The Best Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Swirled Cookie Bars.
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Swirled Cookie Bars. Sweet, doughy, and buttery, filled with chocolate chips, and swirled with creamy peanut butter. If your day needs a sweet, chocolatey treat, you should be making these bars…because sometimes all you need to brighten your day is a really good cookie!
You’ve probably guessed by now, but for whatever reason I am into baking at the moment. All summer long I’ve been baking up fresh fruit desserts (hello to this blueberry buckle, this peach cake, these raspberry bars, and this galette). But with school starting up again this week (Asher’s first day is Thursday), and feelings of fall beginning to settle in, I’m left craving some more classic recipes that remind me of being a kid.
Sooo. Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
I’ve said this one times too many here on HBH, but when my brothers and I were kids my mom would make homemade cookies at least twice a week. We’d come home from school to cookie dough, eat some, and then help her bake fresh cookies. She’d always make a batch and half to ensure that there was enough dough to fill a 9×13 inch Pyrex pan with extra dough for eating.
She’s a smart thinker.
Honestly, baking cookies with my brothers and my mom are some of my best memories from growing up and it’s always so comforting to be reminded of them. It seems every single year that late August rolls around I love digging back up these memories. Do you guys ever do this? It’s kind of fun to feel like a nine-year old kid again, even if it’s only for five minutes while you stand over the mixing bowl and shovel in spoonfuls of homemade cookie dough…
Anyway, I’ve been really excited to share this recipe with you today. It’s one that has been requested over and over by friends, family, and you guys, so I’m glad to finally be sharing. Because let’s be real, the combo of chocolate and peanut butter is pretty unbeatable.
Let’s talk details.
It was really important to me that I keep this recipe as simple and classic as possible. There is a time and place for over the top desserts with crazy flavors and things, but sometimes you just need a good cookie bar. One with classic flavors, a doughy center, too many chocolate chips, and a ripple of peanut butter running throughout.
That is these bars.
I used my mom’s base recipe for the cookie dough, which I do believe is the very same recipe that’s listed on the back of the Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. I think the only changes mom made was reducing the sugar and adding more chocolate chips.
My addition? Salted butter, which I swear is the secret to giving baked goods that extra special touch. If you haven’t tried it, you have to bake with salted butter. You have to.
And now that I think of it, I am 99.9 % sure my mom always bakes with salted butter too, and her desserts are nothing short of perfect. So bake with salted butter. You’re going to love it.
Moving on.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add your eggs, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Stir in lots of chocolate chips. You could also use dark chocolate chips, but then if you’re making cookie bars why not make them really good…
Hint, hint. Use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Snack on some dough (only use pasteurized eggs and toasted flour). Then spread the dough in a baking dish. Dollop with peanut butter and add the remaining dough. Bake, smell the deliciousness coming from your oven. Wait (impatiently) for twenty minutes, find some cold milk, grab a fork and eat hot cookies, right out of the pan because it’s Tuesday and summer is coming to an end soon, and sometimes in life, you just need to live a little.
Today is a good day to live a little.
Eat hot cookies with a glass of cold milk and enjoy every last moment of it.
Very dramatic aren’t I? But really, did I sell you? Pretty sure as my mom reads this that she’ll be hopping up from her computer, calling for Asher, and running to the kitchen to find herself some butter, sugar, eggs, flour, chocolate chips, and peanut butter.
Hoping you all have the same reaction, because like I said, sometimes you just have to do what sounds so amazingly good and comforting. Eat cookies now…have salad for dinner (new salad recipe coming Thursday!). And maybe even a smoothie for breakfast.
Balance, it’s all about balance.
And with that, enjoy your Tuesday…and make cookies!
If you make these chocolate chip peanut butter swirled cookie bars, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make these cookies, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
The Best Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Swirled Cookie Bars
Sweet, doughy, buttery, filled with chocolate chips, and swirled with creamy peanut butter. Sometimes all you need is a really good cookie!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
-
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined and creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour, and baking soda, beat until combined. Stir in the the chocolate chips.
