underdone at 22 minutes. I added 5 minutes then 7 and then another 7. Finally I just took them out. They seemed to be done but the edges are now way overdone. Sorry. Didn’t work for me.
I’m sorry that you tried these twice. They are a very, very soft, gooey, moist bar – and never really get ‘hard’ but they’re firm enough to slice as you can see from my photos. That said, sounds like you were having a hard time getting them to firm up without the edges being overdone. In the future, you could reduce the amt of butter slightly, add slightly more flour, change brands of PB (I swear by old school Jif or Skippy when baking), or even reduce the amt of PB slightly. It’s a really simple bar recipe that I have based numerous others on with very good success but sorry they didn’t turn out for you. Maybe my suggestions will help if there is a next time.
These look so good! Can I ask why did you say not to use homemade peanut butter? I use natural, no-stir peanut butter. Will that be okay?
In bars, natural/homemade pb could be okay; but in cookies, natural pb is too thin and runny and causes cookies to bake thin, flat, and spread. In bars, it’s a judgment call, but I made the recipe with Jif.
These look dense and delicious. Oh my, how I want one. Pinned.
Pinned these awhile ago and found while searching for a dessert to bring to a New Year’s eve party tonight. They are amazing!! Love that it’s one bowl. Crazy delicious! My family ate half the first batch so I had to make another. Thanks for a great recipe.
So happy that you’re pleased with them and that they were a hit with your family (and now you’re making a second batch for the party!). Have a great event and hope everyone likes them! Keep me posted!
I just made these with New York and Company White Chocolate Peanut Butter, and oh my god they are DIVINE! I left a batch of them for a friend whose brother just passed away. Perfect comfort food.
I am so sorry for the loss but if there’s anything that can be comforting, PB + Chocolate have a way of being just that. I bet with the white choc PB they were awesome! Thanks for LMK you tried them!
Do you think it would work if I double the recipe and put it in a 13×8 pan? Would I need to adjust the baking time at all? I’ve made these before and everyone loved them! Thanks!
Fine to do just as you want. You may need to extend baking time a few mins, maybe not – just keep an eye on them and bake until they’re done. Glad you love these!!
Made these tonight with half brown butter, half melted butter, and two heaping handfuls of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Now, I’m nursing a stomachache from sneaking so many bites of the squares!
Great recipe again, Averie! :)
So glad you love them – and that you made them with half/half melted/browned butter. Sounds wonderful – almost good enough to get a tummy ache over :)
Hi, Averie! I’m a first-time commenter on your blog, but a longtime admirer : ) I recently entered the food blogging world and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out! I think I used a bit too much flour this time around, but I’m sure that next time, they’ll be perfect! Thanks for the great recipes and beautiful photos!
http://foodieandfabulous.blogspot.com/2013/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-cookie.html#more
Hi Esther! Thanks for trying the recipe. I took a peek at your pics. I think baking by a couple minutes less; adding a nice HEAPING half-cup of PB (an extra dollop from what you used); reducing the flour slightly – any of those things or a combination of them, would combat any sort of dryness issues but they look pretty darn wonderful to me :)
Made these last night and they are SO.DARN.GOOD. I had a fleeting thought that I should have cooked longer (they were extra gooey!) and that there was maybe too much chocolate (WHAT?!), but I was just too impatient to let them cool long enough to firm up! Can you blame me? Turns out they are a fantastic breakfast bar, too! ;)
So glad to hear that you made these and are loving them! They do make a good breakfast or snack bar…choc & PB never fails there :) And sounds like you cooked them the perfect amount of time if you’re super pleased with them!
Oh, Averie–I love having your blog to come back to after a long vacation! These look absolutely divine–PB&chocolate are my favorite combo when baked into something like this (and maybe even smothered in jelly or cookie butter)!
Well welcome back! :)
By the time I scrolled through to this point of the page…I’ve started drooling! :D They all look so good…I can’t decide where to start! Great photos too!
Wow, check out these bars. They look like fudge but I’m glad to hear they are cookie bars, I’m not a huge fan of fudge. I bet they would be lovely with almond butter too! Pinned!
Thanks for the pin!
