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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

I like those Hershey’s chocolate peanut butter cookies from the peanut butter chips bag, but I’m too lazy to spoon out 48 individual cookies and keep swapping cookie sheets from the oven every 9 minutes.

And then one day I was like “what if I added crushed peanuts?” Then I got a bag of cocoa nibs from Hawaii and was like “heyyyy…” And then I thought, “I really should ribbon the top with peanut butter.” Then my dad told my sister it was a caramel ribbon, but it wasn’t, but that was a damn good idea. And here we are.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

A modified take on Hershey's chocolate peanut butter cookies recipe
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1 stand mixer like Kitchenaid
  • 1 mixer paddle
  • 1 rubber / silicone spatula
  • 1 11 x 17 glass pan
  • 1 pastry bag
  • 1 fork

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients group

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cups baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp cocoa nibs optional

Wet ingredients group

  • 1 & 1/4 cups butter or 2 1/2 sticks
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar or just use 2 cups total sugar of any type you want.
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped or crushed unsalted peanuts optional
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 & 2/3 cups peanut butter chips 1 or 2 packages, as preferred.

Topping

  • 2 tbsp peanut butter optional
  • 2 tbsp caramel optional

Instructions
 

Set out the butter and eggs to reach room temp

  • Let them sit for 2-4 hours or more before starting recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350

    Combine all dry ingredients in the medium mixing bowl

    • Use the fork to ensure they're all incorporated.

    Combine wet ingredients

    • Add butter, sugar, and vanilla.
    • Beat with paddle on "4" until fully incorporated.
    • Add peanuts and mix.
    • Reserve eggs and chips.

    Add dry ingredients to wet

    • Turn the mixer speed down to 2.
    • Add the dry ingredients in 2-3 batches until fully incorporated.

    Add the other ingredients

    • After all dry ingredients are incorporated, add the eggs.
    • After the eggs are incorporated, add the peanut butter chips.

    Prepare the pan

    • Use the butter wrappers to grease the pan.
    • Use the spatula to scrape the beater tool into the stand mixer bowl.
    • Use the spatula to scrape the stand mixer bowl into the glass baking pan.
    • Use the spatula to press the batter evenly across the pan.
    • Use the pastry bag to squeeze ribbons of peanut butter and caramel across the top of the batter.
    • Use the fork to lightly drag and press the peanut butter and caramel ribbons into the batter.

    Bake for at least 25 minutes at 350

    • For soft & gooey cookie bars, remove at 25-30 minutes.
    • For FIRM cookie bars, bake 30 to 35 minutes.
    • Mixture will puff up during baking. Firm cookie bars will stay puffed up, Gooey cookie bars will collapse somewhat during cooling.
    • After baking, cool for at least 2 hours.
    • Slice into preferred sizes and serve.