Description
Peanut Butter Cup Gooey Cookie Bars combine the rich, creamy flavors of peanut butter and chocolate into a decadent, soft-baked dessert. These bars feature a buttery, slightly chewy cookie base layered with mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk for an irresistibly gooey texture. Perfect for parties or an indulgent treat, these bars are easy to make, requiring just one baking pan and simple ingredients.
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 Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring there is a slight overhang on the sides to easily lift out the bars after baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, creating a smooth base for your dough.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is uniform in texture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure an even distribution of leavening and seasoning throughout the dough.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough which can make the bars tough.
- Assemble the Bars: Spread two-thirds of the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan, creating a solid base layer. Then evenly sprinkle the halved mini peanut butter cups and semi-sweet chocolate chips over this dough layer. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the peanut butter cups and chocolate chips for added gooeyness.
- Add Remaining Dough: Drop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough over the filling layer. Gently spread this out slightly to partially cover the peanuts, chocolate, and condensed milk without fully sealing the layers.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until the bars turn golden brown and the center is just set but still soft for gooey texture.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before using the parchment overhang to lift them out and slice into 16 equal bars for serving.
Notes
- For an ultra-gooey texture, slightly underbake the bars and cool completely before cutting.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days to maintain freshness.
- These bars can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
