Gooey Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

These gooey peanut butter cookie bars practically sell themselves on name alone. Chocolate chip cookie dough—spruced up with a bit of rich, savory peanut butter—transforms into handheld dessert bars when baked. There’s a layer of sweetened condensed milk trailing in between, creating the ultimate indulgent, irresistibly gooey bite. With all that going on, they’re thankfully not complicated to make. In fact, this is one of those easy dessert recipes (made with pantry ingredients, no less) for new bakers that will impress the masses.

Ingredients for Gooey Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

• Butter: Soften the butter to room temperature so it beats seamlessly with the peanut butter and sugars. To soften butter quickly, shred it with a cheese grater. The smaller pieces will come to room temperature much more quickly than a solid bar.
• Peanut butter: We didn’t hold back on the peanut butter flavor here. Since it’s such a prominent ingredient, I recommend you buy your favorite peanut butter brand. Look for a no-stir variety, as natural peanut butter tends to separate.
• Sugars: We use both brown sugar and granulated sugar to make the cookie layers as close in flavor to chocolate chip cookies as possible.
• Eggs: Bring the eggs to room temperature so they blend into the batter better. Take them out of the fridge about 30 to 60 minutes before starting, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
• All-purpose flour: Want tender, chewy bars instead of dense, dry ones? You need to measure the flour properly. In other words, no more sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag.
• Chocolate chips: While traditional chocolate chip cookies are made with semisweet chips, we’ve opted for dark chocolate chips in this recipe. Their bitter flavor offsets the sugary sweetened condensed milk beautifully for a balanced flavor.
• Sweetened condensed milk: When reaching for a can, make sure to read the label. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally grabbed evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk, or vice versa. They’re not the same product, and you’ll have to make a trip back to the store.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cookie dough

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, and mix well.

Step 2: Press the dough into a pan

With wet hands, press half the cookie dough into a foil-lined 13×9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle it with the chocolate chips.

Step 3: Add the sweetened condensed milk and the second layer of cookie dough

Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the dark chocolate chips, making sure to reach the corners, too. Using wet or greased hands, press the remaining half of the cookie dough over the top of the sweetened condensed milk.

Step 4: Bake the cookie bars

Bake the gooey peanut butter cookie bars until they’re golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack. Cut them into bars to serve.

Recipe Variations

• Try another baking chip: No need to stick to dark chocolate here. Instead, feel free to use semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate, or even baking chips like butterscotch or cinnamon.
• Include Reese’s: Up the chocolate-peanut butter flavor with chopped Reese’s or mini peanut butter cups. Scatter them all over the bars just before baking.
• Add more texture: Think of the cookie layers as if they’re chocolate chip cookies. Really, any mix-ins can go into the dough. Try nuts, crushed pretzels, dried fruit, shredded coconut, potato chips or candy bars.

How to Store Gooey Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Once the gooey peanut butter cookie bars cool to room temperature, wrap them in their pan with storage wrap or transfer slices to an airtight container. Store the bars at room temperature for up to three days, or in the fridge for five days.

Can you freeze gooey peanut butter cookie bars?

Yes, you can freeze gooey peanut butter cookie bars. Once the bars have cooled completely to room temperature, wrap the pan in storage wrap and aluminum foil for protection against freezer burn. Or, transfer slices to a freezer-safe airtight container. The bars can be frozen for up to two months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours.

Gooey Peanut Butter Cookie Bars Tips

Can you make gluten-free gooey peanut butter cookie bars? What about dairy-free?

Yes, you can make gooey peanut butter cookie bars gluten free or dairy free. To make gluten-free bars, substitute a gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour, then double-check that all other packaged ingredients are certified gluten free.

For a dairy-free version, use vegan butter instead of regular butter, and find a dairy-free sweetened condensed milk made from coconut milk. If you’re using gluten-free flour here, make sure there isn’t milk powder in the blend.

Can you bake gooey peanut butter cookie bars in a different-sized pan?

Yes, you can bake gooey peanut butter cookie bars in a different-sized pan. Instead of a 13×9-inch baking pan, bake the bars in two 8-inch square pans. Don’t try to fit everything in one pan that’s smaller than a 13×9-inch pan, though, or the cookie layers won’t bake through entirely.