3. Spread 1/2 the dough out in the prepared dish. Dollop and then gently swirl the peanut butter into the dough. Add the remaining dough overtop, don't worry if the dough doesn't fully cover the peanut butter. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool and then cut into bars. Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
*If you don't have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in place of the salted butter.
Our Favorite Recipes
3 Cheese Zucchini “Ravioli” with Roasted Tomato Basil Sauce.
Oh my goodness-gracious-nomness – YESSSS to these!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you Rebecca!
hey girl- these bars look so yummy!
Thank you Shawnna!
If we don’t have salted butter, how much salt should we add to the recipe? Thanks!
Oh, Teigan! What would we do without chocolate and peanut butter? This is moving to top of my list for “must make” !
LOVE THAT! I hope you enjoy this recipe Melinda! Thank you!
Looks delicious! If I used white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose, would I use a 1:1 swap? And how do you think it will change the final texture of the bars?
HI! Yes, a 1:1 swap will be fine. The cookies will be more dense with the whole wheat flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
The cookies will be more dense with the whole wheat flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
This looks great! If I used white whole wheat flour instead of the ap, how do you think it will affect the bars (if at all)?
The cookies will be more dense with the whole wheat flour and dryer. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
I love how the peanut butter is swirled into these bars! My mom always made “pan cookies” as we called them in a 9×13 pan too instead of making cookies…we loved how gooey they were that way! Plus even simpler than making individual cookies.
Thank you so much Brittany!
3/4 cups PB?
Hi Lisa! Yes, 3/4 cup peanut butter! I hope you love this!
I think chocolate chip cookies make the best kind of food memories. Growing up, my grandma lived with my brother, Dad and me and used to bake chocolate chip cookies once a week. When she passed away 2 years ago, I had kids I went to elementary and middle school with telling me that they still remembered her cookies all these years later. These peanut butter swirled cookie bars are a definite must-make!
Oh wow! That is so amazing and I am so glad you can remember her by that! I hope you love these cookie bars Lauren!
I am sorry , but I cook with Unsalted Butter , I have a cookbook that the author uses only Unsalted Butter , and EVERYTHING is DIVINE . I have other recipes that use and recommend ONLY using Unsalted Butter , I have use Salted Butter and they do not taste right in my opinion . I would like to know why you think it is better . I have been cooking for Forty-Six years.
HI Mary, as I talked about in my post, I like the additional salt that the butter provides. I find it leaves baked goods with an extra special touch that is delicious. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
I always use salted butter too! I never tell my husband because he pretends he doesn’t eat salt haha! Excited to try your cookie bars, end of seasons truly are nostalgic. Cheers!
Its the best! Thank you Christina!
Absolutely wonderful! I agree with your salted butter philosophy. I never use anything else. What’s the point? You might as well use lard. This is a terrific recipe. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much Elizabeth! I am so glad you like this and hope you try it!
From the looks of it, this recipe might become one of my go-to’s for any festive occasion. They are amazing! Thank you for sharing them!
Just to be sure, though, do I understand correctly that two sticks of butter amount to one cup in total?
Hi Inge! Yes, that is correct! I hope you love this!
And to think I’ve been using unsalted butter all this time!! I’m def switching. These sound awesome, especially with that swirl of peanut butter. Sometimes, a cookie bar is just what you need to feel good again 🙂
Thank you so much Danielle! I hope you try this!
Can these bars be frozen. I’m gettingmarried I. 5 weeks I’m from Pittsburgh area so I need some good fast freezable cookie recipes
HI! I have not tried freezing these, but I am sure they will freeze fine. Congrats on getting married! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
I so so so agree! The idea that unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt is not a good reason. Salted butter has never made something too salty, you just have to be smart about adding any more than that.
Thank you so much Ashley!
My Mom has always baked with salted butter and I do too. I agree, it is the best for baking!
