Peanut butter chocolate chip bars take just four ingredients and one pan to create a chewy and creamy center everyone craves.
Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: A chewy cookie base and a salty sweet peanut butter center is topped with buttery chocolate chip cookie crumbles.
- Skill Level: This beginner friendly recipe makes the perfect ‘first baking win’ for kids or less confident bakers.
- Time-Saver: Using refrigerated cookie dough means no electric mixer, no chilling, and no scooping for a quick and easy treat.
- Serving:
- Yield: Made in a 9×13 pan will produce about 24 small bars. Double the recipe and bake two pans for a big crowd or freeze some bars for later as a grab and go treat.
4 Simple Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Used to help the filling set into a fudgy layer. Whisk well into condensed milk.
- Refrigerated Cookie Dough: Use your favorite, and it does not need to be name brand.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is important for a chewy and creamy middle, so don’t leave it out.
- Peanut Butter: Use a creamy style like Skippy or Jif for the smoothest texture. Natural peanut butter tends to be too oily.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
I made these peanut butter cookie bars for a BBQ, and they were completely gone before I even had a chance to taste them!
- Spread the chocolate chip cookie dough base.
- Combine filling ingredients (full recipe below) and spread over the top.
- Drop chunks of cookie dough on the top of the peanut butter mixture and bake.
Keep Them Soft for Days
To Serve: Peanut butter chocolate chip bars are delicious when cooled completely and cut into neat squares. Or serve warm with ice cream or drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce.
To Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container, or at room temperature, for up to 5 days. Individually wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in a zippered or stasher bag with the date on it. Frozen bars are perfect for lunchboxes because by noon, these sweet treats will be ready to enjoy.
Reheat: Microwave a cooled or frozen bar for 8 to 10 seconds for a warm, fresh baked feel.
Build the Ultimate Dessert Tray
Did you make these chocolate chip peanut butter bars? Leave a comment and rating below.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (16.5 ounce) tubes refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or foil, and spray with a neutral flavored non stick spray.
- Press one roll of the cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together the condensed milk, peanut butter, and flour until well combined. Spread over the dough in the pan, leaving a small amount of dough showing around the edge.
- Break the second roll of cookie dough up into small crumbles and sprinkle over the peanut butter filling. Lightly press the dough into the filling. It will not completely cover the filling.
- Bake 20to 30 minutes, until browned on top and just barely set in the center. Cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.
Notes
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, but best enjoyed within about 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Looks delicious and I want to try these.
Thank you! Enjoy the bars Beth, they sure are delicious!
i have a 9 x 9 pan. how long to bake in this pan?
Hi Carol, I’ve only made this in a 9×13 pan. I’d think you’d need to bake up to about 5 minutes longer as the bars will be thicker. Enjoy!
What if you make your own cookie dough? Would you make 1 or 2 batches of dough? This looks really good.
Sorry I missed your question Pam. You’ll need about 2 pounds or so of cookie dough, so that’ll depend on the size of your cookie dough recipe. Each container of cookies makes about 15-16 regular sized cookies to give you an idea of the size. Hope that helps!