The bars are fast, easy, and a cinch to make. They come together by hand with just one bowl in minutes. There's a soft, chewy, dense and buttery cookie dough base before being topped with peanut butter cups. Creamy, rich, sweetened condensed milk coats the cookie dough and sends the peanut butter cups on a sweet, milky, luscious bath. Gooey and sticky, sweet and creamy, soft and chewy, chocolaty and peanut buttery, all in one.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Bars & Blondies
Cuisine: Dessert
Servings: 12
Calories: 331kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
½cupunsalted buttermelted (1 stick)
1large egg
¾cuplight brown sugarpacked
¼cupgranulated sugar
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour
½teaspoonbaking soda
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
1heaping cup mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cupsor diced full-size cups; or substitute with another type of diced candy bar such as Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfinger, Heath, Rolos
about 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milkjust slightly more than half of one standard 14-ounce can
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.
Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt and stir until just incorporated. Batter will be quite thick.
Reserve 1/2 cup batter; set aside. Turn remaining batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula.
Evenly sprinkle the peanut butter cups over the batter. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Using your fingers, lightly crumble the reserved cookie dough over the top in irregular, marble-sized chunks.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without cookie dough batter clinging; it may not be clean because you're going through other layers and you may have to peck around to find a testing place. Edges will be firm and golden. The sweetened condensed milk should nearly be set in all places, and possibly only a little jiggly in the very center of the pan. Bars will firm up more in pan as they cool.
Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. Expediting this by placing pan in the refrigerator is okay if you're in a hurry. Extra bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tip - Bars may be kept gluten-free by replacing the flour with your favorite gluten-free baking blend. Take care any ingredients used are suitable for your dietary needs.