Yes! Thank you Lauren!
I’m 100 percent with you on salted butter. I feel like it brings out the buttery flavor, and that’s never a bad thing as far as I’m concerned. Team Salted Butter all the way.
Haha love that! Thank you Amanda!
Hey Teighan! I’m making this right now with my 6 year old daughter. Wanted to ask if you’d clarify how packed the brown sugar should be. I’m just going to pack it gently this time around, but have noticed you generally don’t note whether brown sugar is loosely poured or packed. Thanks!
HI Renee! I just like to loosely pack brown sugar. So sorry, I will clarify that in the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
How do you know when the cookie is cooked?
The edges should be browned and set the center should no longer be wiggly, but just a little on the doughy side. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
SOOO YUMMY!!!
Worthy of my 1st Insta post since June 2nd?
YES! I am so glad you loved this Kristy! Thank you!
Made these yummy bars today! Thank you for the recipe. I had to adjust baking time, baked for about 32 min.
I am so glad you liked them! Thank you JoAnna!
These are so good! Most went into the freezer for next weekend’s party. The rest are my husband’s lunch box treat this week. Everyone will be happy with these bars! Thanks for the recipe,!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Fran!
Your gorgeous pic of these choco chip peanut butter bars popped up on my Instagram story feed. You saved my cravings. I’m currently devouring these in the most unattractive way possible. Texture and taste hit the spot! And I’m so glad I’m not the only one who uses salted butter! Loveeeeeeee!
That is so amazing! I am so glad you are loving these cookie bars, Nam! Thank you!
I baked these 2-3 minutes less than instructed. Dry, dry, dry. Even with the worlds biggest glass of milk/ still dry. No worries tho, still love your recipes and photos.
Maybe a little oil would improve moistness?
HI, did you do anything differently to the recipe? These should be dry in anyway. Hope I can help problem solve for you! Thanks so much! x Tieghan
This recipe was really easy to put together. I wish there was a tiny bit more dough – or next time I’ll use a smaller baking dish. By only using half the dough, the bottom layer didn’t quite make it to the edge of the pan and the bars came out quite thin.
Hi Hilary! I am glad you liked these and hope you love them even more the next time you try them! Thank you!
Hi Tieghan – Just found your site a couple of weeks ago and made two recipes of this tonight – one for my office and one for my husband’s … he swears he’s stopping for a gallon of milk on the way in after taste-testing a corner tonight! I’m debating trying another recipe this weekend for neighbors, trying it with fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter. I thought the salty of the regular peanut butter would be best, but now I think either would be yummy. Thank you! I look forward to enjoying many more recipes. Wonderful photography as well – you are doing a phenomenal job with this blog.
I am so glad you loved these Bonnie! Thank you so much! You are so sweet!
These were great! Moist and delicious, everyone loved them
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Cassandra!
Well.. I made this for my family and it was a HUGE HIT! so much so that they requested I make this every family gathering. These cookie bars are THE BEST! thank you for coming up with this recipe!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Jessica!
These cookie bars look like a dream, I love the peanut butter swirl!
Thank you so much Laura!
I love peanut butter, but I’ve never seen a recipe as delicious as this … I’ll try it here. Thank you!
Thank you!
I have to tell you, I made these for my chocolate-loving 3-year-old nephew, who gobbled them right up! When I was leaving, he asked me when I’d come visit again and if I’d make him some more bars. I’d say they were a hit – hahaha!
Thank you so much Brie!
I made them last night and I swear I followed the recipe to a tee lol … they LOOK great, but for some reason mine just taste like flour! Now, I checked the flour.. and it’s all purpose original flour but it expired in June… is that why? Lol
Hey Kelly! Hmm, this is so weird. No idea why these would just taste like flour. I would not think it is from the expired flour, but I would try a fresh flour and see if that works well for you! Fingers crossed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe the second time around Thanks so much! xTieghan
Second time I’ve made these in a week and a half ???
