Description
Peanut Butter Cup Gooey Cookie Bars are a delightful dessert combining rich peanut butter cookie dough with mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk for a luscious, gooey treat. These bars offer a perfect balance of chewy texture and creamy chocolate-peanut butter flavor, ideal for satisfying your sweet tooth with an easy-to-make recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling & Topping
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups (halved)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang on the sides for easy bar removal later.
- Cream Butter, Peanut Butter, and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This will ensure a tender cookie base.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and seasoning.
- Mix Dry into Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet peanut butter mixture, stirring just until everything is combined; avoid overmixing to keep the bars tender.
- Layer Dough and Fillings: Spread about two-thirds of the cookie dough evenly in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the halved mini peanut butter cups and semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly over the dough layer. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly across the toppings.
- Add Remaining Dough: Drop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough over the filling and gently spread it out partially covering the peanut butter cups and chocolate chips, creating a marbled effect.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown on top and the center is just set but still gooey.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before using the parchment overhang to lift them out and slicing into 16 bars.
Notes
- For extra gooey bars, slightly underbake them and let cool completely before cutting.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months for longer storage.
- Ensure the dough is evenly spread to avoid overly thick or thin spots in baking.