I adore cookie bars, especially with those gorgeous chocolate chunks!
It drives me nuts when I have fruit or caramel or something in a baked good and keep hitting it with a toothpick during testing. It’s like is it done is it not. As much as I bake, I still get butterflies when taking something out of the oven wondering if it’s done or not.
If I wasn’t taking pics of it, I wouldn’t care if it was pretty to very underbaked…which is just the way I like things :) I push the envelope with my stuff now but I hate dried out and overcooked food!
Those big chocolate chunks–oh my goodness! If I made these for myself, I have a feeling I’d eat the whole pan…
Which is why I always bake in 8×8’s :)
Sooooo, I’m buying your book as we speak because 1) I love you and am proud of you; and 2) I am obsessed with everything peanut buttery you make. The second either peanut butter or coconut goes into one of your recipes, I know it’s gonna be good. These bars are incredible!
Aww, thanks, Hayley! I am so proud of you too! xoxo
Averie, I’m the same way with parchment paper…I’ll reuse it for things like the chocolate. Anything to reduce the clean up time is always the best! These look absolutely sooooo divine! I love how the texture looks…just need them in my mouth right now!
My grandma and mom were such ‘savers’ that it wore off on me!
i love that you went with dense and easy…i love how perfectly dense they really do look…and thanks for the tip with chopping chocolate on parchment paper…i feel like duh. after wiping up those little chocolate crumbs that always are sadly wasted now no more tears :-) and ps can’t wait for your cookbook.
The parchment tip is going to save you so much time and hassle. And thanks for being excited about my book!
I do love a good peanut butter and chocolate cookie, these look fabulous! We would love to have you link them up with our Wednesday Link Party.
Hi there! These look delicious. I’ve read the recipe a few times and can’t seem to find the step where you add the peanut butter….do you melt the butterS (plural) together, or just the butter? Thanks!
“Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and stir vigorously to combine, for about 1 minute. Stir in the peanut butter. Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate.” – I updated that sentence to make it more clear…but just stir the PB in after you’ve melted the butter and whisked it together with the eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Thanks for the catch, that it wasn’t as clear as it could have been, and I hope you enjoy these! LMK if you try them!
Thank you for using choc chunks and not chips. I always like chunky ;)
I love using chunks. How they melt is so much more interesting than just using chips!
I am so excited about your cookbook! And I want an entire batch of these in my belly immediately.
Thanks, Jen! :)
Well I already knew that you are the queen of peanut butter, but you just keep wowing me. One of these bars and a glass of cold milk would make me a very happy girl.
Oh Averie, your peanut butter chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars look amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!
You hit my craving on the head for tonight! Im gonna have to make these.
LMK if you try them!
Mmm chocolate and peanut butter is my favorite! Definitely never gets old. I’m writing a whole magazine article on my love of the two flavors (and a ridiculous chocolate PB cake recipe), and I bet I could write a cookbook on it. Haha! Sooo good. These look phenomenal! Definitely trying…pinned.
What a fun article to write! And thanks for the pin!
Bar cookies are the way to go and these look so wonderful. Love the chocolate and peanut butter combo and those big chunks of chocolate have me drooling.
These bars look so yummy and delicious!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com
Averie, these look sooooo good! Is there a greater combination than peanut butter and chocolate? I think not.
PB & Jelly is good but I think PB & C wins :)
I was having a terrible day and decided to make these about an hour ago. Greatest decision ever!
I am so glad to hear that they turned your day around! Thanks for coming back to LMK you tried them!
i immediately knew these were yours when i saw them on foodgawker… they are literally making my mouth water.
i love your thought about using browned butter. i might just have to try that out! :)
Love that you were able to recognize them on FG :) Thanks for saying that!
I long for these bars now! I just became the GM at my work (2 pubs) and needless to say I have been super busy! And these bars look perfect for my schedule! Because some times you want a big ol hunk of cookie and do not have the time or energy to make 36 individual ones! These look great! I absolutely love how dense and moist they look, perfect to sink my teeth into! Maybe even re heat and top with ice cream!
Pans of bars are always what I prefer to make. For some reason, people like cookies and are drawn to them, but if I had my choice, bars are so much faster/easier and you still get the same texture benefits chewy edges/soft middles!