Thank you Shannon!
Hi Tieghan,
I usually don’t comment on blogs, but I must say that your passion and creativity is so inspiring! Your recipes are stunningly beautiful and sound incredibly delicious! How are you so darn fit and trim with all of the wonderful food that you make? It seem as though you have found your passion in life with your blog, books, and media appearances; may you continue to be happy and healthy with all of your endeavors; I will be trying out some of your recipes very soon; I’m eyeballing the heirloom tomato galette for a party appetizer, amongst other tempting recipes. Your family life seems so idyllic and warm; your mom and dad did quite well raising you! Continued success!
Hi Susie! Thank you for choosing to comment on mine, that means so much! I believe I have found my passion and I am so grateful that I was raised by two loving and amazing parents! Thank you so much for this, Susie. I hope you have a great week!
Just try this recipe…. One of the most delicious thing in the world. I’m a big fan of the PB and chocolate combination and this cookie bars got everything right. The salted butter really brings something. My whole family loves it, so much that there’s no more left !!
I am so glad you love these bars! Thank you Syrine!
These are SO good. It’s like the perfect chocolate chip cookie made into the best treat because the PB takes it over the top. We love these! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much for making them! I am so glad you loved this recipe Kelsi!
Ok these are UNREAL. I didn’t do the PB as I have friends with allergies but wow they are still amazing. SO much easier than doing tray after tray of cookies. Might even be better than cookies because the bar is way thicker, more chewy. 100% making these again!!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved these bars!!
Hi! I am excited to make these for New Years Eve! Question, can you use peanut butter chips in instead of peanut butter? I am thinking I could just sprinkle them in the same way you did with the peanut butter.. but I don’t know if it’ll get the same result. Thoughts?
Thank you in advance, and happy 2019!!
HI! I am sure peanut butter chips will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Excellent recipe. The dough is stiff putting it in the pan, but the back of the spoon helped a lot. I also added a tsp of powdered peanut butter to the batter…love PB. Thank you for the great recipe.
Yes!! And same.. its the best! I am so glad you loved these Marilyn! Thank you!
Has anyone tried this with gluten free flour ?
I am sorry, I have not tested with GF flour so I am unsure of the outcome. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this but they didn’t come out that great. In the recipe for flour is it 2 cups and then 1-4 cup or is it 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup? Also after they baked the middle was wiggley. Should it be like that? I wasn’t sure so I baked them longer.
Hi Susan, you need 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour. Is this what you used? The center should not be overly wiggly, but just set. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Excellent recipe! These are dangerously yummy.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
These bars look absolutely delicious, so I decided to make them for a little party tonight. I followed the recipe, and I didn’t have any problems until the actual baking part. I tried spreading half the batter to cover the pan, but that amount didn’t come close to covering the bottom. I ended up using about 3/4 of the batter to cover the bottom, but that wasn’t even the real issue. The problem was when I tried taking out the pan – after 22 minutes, none of the batter except for the edges looked like it had even started to cook. I left them in a little bit longer, but didn’t want to overcook them, so I took them out when it looked like it may have finally set. I thought letting it cool and harden would also solidify the pan if any of the batter was slightly under baked. About an hour and a half later, I just tried cutting into it – completely runny and uncooked. I don’t know if I can salvage this, but I definitely do NOT RECOMMEND based on your current instructions.
Hey Maura, I am sorry you had trouble with this recipe. It is extremely hard to know what is happening without knowing exactly how you made this recipe. I will say that the dough does not need to cover the entire bottom of the pan before adding the peanut butter, so I am thinking you made the bottom layer too thick.
Also, What brand peanut butter are you using? Have you checked the temp of oven to make sure it is accurate? Most people who have made these bars really love them and don’t have any trouble, so any info you can provide me with would be helpful to problem solve for you. Again, so sorry you had trouble.
I made this with ancient grain Einkorn flour with packed measuring and had to bake them quite a bit longer..but they were ridiculously delicious.
