Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

These peanut butter chocolate chip bars are soft, chewy, and loaded with creamy peanut butter and chocolate in every bite.

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This is the dessert I reach for when I need something fast and fuss free, because the whole batter comes together in one bowl and the pan goes straight into the oven. No mixer, no chilling, and no complicated steps.

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These bars come from a blondie base that has been used for more than 35 versions, and that is exactly why I trust it. The base is built to be easy to memorize because almost every amount is one.

You melt one stick of butter in one bowl, then stir in one egg, one cup of brown sugar, one tablespoon of vanilla, and one cup of flour.

This peanut butter version adds one cup of chocolate chips and a heaping 1/3 cup of peanut butter, which is the only number in the recipe that breaks the pattern.

I tested these on a hot summer afternoon in a kitchen with no air conditioning, and that is why my first photos show bars that look a little melty around the chocolate chips. Warm kitchens and soft butter do that. The bars still baked up beautifully, and the flavor was exactly what I wanted.

The texture is the whole point. These bars are soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and peanut buttery all at once. The melted butter and the peanut butter are what keep them moist, and they stay that way for days.

Chocolate shows up in every single bite, from the chips folded into the batter to the extra chips sprinkled across the top before baking.

I also love how forgiving this batter is. You are not creaming butter and sugar, you are not waiting for anything to chill, and you are not pulling out a stand mixer. One bowl, one whisk, and one spatula get the job done, which is why this is the recipe I hand to friends who tell me they cannot bake.

If you remember one, one, one, one, you already know most of this recipe by heart.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Ingredients

Here is everything you need for the batter and the chocolate topping.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 heaping cup peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons semi sweet chocolate chips, for sprinkling

Full step by step directions follow just below, and they take about ten minutes of hands on work.

How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Before you start, here is the quick overview so you know how the hour is spent.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray, then set it aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Wait a moment before adding the egg so you do not scramble it. Add the peanut butter, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla, then whisk until the mixture is smooth.
4. Add the flour and salt, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
6. Turn the batter out into the prepared pan and smooth the top lightly with a spatula.
7. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips evenly over the top and smooth lightly again.
8. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
9. Store the bars airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

One small confession: the photos I took of this batch were shot in Aruba on a very hot day, so the bars looked extra melty and glossy. That is the weather, not the recipe. In a normal kitchen they hold their shape beautifully once they have cooled.

Recipe Tips

A few small choices make a real difference here, and I learned most of them by baking batch after batch.

• Pan type: I used a metal 8×8 inch pan. Metal conducts heat better than glass, so a glass pan may change the bake time. Start checking early and trust the toothpick.
• Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all purpose flour. I cannot say how gluten free flour, whole wheat flour, or an egg replacer would behave, so I do not promise results there.
• Vanilla: The recipe uses 1 tablespoon, but you can scale it back to suit your taste. In my own baking I usually add at least 2 teaspoons to anything sweet because I love the flavor.
• Cooling: The full 30 minutes in the pan is not optional in my kitchen. Warm bars crumble when you cut them.

If your kitchen runs hot in summer, chill the shaped batter for a few minutes before baking and the chocolate chips will stay put instead of sliding. It is a small habit that makes the bars look neat without changing anything about the recipe itself.

What Readers Are Saying

Reader feedback is my favorite part of running this recipe, because the notes people leave tell me exactly which details matter most. A few comments have come up again and again.

One reader made the bars twice in two weeks, which is the highest compliment a dessert can get. She used 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract instead of the full tablespoon, and she made a point of stressing that the bars need to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving so the bottoms have time to cool and set.

Another reader simply said the bars came together quickly, which is exactly the goal here. If you are short on time and want something that still feels homemade, this is the recipe for that moment.

A reader who doubled the recipe for a 9×13 inch pan used a full cup of Jif peanut butter instead of the 2/3 cup the doubled batch would normally call for. She reported crispy edges with a rich, somewhat fudgy middle, which is a very good description of what extra peanut butter does to the texture.

Another made them three times, and honestly that tells me everything I need to know about repeat value in a house full of dessert lovers.

One first time maker used a no stir natural peanut butter and needed closer to 30 minutes of baking where they live. Ovens and climates vary, so I always suggest starting your check at 20 minutes and adding time only as needed.

If you try these bars, leave me a note about your pan, your peanut butter, and how long they took in your oven. Those details help every reader who comes after you.

More Chocolate Peanut Butter Desserts:

If peanut butter and chocolate are your favorite combination, these are the next recipes I would send you to. Each one leans on the same easygoing approach as the bars above.

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars: A no bake option for days when you do not want to turn on the oven at all.
• Peanut Butter Cup Bars: Soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and nicely balanced with chocolate in every layer.
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars: Soft, chewy, and filling, with a texture that sits on the denser side.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars: Built on a Nutter Butter crust with a chocolate pudding layer and a peanut butter cream cheese filling.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars: Made with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, sweetened condensed milk, and toffee bits for extra crunch.
• Peanut Butter Blossom Bars: Mixed in one bowl without a mixer, and there is no dough chilling required.
• Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Made with salted caramel peanut butter and also mixed without a mixer, so they come together just as quickly.

Any of these work well on a weekend baking tray next to the bars in this post, and a few of them freeze just as nicely, which is handy when you want a small sweet something on a weeknight.

One last note about this post. It was originally published on August 29, 2014, and reposted on June 17, 2022 with updated text, so if you have been reading along for years, you are in very good company.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars These peanut butter chocolate chip bars are soft, chewy, and loaded with creamy peanut butter and chocolate in every bite. This is the dessert I reach for when I need something fast and fuss free, because the whole batter comes together in one bowl and the pan goes straight into the oven.

• Total Time: 60 min
• Yield: 9 servings 1x

Ingredients

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Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup peanut butter, heaping
1 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips, for sprinkling

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Instructions

Instructions
1-Preheat oven to 350F: Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2-In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the: In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3-Wait momentarily before adding the egg so: Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the peanut butter, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4-Add the flour, salt, and stir until: Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
5-Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips: Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.
6-Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing: Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
7-Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons chocolate chips,: Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, smoothly the top lightly with a spatula.
8-Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes,: Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
9-Bars will keep airtight at room temperature: Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 379cal
• Sugar: 31g
• Sodium: 180mg
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated Fat: 11g
• Carbohydrates: 45g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 48mg