Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 These soft and chewy cookie bars are packed with chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter and crunchy pretzels. This one bowl dessert is the perfect combination of sweet and salty!

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The Perfect Flavour Combo

Chocolate and Peanut Butter has always been a popular flavour combination. Who could resist sweet chocolate, paired with earthy, salty peanut butter? Peanut butter is a staple in our household. From breakfast, to birthday cakes, peanut butter is a flavour we can't get enough of. So when I made these bars for the kids this weekend, it wasn't a surprise that they didn't last very long. 

My kids have been finding it a bit difficult, with me on the Weight Watcher's program. I no longer bake as often as I used to, or if I do, I use monk fruit sweetener and desserts aren't as sweet and indulgent as they use to be. With my SO and I heading to the cottage for an overnight getaway this past weekend, I decided to treat the kids and make these delicious bar cookies. I had a quarter of a bag of pretzels sitting in the pantry, so I decided to add them in, for a salty crunchy contrast to the sweet cookie bars. 

What are Cookie Bars?

Cookie bars are simply cookies, made in a baking pan, rather than scooped out onto baking sheets. They are quick and easy to make and taste just as delicious as homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. 

What Ingredients do I need to make Cookie Bars?

Butter- here I am using unsalted butter. Peanut butter contains a significant amount of salt, so using unsalted butter will help control the saltiness of the finished product.

Peanut Butter- use that good ole smooth peanut butter for this one. Natural peanut butter has a different consistency and will affect the texture of your cookie bars. 

Sugar- most cookie recipes call for white granulated sugar, and/or brown sugar.

Eggs- eggs work as a binding agent in cookies. 

Flour- in this recipe I am using all purpose flour, but a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour would also work. Using only whole wheat flour would make these cookie bars very dense and tough.

Vanilla- I love adding vanilla to most of my cookies. It adds a comforting extra pop of flavour. Pure vanilla is always better than imitation vanilla, but use what you have on hand.

Chocolate Chips- my go to is semi-sweet chocolate chips, since my kids prefer darker chocolate, to milk chocolate. You can use what ever type of chocolate chips you prefer, even white chocolate!

Pretzels- this is my special add in. No one seems to like eating the bottom of the pretzel bag since they are all broken, so I love adding them into cookie batter. It adds a fantastic crunch and salty contrast to the chewy sweet cookie dough.

How do I Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars?

Start with room temperature butter. Beat it together with the peanut butter, until well combined.

Add in the sugars, vanilla and eggs, mixing until fluffy. Stir in the flour, baking soda, chocolate chips and broken pretzel pieces. 

Once combined press into a baking dish and bake until bottom and edges are golden brown. 

Melt additional peanut butter with additional chocolate chips and drizzle on top of the baked cookie bars. Sprinkle with remaining pretzel pieces and let cool completely.

PIN IT!!!

Equipment needed for this recipe

• 9x13 inch baking dish
• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• mixing spoon or spatula
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• small bowl
• piping bag or zip top bag
• cooling wrack

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 C smooth peanut butter
2/3 C light brown sugar
1/3 C sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/3 C semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/2 cups pretzel twists, coarsely broken (divided)
1/3 cup peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13″ pan.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter, until smooth. Whisk in both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until almost combined; add the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the pretzel pieces and stir just until blended.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. In a small bowl, melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave or over low heat, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the bars  with the peanut butter-chocolate mixture and sprinkle with remaining pretzel pieces. Let cool until set, then cut into squares or bars. Makes about 2 dozen bars.