Thank you so much Nicole! xTieghan
I LOVE this recipe! Do you have any suggestions on making it gluten free? Thanks so much!
Hi there! I am not very familiar with GF backing, but you can try to use a GF flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill (which is my favorite blend). That said, I do not know what the outcome will be as I have not tested this. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Could I swap tahini for the peanut butter? I know tahini is thinner, so perhaps I’d need to thicken with cornstarch? Thanks!
Hey Meg! I think tahini will be so delicious! It might be a bit more runny, but I think it will still be just fine. I would not add cornstarch. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love the concept and flavor combination but had a little trouble with these being underdone with the recommended time. I baked them for 22 min and even added on a few extra minutes, pulling them out when the edges were browned and crisp but still a little wiggly though most of the center. They weren’t exactly runny but were undercooked when we went to eat them a few hours later. I put them back in the oven for another 22 minutes and they are better, but wondering if the PB made a difference? I used natural PB with flax (Teddy’s), which tends to be on the oily side. Could that be the explanation? They were still edible and delicious, just not the consistency I was expecting. I will try again with something like Jiff next time around!
Hey Corynne,
Yes, I think the peanut butter was the issue. It sounds like the oil in the peanut butter created excess moisture in the cookies causing them to not bake properly. I would recommend a non-oily peanut butter…like Jiff! 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I used to make chocolate chip cookies when I was younger and I used salted butter only. They were raved about and requested for years. My mom corrected me after a few years when she found out I was using salted butter and told me to only use unsalted butter and I listened because well, she’s my mom, lol. They just weren’t the same and I figured I’d just lost my magic touch with them. I feel so validated with your post about using salted butter in baked goods and will be making these cookie bars this weekend. With salted butter.
Yes I love using salted butter! I think they just turn out so well! I hope you love these bars Laurel! Let me know how they turn out for you! xTieghan
A peanut allergy is the despair OF MY LIFE. Do you think these would work with cashew butter? Or what about something like Nutella? Thanks so much!
Hi Juliette! Cashew or almond butter…OR nutella would all be SO GOOD in these cookies. YUMM! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
My bars took longer than 25 min..I bet to say it was more like35-40 min! I can only guess it was bwcause I baked them in a heavy ceramic dish. They were def worth the wait. .thank you & more recipes like this please!
So glad these turned out so amazing for you Mary! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these last week for our last summer weekend at our lake house- they were a HIT! People were hiding the bars so that they could eat the last one. So light and fluffy, then a salty bite of peanut butter. YUM! Thanks for sharing this super easy and delicious recipe 🙂
Haha wow that is so amazing! So glad these turned out so well! xTieghan
Cannot get enough of these! Have made them every week since discovering the recipe 5 weeks ago. They are the ONLY thing my husband wants me to bake. Have also substituted Nutella for the peanut butter – Yum!
Ooo love that! So glad this turned out so well for you Lis! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this recipe twice already and each time it was a great hit.
First time I followed the recipe exactly and it was little mushy in the middle (that didn’t bother us) Second time I baked the first layer for 7 min first then finished layering peanut butter and rest of the dough and baked another 20mint. It turd out evenly baked and yummy 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Thank you for trying this recipe Lenka! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These bar cookies are fabulous! Especially warm from the oven. I followed the recipe exactly. Mine took 22 minutes to bake. Highly recommended.
I love to hear that! Thank you for trying this Marie! xTieghan
I just moved to 3800 feet elevation; how do I adjust the recipe for this?
Hi Melanie! The recipe should work great for you as is! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Melanie! You do not need to adjust the recipe. I live at 9,000 feet and these turn our wonderful. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi, these look so so delicious!
I am wondering if I can use a 9×9 square pan since I do not have a 9×13?
Thanks!
Hi Emma! I would recommend cutting the recipe in half to best fix in the 9×9 inch pan. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Incredible!!! Such an easy recipe to whip up and is beyond delicious. They are still moist and yummy the next day and I even made a gluten free batch with almond flour that was also great. Highly recommend if you’re a peanut butter lover!