I love ALL of your chocolate and peanut butter recipes. These look super tasty!
I love how all your bars and cookies look fudgy – even when there’s no fudgy. Like they are super soft and delightful! I cannot wait for your cookbook!
keeping baking soda/powder out of bars is one way and making sure not to overcook is another way…b/c I hate a dry, airy, cakey bar…ick! lol
Wow! I have to say, your bars always look so perfect! Little squares of deliciousness! And you can never go wrong with PB and choc combo! And your book!! I can’t wait to get my hands one a copy!
I am convinced that peanut butter and chocolate make for theeee best combo!! :)
If it looks like it and does not consume much of time, it could not be better :)
They’re the best food groups :D
I love how simple and easy and GORGEOUSLY delicious these are!
As much as I love the challenge of a complicated recipe, nothing can replace the joy of a simple one bowl dessert. These bars looks fantastic, you can’t beat a peanut butter-chocolate bar!
Your cravings lead to very good things! Love how they’re bursting with chunks of chocolate! They look awesome, Averie!
I’m SO glad that you keep putting that thinking cap on, because I just LOVE the combinations that you keep coming up with, PB and chocolate wise! Seriously, these bars just look so dense and luscious – I can’t imagine anything better! FABULOUS recipe!
You’d think after a book of it, I’d be tapped. But I feel like I’m just getting started!
So long as there are food bloggers, there will always be a new way to combine chocolate & peanut butter – and these look particularly wonderful!
“as there are food bloggers, there will always be a new way to combine chocolate & peanut butter” — Amen :)
This right here is my mom’s recipe. I swear to you, it is identical, save the dark chocolate chunks. She’s a semi-sweet chip girl all the way, but otherwise, she could have written this. From the ease of mixing, to the instant gratification, to the lack of tons of dishes to clean.
Now I’m hungry.
Amazing how you can slice them so cleanly despite the chocolate chunks. I love those big chunks of chocolate and how dense and moist these look. Thanks for sharing the parchment tip. I’m always trying to clean out the chocolate stains from my cutting board.
You have to let them cool completely, like overnight and THEN you can slice choc chunks like that. And with a super sharp knife. If you try to do it before it’s set up again, it will melt and ooze. Which is fine but a different ‘look’ photographically. And the parchment tip – such a timesaver!
This looks so lovely!!
Your bars and cookies always look so perfect and SO delicious! I’m definitely going to get around to making some soon, and I’ll let you know when I do!
Check out those chocolate chunks of goodness! Love these bars!
These look killer, Averie! You amaze me with how much you get done. i seriously need a few lessons from you
YUM! Those look delicious. It’s so funny that we both made peanut butter bar cookies today!
And when I was writing my cookbook, I made something very close for the book that you made today!
Hey, I was given you a Blogaward.
Any easy recipe that calls for peanut butter and chocolate sounds amazing. I go through moods where I don’t feel like spending tons of time on baking. Or sometimes my schedule just won’t allow it. But lack of time should never mean lack of flavor. These look absolutely delicious. And your pictures are beautiful!
Thanks for the sweet comment, Elaine! And I totally agree….lack of time should never mean lack of flavor. As a busy working mom (right along with millions of others), making great food in a hurry is a must!
Averie, the texture of your baked goods is always spot on. Usually I would have to taste something to say that, but every time you can just seeee how the centers are perfectly just set, but still soft, and the tops are perfectly cooked. Gahhhh, I just want to sink my teeth into like 10 of those right now!
Thanks, Ari! It’s my goal to have my photography show that and I am glad it speaks the truth of how the bars REALLY are in person!
Our patience is on the same level. ;) Sometimes hauling out the stand mixer, ridiculously-long refrigeration times, and a sinkful of bowls is…ok — sometimes it’s not. I’m always on the look out for instant-gratification desserts, these bare look marvelous!
These are as close to instant-gratification as you can get without just dipping a spoon into the PB jar :)
PB and chocolate NEVER gets old or boring and a quick bar recipe is always a winner! As always, these look fabulous…big chunks of chocolate and a little gooey-ness. I love that tip about chopping chocolate on parchment paper–I always hate doing it on a cutting board too and I’m all for less messiness and convenience!
