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Stuffed Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

stuffed peanut butter cup cookie bars - featured image
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These gooey cookie bars combine soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie dough with whole mini peanut butter cups for the ultimate decadent dessert. Easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser, they’re perfect for parties, gifts, or a comforting treat at home.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (255g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 16–18 mini peanut butter cups
  • Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
  • Extra chocolate chips or chopped peanuts, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy lifting. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Unwrap peanut butter cups and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
  3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
  5. Gently fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
  6. Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange peanut butter cups in a grid over the dough, gently pressing them in.
  7. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough over the peanut butter cups and gently spread to cover.
  8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and just set. For extra gooey bars, bake closer to 25 minutes.
  9. Let bars cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment and cut into 16 squares.
  10. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Notes

For clean slices, chill the cooled bars in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting. Don’t overmix the dough after adding flour for the best texture. You can swap in gluten-free flour, dairy-free butter, or different nut butter cups as needed. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: cookie bars, peanut butter cup, chocolate chip, dessert, easy, gooey, party, potluck, kid-friendly, comfort food

Find it online: https://bitematrix.com/stuffed-peanut-butter-cup-cookie-bars-recipe-easy-gooey-dessert/