Thank you Sarah!! xTieghan
I made these for a thank you gift and also took some to work. Everyone loved them and wanted to know what they were called and what was in them. I will be making them again for my son who is leaving to go back to school. Highly recommend making these.
Thank you so much Wendy! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and your coworkers! xTieghan
Awesome! I added unsweetened shredded coconut to the PB layer and to the top of the 2nd cookie dough layer. I baked it until golden brown. It was still gooey. Super delicious!
Yum!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made these last night and they were delicious! I didn’t have salted butter, so adding salt, and ran into troubles with layering dough, peanut butter, dough. So, I improvised. They are delicious, not too sweet, hold their softness day two. Would absolutely recommend and will make again!
Thank you so much Katy! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Does “baking dish” refer to a glass dish or are you using a metal brownie pan? Just wondering because I don’t bake at the same temperature when using the two different types.
Hi Karen! I am referring to a glass dish! I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These bars are wonderful and so easy to make! This recipe is a keeper.
Thank you so much Maria! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
I followed this recipe to a T, but I’m at 29 mins in the oven and they are completely gooey in the center. I know all ovens cook differently but I can’t image they’ll be done until about 40 mins in the oven. I hope they end up tasting good!
I hope they do as well! Please let me know if there are any questions I can help with! xTieghan
These are to die for! I made them vegan and turned out amazing.
Thank you so much Nada! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Omg! Love these! This is the third recipe of yours I have made this week. During this “stay at home” times, your recipes and posts have been so helpful and needed! And I just placed an order for you book. Thank you!!!
Hi Angel! I am so glad you have been enjoying my recipes and blog! Thank you so much! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan
These are unreal! I can’t stop making them.
After a bunch of experimentation rounds (#quarantine2020), I recommend:
1. Chopping your own semi sweet chocolate bar (as opposed to using chips)
2. Browning the butter
3. Adding Oreos after the peanut butter layer
4. Using an 8×10 pan for thicccness (I increased baking time by a few mins, but obviously the goo factor is necessary)
Thank you so much! They’re divine!
Ah yes! I am so glad these ended up turning out so well for you, Anastasia! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these today for the first time, I followed the recipe exactly as written and baked in a glass 9X13 pan for exactly 21 minutes and they turned out perfectly. This is a stiff batter so (as you and some of the earlier commenters mentioned) I used the back of the wooden spoon (and my fingers) to press the first half of the dough into the bottom of the pan and just took my time as it spread. The 3/4 cup of peanut butter (I used JIf creamy) spread easily over the batter and then I dropped the remaining batter on in dollops and then pressed those together (a bit but not to be perfectly) to cover, as you also mentioned in the comments, and they turned out perfectly! Fun and delicious recipe thank you!
Hi Jolene! This is so amazing to hear! I am really glad this turned out so well for you and thank you for sharing some tips, I am sure they will be so helpful to others! xTieghan
I made these tonight and they ended up extremely gooey. The top is nice and crispy but everything else is gooey/doughy, including the bottoms. Very happy to eat warm gooey dough but not able to really cut them up into bars to pack up and share with friends as planned. What do you think was the issue for future? Didn’t cook long enough? I have a terrible oven so it’s likely to blame! Thanks xx
Hi Michelle! It sounds like they were not cooked long enough! Is there anything that went wrong before baking? Please let me know! xTieghan
Hi!
I am making this for the first time. Just wondering…am I reading the amount of chips as between 2 and 3 cups of chips? Of is it 2/3 cups of chips? Can’t wait to try!
Everything on your site looks amazing!
Janis
Hi Janis! It is 2-3 cups! My family loves there chocolate haha, but feel to lessen it if thats not for you! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I don’t have AP flour or baking soda, so could I use self rising flour instead?
