Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars [RECIPE]

If you like Reese’s, you’re going to love our chewy, gooey chocolate peanut butter cookie bars. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

In our house, we love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Obviously we’re huge fans of Reese’s peanut butter cups, so this recipe takes that idea and runs with it. And why not? There’s just something so satisfying about the two ingredients blended together into one giant chewy, gooey cookie that we can’t resist serving these up all on their own, with a tall glass of milk, or even with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

PREP: 15 minutes
BAKE: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whole roasted salted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a whisk, stir ingredients together to combine, then gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts with a wooden spoon.
4. Divide the dough in half. Shape each portion into a long log on prepared baking sheet. Make each log stand as tall as you can so you get a chewier bar in the long run. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges are cooked and the center is just slightly underdone. The bars will be soft and puffy to the touch. DO NOT OVERBAKE!
5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on baking sheets. Slice each log into 8 to 10 bars. Store for 2 to 3 days at room temperature in a closed container, or freeze in a closed container for 4 to 5 months.

YIELDS: 20 cookie bars

Appetite

NOTE: This recipe is a variation on one from Karlynn Johnston’s book Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky: A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts from Appetite, © 2016.

Watch for my review of the book coming soon!