Loaded Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

Written By Jessica Dickey

One of my favorite flavor combinations is peanut butter and chocolate, so naturally, I wanted to create a cookie bar with plenty of both! I love cookie bars because they have everything you love about a homemade cookie without the extra work of scooping and baking individual batches.

Loaded Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, softened

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

  • ½ cup peanut butter chip

  • 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

  3. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined.

  4. Beat in the egg and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.

  5. Add the flour mixture and mix until a thick dough forms.

  6. Fold in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and about ¾ cup of the chopped peanut butter cups.

  7. Transfer the dough to the prepared 9 × 13-inch pan and press it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chopped peanut butter cups over the top and gently press them into the dough.

  8. Bake for 25–30 minutes, checking for doneness around 25 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden, and the center should look set but still slightly soft. Avoid baking until the center is deeply golden, as this can cause the bars to become dry.

Makes 16 bars

Jessica Dickey