Hi Kayla,
I haven’t tested this with self rising flour but think you could have success with this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
would it be okay to use Nutella instead of peanut butter? asking for a friend!
Hi Lily,
Yes that would be okay to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
You need consistency in measurements to get consistent results. Your “lightly packed” may be someone else’s “not packed at all,” etc. That’s why all recipes call for “firmly packed.” If you could take your “lightly packed” (which you have not corrected in the recipe yet” and firmly packed it, how much would that measure? It’s the only way I’ll be sure of getting the same amount of brown sugar as you used.
Hey Michelle, you need 2/3 cup packed brown sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’ve made this three times now, and I think it’s become my new go-to dessert! Lots of positive feedback from family and friends. I found it helpful to ditch 1/4 cup of flour (adding 2 cups total), which made my cookie bars a little more chewy and moist than on my first try. I also dropped in a couple scoops of extra peanut butter (duh), and I put parchment paper on the bottom of the 9×11 dish to make sure nothing got stuck. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for trying this one, Lauren! I am really glad it turned out well for you! xTieghan
i dont have any electrical mixers 🙁 can I hand mix it instead?
Hey Lily,
Yes that is totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These were delicious!!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you for trying this Melinda! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing!! My husband immediately claimed these his new favorite dessert! Absolutely loved them!
Thank you Jenna! xTieghan
Why didn’t the middle cook on the chocolate chip peanut butter swirled cookie bars? It was a beautiful color brown. The toothpick went in the center and came out what I thought was dry but The entire middle was like mush.
Hey Tina,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe. Was there anything you adjusted? I would bake longer:) I hope this helps! xTieghan
What kind of peanut butter do you use for these? Natural PB with just peanuts? Or PB with added sugar?
Hey Kayla,
Either one will work:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These are soooo good! The first layer was a little difficult spreading over the bottom of the pan because the dough is very thick but then I realized it didn’t matter that it wasn’t perfectly spread and it evened itself out as it baked. Two things I did differently; first I didn’t read the whole salted/unsalted butter controversary before I made these. 🙂 I think I may have used unsalted butter and secondly all I had was crunchy peanut butter. Still came out so yummy, perfect with a cup of hot tea or a glass of cold milk. New family favorite and going into the Christmas cookie gift boxes.
Hey Deborah,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this recipe a while back and LOVED it!! I used skippy pb and it was fantastic. I want to make it again but only have Justin’s on hand, would that work? Thanks!!
Hey Shelby,
I am thrilled you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Yes, that will work. Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
I made these with quite a few modifications but I thought my notes might be helpful to some. I used the recipe as a jumping off point and kind of made it my own. The original recipe is probably quite good but I can’t comment on that.
My daughter is allergic to eggs so I subbed in a scant 1/4 cup half and half for each egg. I also melted butter and then mixed with sugar. I subbed in 1/4 cup honey for 1/4 of granulated sugar (and put the remaining 1/4 granulated sugar in as well). I added a very ripe banana mushed up to the batter. I also mixed 1/3 cup peanut butter into the batter itself before adding flour and chocolate chips. I then followed the instructions for dough layered with peanut butter layer followed by dough on top and baked according to instructions with a few extra minutes added to make sure they were done. They came out quite good. They are slightly crumbly because of the lack of eggs but that is typical with all eggless baked goods. They were delicious and we all loved them and I plan to make them again. Thank you for the inspiration and the base recipe!
Hey Angela,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Wow! I made these and they blew my expectations out of the water! Yum yum yum!!!! I’m only slightly ashamed my husband and I devoured these in less than 2 days. I’m already looking for an excuse to make them again!!!!
Hey Meagan,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Made these today, so yummy! Mine came out on the cakier side but because I hadn’t made them before and didn’t know if I preferred them more chewy or cakey, I wasn’t super careful about measuring the baking soda (didn’t level it perfectly). The dough/batter spread and filled out my whole pan and they taste amazing! I’ll be making these again 🙂
Hey Molly Kate,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan