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Get your peanut butter fix with this peanut butter cookie bars recipe! It’s a triple threat with peanut butter chips, chopped Butterfingers, and chocolate chips baked into every bite. They are soft, chewy, and irresistible!
Are you looking for a peanut butter cookie bar that just SCREAMS peanut butter? Introducing triple threat peanut butter cookie bars – you start with the best peanut butter cookie bar and add peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, AND Butterfingers. If you are a PB fan, you will love these!
Why We Love These Cookie Bars
These cookie bars are the BEST. They start with a gooey peanut butter cookie bar (made with 100% brown sugar, like my favorite blondies) which is based on my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe.
I added a ton of peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and chopped Butterfinger candy bars to take these to the next triple threat level.
The texture is perfection. Soft and chewy – just the way a peanut butter cookie bar should be. I’m sharing all the tips, so they turn out perfect for you, too.
Jordan and I love these bars, and even Mel loves them! Maybe I should have named them triple-win cookie bars – no one can resist them!
How to make Loaded Peanut Butter Cookie Bars Video
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Softened unsalted butter: if you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe
Peanut butter: it’s best to use a no-stir peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. Use creamy or crunchy!
Brown sugar: just brown sugar in these and it keeps them super soft.
Large Egg, Vanilla, Salt: for structure and flavor.
Milk: this is my secret peanut butter cookie ingredient!
Baking soda: A must for cookies
All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure it correctly
Mix-ins: Peanut butter chips, chopped Butterfingers, chocolate chips, and really anything you like (see variations below).
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
1. Prepare your pan: Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Leave extra foil over the edges to make it easy to lift the bars out in one piece after they’re baked.
2. Cream: In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add the sugar and cream the mixture until well combined and smooth.
3. Mix: Add the egg, vanilla, milk, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the flour and mix until combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and candy bar pieces.
4. Bake: Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool the bars completely before slicing and serving.
Tips for the Best Triple Threat Bars
- For Thicker Bars: Bake the bars in a 9×9” baking dish you want thicker cookie bars.
- Measuring: Accurate measuring is so crucial for this recipe! So, be sure to pack the brown sugar in the measuring cup and measure the flour using the spoon and level method. Too much flour will make your cookie bars tough.
- Mixing: For the best result, be sure to use softened butter. It’s key for getting the right texture and will make mixing easier. Softened butter won’t create lumps in the dough.
- Baking: Overbaking the bars will make them hard instead of soft and chewy. The first time you make them keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven once the edges are golden. The baking time in the recipe is just an estimate – always check early, especially the first time you make them.
- Cooling and Storage: The bars will set as they cool, so wait to slice them until they are thoroughly cooled. Be sure to store them in an airtight container – they should keep well at room temperature for a few days. You can also freeze them for up to a month.
Recipe Variations
The best part about this recipe is that you make the “triple threat” part whatever you like best!
We love peanut butter, candy bars, and chocolate but feel free to use your favorite add-ins to create your own cookie bar. Here are some suggestions to switch up this peanut butter cookie bars recipe:
- Any chopped candy bar you like should work – peanut butter cups, snickers, Heath bars, Almond Joys are just a few ideas.
- Add some nuts – chopped walnuts, almonds, and peanuts are all excellent choices.
- Switch up the chips – use different kinds of chocolate chips or try white chocolate, butterscotch, or other baking chips that you like.
- Make these LOADED Peanut Butter Cookie Bars by adding up to 3 cups of a mixture of mix-ins – I love cleaning out my pantry and making these cookie bars.
FAQ
Yes – easily. I prefer this recipe as bars to my normal peanut butter cookie recipe but either one works.
A 9×13-inch pan is best – it makes a nice size bar.
Store these in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Yes you can – just freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Bar Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars
- Funfetti Cookie Fudge Bars
- Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Gooey Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
Triple Threat Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- ¾ cup (200g) peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, use a no-stir brand)
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1 cup chopped Butterfingers pieces
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Beat butter and peanut butter until smooth with a hand or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). Add brown sugar and cream until smooth. Mix in egg, vanilla, milk, salt, and baking soda. Slowly stir in flour until combined, then add both chips and candy pieces. Stir until combined.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with more chips and Butterfingers pieces, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing into bars.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month.
Recipe Notes
- Chips: chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, toffee bits
- Nuts
- Chopped Candy Bars
- Chopped Oreos
Recipe Nutrition
These Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are soft, chewy and everyone loves them! This recipe is a fun twist on your classic peanut butter cookie.
Those butterfinger bits sound amazing in here- also Target is totally amazing and terrible at the same time, I feel ya!
These look amazing, Dorothy! I know what you mean about Target, it’s like they spray some kind of spending-inducing-drug into the air and I suddenly remember that I need EVERYTHING;-)
YES!! I agree on that for sure.
The Sugar Mom, yep I can relate. Grape tomatoes and watermelon are nice and all but I’m totally in your camp with passing out desserts 🙂 When I go out to dinner with people, go on hair appts, etc. I whip out a half of a pan of brownies, cake, etc from my purse and am like HERE. And I want these bars! Glad Mel loved them!
LOL a cake from your purse. I can picture it. 😉
Holy peanut butter – this looks fantastic! Target is evil. You can’t leave that store without spending $100! 🙂
You were just lying to yourself if you thought you could clear Target without spending about $200. I never leave Target without spending that much. It’s a constant in my life. I never mean to…but there were some pretty maxi dresses there last week!
These are AMAZING. I want to hang out at the beach with you and get some of these!
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