It’s going to really save you some time (and cleanup) b/c those particles just seem to grind in and embed into my cutting board but problem solved with the parchment!
Congrats on the book, that’s awesome! And these look just amazing!
Thanks, Christine, for your support!
Yet another reason I need to buy the TJ’s 54% dark chocolate bar! I absolutely love one-bowl desserts, and especially those that are prepped and baked in less than 30 minutes. This is a winning recipe, for sure!
Thanks, Eva! I always keep a stash of all chocolate types on hand, at all times. Woudn’t truly matter which % you use here; just go by your mood how dark you want to go!
I can’t wait to try these. I love Trader Joe’s also. That’s great advice about using parchment under the chocolate when chopping. I have had chocolate cling to the chopping board in the past.
Congrats on your book. It’s great for us peanut butter lovers and I think it would make a great gift.
Thanks for the congrats about my book and yes, for any PB lover it will be a book I’m sure they’d enjoy. The parchment is going to really save you some time (and cleanup) b/c those particles just seem to grind in and embed into my cutting board but problem solved with the parchment!
The queen of PB strikes again! All I know is that I am very thankful that I’m not allergic!
Queen of PB…lol :)
OH WOW! So thick and chocolaty … and peanut buttery!! Love it! I envy those that got to stuff their faces with these bars!
I envy those who got your pink macarons!
I love these bars! The chocolate chunks + the peanut Butter are so my thing!! I just added chocolate chunks to the cookies i posted today and am now hooked!!
Can’t wait to try these! Do you think I’d be able to substitute whole wheat flour instead? Or would that mess them up?
I think you’d be fine with WW. Maybe use slightly less, just b/c WW is typically more ‘absorbent’ and your dough could get a little on the dry side. But use your judgment when looking at the mixing bowl. LMK!
The fact that these go from cupboard to mouth in 30 minutes makes them dangerous!! But oh so worth it for that thick, chunky cookie bar! You know how much we love your PB + chocolate recipes around my house – will have to try this one next for sure!
a PB + Chocolate household is my fave kind!
My favourite way to eat peanut butter and chocolate is on a spoon. ;)
I could dive in and grab one!
Can we talk about how absolutely perfect these bars look?! And I love that they come together in one bowl!
You’re so sweet, Colleen! Thank you! And yes, one bowl is where it’s at!
These bars look great girl! So excited for your book :)
Thanks my friend!
xoxo
Whoa those are crazy dense and filled with so much peanut buttery awesomeness!!
So dense. Nothing dry or light and airy about these babies :)
Think you left out the chocolate in the recipe lol
It was listed in the instructions section rather than the ingredients section but I updated it – thanks!
All of these look delicious… and there are only a few more days for me without peanut butter! Yum!! :)
These look wonderful Averie! I love peanut butter cookies (in cookie or bar form!) any day of the week – this is the same exact recipe as my own soft & thick peanut butter cookies. But the bars have 1/4 cup more brown sugar and I cream the butter since melted butter doesn’t work well for me in cookie recipes, but it’s smart to melt it for bars. Making them into bars is something I haven’t done yet! You beat me to it. I agree, cookie bars are much easier to handle than cookies sometime.
It’s actually the same recipe I used in these. I reduced the flour by 1/4 cup to make up for the 1/2 c addition of PB, other than that, ratios are the same. I have to say I love a good bar recipe (or those muffin tin cookies) because you can use melted butter, dont have to wait for the dough to chill, it’s so much faster to slap it all in the pan…everything you and I both deal with every time we make cookies doesn’t have to happen with bars.
Oh and my standard blondie recipe is always 1 egg, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour for an 8×8 pan. I always use that formula in my head when I start playing with things, i.e. adding 1/2 c PB would mean I’d need about 1/4 c more flour, etc.
Methinks you and I would be fighting over the gooey center squares;)
Thankfully it’s an 8×8 pan and I cut them into 9, so everyone gets edges, and everyone gets the center portions. Except that 1 square in the center of the 9, total goo-fest :)