Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Making cookies in bar form is the easiest way to bake up a batch for a crowd, and these ones are super yummy! If you love peanut butter cookies, this is one of the easiest ways to enjoy them, and it’s still the absolute perfect pb cookie that we know and love.

These cookie bars are topped with chopped peanuts for a little extra crunch, and they come together really quickly. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

We’re going to start out by mixing together some browned butter, oil, peanut butter, and white and brown sugars. The brown butter brings just a little extra yumminess to these bars, and it’s a quick step since we’re using it melted anyways.

Then add in the vanilla extract and eggs, and beat until smooth. Finally add in the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Optionally, add in some chopped peanuts, reserving some for the top.

The press the dough into your prepared cake pan evenly. I like to press it out with my hands to spread it, and then use an off-set spatula to smooth out the top a bit. Top with the remaining chopped peanuts and then it’s off to the oven!

Once it’s cooled completely, remove it from the pan and slice into bars. These cookies will stay good in an air-tight container for about a week at room temp, and they’re chewy and so, so good. Hope you guys love them!

Tips & Tricks for Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

These are super easy to make, and I’ve got all the tips and tricks that you need to make the perfect Peanut Butter Cookie Bars!

• Don’t use natural peanut butter here. We want the thick, classic peanut butter here. Natural peanut butter will have too much oil and liquid in it, so I don’t recommend using it here. If you absolutely prefer it, you can omit the oil in the cookie dough to compensate.
• The dough will be very thick, and it takes a little working to spread it in the pan. Just give it a few minutes, I find that it’s easiest to use your hands for this task!
• Do I need to use chopped peanuts? Nope! If you don’t want the additional texture of chopped peanuts, feel free to omit them!
• Can I use a different nut butter here? You can, but if it’s something like natural almond butter, or a nut butter that is way thinner than a classic peanut butter, you’ll want to omit the oil from the recipe. In general, I think this recipe is best with a thick, smooth nut butter.
• How do I know when the Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are done? You want the cookies to be golden brown all over the edges of the pan, and the dough should look dry and set on top.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I usually find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tbs cold milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped salted peanuts

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, melt your butter and then brown the butter until it has a deep golden color. Stir the cold milk, and allow the butter to come back to room temp. The butter just needs to be cooled, but still liquid.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan. Optionally, line your pan with parchment for easier removal.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the brown butter mixture, oil, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well combined and smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add in your dry ingredients until everything well combined and no flour pockets remain. Then stir in about 3/4 of your chopped peanuts, reserving the rest for the top.
4. Press the cookie dough into your prepared pan evenly. I like to use my hands to press out the dough, and then an off-set spatula to smooth out the top. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown all over the edges of the pan, and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing into bars. Enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!