Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and packed with rich peanut butter flavor, with golden edges and an irresistibly gooey center. Made in one 8-inch pan with simple ingredients and no chilling or scooping, these easy peanut butter cookie bars have everything you love about classic peanut butter cookies with a fraction of the work. Add chocolate chips for the perfect peanut butter and chocolate combination, or leave them out for a classic peanut butter dessert.

• Soft and chewy: The centers stay thick and soft while the edges bake up beautifully golden.
• So much peanut butter flavor: With 1 ⅓ cups of peanut butter, these aren’t cookie bars that kind of taste like peanut butter. You get it in every bite.
• No chilling required: Mix the dough, press it into the pan, and bake. No waiting for cookie dough to chill.
• No scooping individual cookies: Everything bakes together in one 8-inch square pan, making these an easy dessert when you don’t feel like babysitting trays of cookies.
• Make them as gooey as you want: Pull them earlier for a softer, gooier center or bake them a little longer for firmer, crunchier edges.
• Chocolate chips are optional: Make classic peanut butter cookie bars or fold in chocolate chips for easy peanut butter chocolate chip bars.
• Easy to make gluten-free: A 1:1 gluten-free flour can be swapped for the all-purpose flour without changing the rest of the recipe.

• All-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour: Gives the peanut butter cookie bars their structure while keeping the centers thick and chewy.
• Brown sugar: Adds moisture and a deeper caramel-like sweetness that helps create that soft, chewy center.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness while helping the edges of the bars bake up lightly crisp and golden.
• Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the rich peanut butter flavor.
• Baking soda: Helps with browning and gives the bars that classic chewy cookie texture.
• Baking powder: Adds a little lift so the bars stay thick without becoming overly dense.
• Peanut butter: The main flavor of these bars. Creamy peanut butter gives you a smooth texture, while crunchy peanut butter adds little bits of peanut throughout.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and enhances the peanut butter and brown sugar flavors.
• Butter: Room-temperature butter creams with the sugars to create a soft, rich cookie bar.
• Egg: Binds the dough together and adds structure and richness.
• Chocolate chips: Completely optional, but perfect if you want peanut butter chocolate chip bars. Fold them into the dough just before it goes into the pan.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
• Add the room-temperature butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on high for about 5 minutes, until light and well combined.
• Add the egg, vanilla extract and peanut butter and mix until incorporated.
• Add the flour, kosher salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Don’t overmix.
• If using chocolate chips, fold 1 cup into the dough.
• Transfer the peanut butter cookie dough to the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. For gooier peanut butter cookie bars, remove them when the very center still has a slight jiggle. For firmer, crunchier bars, bake closer to the longer end of the baking time.
• Allow the bars to cool before slicing and serving.

• Don’t overbake them: This is the biggest tip for thick, chewy peanut butter cookie bars. If you want that gooey center, pull them while the middle still has a slight jiggle. They’ll continue cooking and setting from the heat of the pan.
• Use room-temperature butter: Softened butter creams much more evenly with the sugars and helps give the bars their chewy texture.
• Cream the butter and sugars for the full 5 minutes: It might feel like a long time, but don’t rush it. This incorporates air into the mixture and gives you a better finished texture.
• Don’t overmix the flour: Once the dry ingredients are added, mix only until you no longer see streaks of flour.
• Watch the center, not just the clock: Ovens vary, and there’s a big texture difference between 25 and 30 minutes with these bars. Use the golden top and slight center jiggle as your guide.
• Let them cool before slicing: The centers firm up considerably as the bars cool. Cutting them immediately will give you a much softer, messier square.
• Add extra chocolate chips on top: If you’re using chocolate chips, reserve a small handful and press them into the top before baking for those chocolate-filled tops.
• Finish with flaky salt: A little flaky salt on top balances the sweetness and is especially good when you add chocolate chips.

• Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Bars: Skip the chocolate chips and let the peanut butter be the star.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into the dough before baking.
• Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars: Use crunchy peanut butter for extra peanut texture throughout each bar.
• Extra Gooey Peanut Butter Bars: Bake toward the shorter end of the 25-30 minute range and remove them while the center still has a slight jiggle.
• Firmer Peanut Butter Bars: Bake closer to 30 minutes for a more set center and crunchier edges.

• tore completely cooled Peanut Butter Cookie Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you prefer them firmer or want to keep them a little longer, store them in the refrigerator.
• To freeze, allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. Place them in a freezer-safe container or bag with parchment paper between layers and freeze for up to 2 months.
• Thaw frozen peanut butter cookie bars at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
• For that warm, gooey, just-baked texture, pop an individual bar in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds before serving. If you added chocolate chips, they’ll get all melty again, which is exactly what we want.