These peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie bars are one of those bakes that has people repeatedly cutting off small chunks until the entire pan has disappeared – usually in under 30 minutes.
They are that perfect blend of smooth peanut butter with chocolate and boast the texture just like that of a thick cookie, all without any chill time.
Any peanut butter will work, smooth or crunchy, although I do find the cheaper brands work better than the ‘natural’ stuff. That said, both provide a delightfully peanutty result.
For the chocolate, I opt for milk chocolate chips, but any kind of chopped chocolate will work. Peanut butter chocolate, white chocolate, or even dark chocolate will all add their own spin.
After they are baked you will want to let them set until entirely cool before slicing, otherwise they have a tendency to fall apart. I drizzle over some lightly melted peanut butter because I really love a drizzle effect, but this is obviously optional.
I am a big fan of that creamy, unnatural, full of random additives type of peanut butter. Adding that and some chocolate to a bake is a real guilty pleasure, and one that I have no intention of changing anytime soon.
The peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie bars are also fabulously transportable and easy to package, be that for teacher gifts, bake sales or even bringing to colleagues or friends who are under the weather – you’ll be sure to be met with some happy faces.
This is an easy bake that takes 10 minutes to prepare and is a really fun one for all the family to get involved in. And, it just takes 25 minutes to bake!
Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie bars
Serves 10
Ingredients
- 150g Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 100g Granulated Sugar
- 120g Light Brown Soft Sugar
- 1 Medium Free Range Egg
- 175g Smooth Peanut Butter
- 250g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 200g Milk Chocolate Chips
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Line an 8 inch square baking tin.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and both sugars on high for about 3 minutes – until fully creamed together. Add the egg and peanut butter and mix again. It should be creamy but thick!
- Add in the flour and baking soda and fold together. Add chocolate chips and mix again.
- Press into the lined tin and bake 20-25 minutes. The top should look solid and slightly puffed up! Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
- Optional: Drizzle over some melted peanut butter/chocolate for decoration
Check out our bank of recipes, or you can get more baking inspiration from Florence’s website or Instagram page.
Florence Stanton is a baking Instagrammer and blogger from Aberdeen.