These peanut butter cookie bars are soft, full of peanut butter flavor, and so easy that you’ll want to make them all the time.
Do you have a dessert that automatically reminds you of your childhood? These peanut butter cookie bars are that for us. Our great aunt Tree (whose name was actually Theresa, but our toddler mouths couldn’t pronounce that) used to make these cookie bars every single time we would go to her house to visit, and we loved them. We couldn’t wait to go to her house because we KNEW there would be a fresh hot pan of cookie bars waiting for us.
Why are these cookie bars so good?
As soon as we rediscovered this old recipe and made them, we were immediately taken back in time. They tasted exactly as we remembered them and now they will be a staple in our recipe box.
These bars are good for a lot of reasons.
- They feed a crowd. This recipe makes a 9X13 tray of bars. Perfect for a gathering. Once gatherings are a thing that we do again.
- They come together so quickly. Throw it all in a mixer. Beat it. Pour it in the pan. Bake them. Ta-Da.
- They use cake mix. Everyone has cake mix and you likely have a box of yellow cake mix hiding in the back of your pantry. The cake mix makes these extra easy but also makes them a really good consistency. They are a cross between cake and a blondie. Not as light as a cake, but not as dense as a blondie. Perfect in our opinion.
What do you need to make these peanut butter cookie bars?
- Peanut butter. Duh
- Chocolate chips
- Yellow cake mix
- Butter
- Water
- Eggs
Everything you need is likely stuff you already have which is perfect if you hate having to run to the store for that one weird ingredient you need for a new recipe you want to try.
You are definitely going to want to give these a try. These are the kind of bars you leave on the counter and every time you walk by you break off a little piece. And when you walk by again, you take another little piece. You know what we are talking about.
Happy baking!
Obsessed with peanut butter like we are? You’ll love this peanut butter pie.
Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 Cup water
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Line a 9X13 baking tray with parchment paper
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add in eggs and continue to mix
- Slowly pour in cake mix and mix until combined. Turn mixer to low and slowly pour in water
- Pour into parchment lined baking tray and smooth out with spatula
- Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Allow to cool before cutting