Ooey gooey chocolate chip peanut butter bars…
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
These chocolate chip peanut butter bars are one of the top most popular recipes on my blog – and for very good reason!
When you need a recipe that both meat eaters and vegans love, these bars are an absolute must-try, because they will never let you down.
Of every dessert I’ve ever made, these peanut butter bars are still one of my go-to recipes for parties, because they’re easy to transport, get rave reviews even from guests who aren’t into healthy eating, and you’re pretty much guaranteed no leftovers by the end of the night.
People go crazy for the soft, gooey, peanut buttery texture and melty chocolate in each delicious bite, and they taste like the lovechild of a chocolate chip cookie and a Reeses peanut butter cup!
*There’s now also a chocolate brownie version, so be sure to try the Brownie Batter Bars!
Above – watch the video of making the peanut butter bars!
The peanut butter bars can be:
Vegan
Keto
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Sugar Free
Egg Free
Grain Free
Soy Free
Paleo
And Oil Free
(For high-protein peanut butter bars, make these Protein Bars.)
Homemade Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
With chocolate and peanut butter, is it any surprise how good these are?
If Nestlé and Hersheys were to collaborate on a dessert, I’m pretty sure they’d come up with something along the lines of these gooeylicious chocolate chip peanut butter bars.
The recipe was originally adapted from my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, and I’ve changed it over the years to make it even better (which I didn’t think was possible, because the original was so good!).
Below is the newest version, which now includes a keto friendly option for those who need it. Everyone should be able to enjoy these crazy delicious peanut butter bars!
(Above, bringing the bars to a party earlier this year. They did not last long!)
If you want a bigger batch, try the popular Ryan Reynolds Blondie Bars.
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup applesauce, or yogurt such as coconutmilk yogurt
- 1 cup peanut butter OR allergy-friendly alternative – nut-free recipe here
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour – you can use spelt, white, sorghum, oat, almond, even or buckwheat (50g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar of choice or xylitol
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
- up to 2 tbsp milk of choice, only if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch pan, or line with parchment. Gently heat nut butter if not already stir-able, then stir in the applesauce and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, stir baking soda, salt, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and keep stirring—it will seem very dry at first, so you’ll need to break up the nut butter and stop occasionally to scrape it off your spoon. If needed, slowly add up to 2 tbsp milk of choice as you stir. Don’t add more milk; it will eventually get gooey like cookie dough. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth down evenly. (I press a second sheet of parchment on top to smooth, then remove this sheet.) Press some chocolate chips into the top if desired. Bake 10 minutes. When you take the peanut butter bars out, the top will look set but they will still be very undercooked underneath. This is okay! Leave them to cool for at least 20 minutes, during which time they will firm up. (They also firm up even more overnight.)View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
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I only have a 10 inch pan. will it still work? or how much should I increase the ingredients?
thanks,
Maria
Hmm, do you have a 9×13? If you have a 9×13 you can just double the recipe! Not sure about a 10-inch one. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2018/03/05/ryan-reynolds-blondies/
These came out so yummy! Thank you for sharing all these amazing recipes.
This was the first recipe I have tried from Katie. Wow! It was so delicious. My kids finished in off with me in a couple of days. It was so sweet. You couldn’t eat more than the tiny piece if you wanted to! Can’t wait to try more. Thanks so much!
I made this keto. I used almond flour, granulated erythritol, and natural unsweetened peanut butter. After cooling for over an hour, they were very soft and falling apart. The worst part was the overwhelming peanut butter flavor. Both my husband and I are peanut butter lovers but we couldn’t eat these. I was very disappointed.
I’m confused, why would you not want a peanut butter recipe to have a peanut butter flavor?
The falling apart part can be solved by just refrigerating overnight, but I would definitely not recommend making a peanut butter recipe if you don’t want it to have a peanut butter flavor.
Jason
These were amazing!
I love these!!! I have celiac with problems with dairy, eggs, and soy. I’ve spent the whole pandemc cooking my way through your recipes, and this is a family favorite! My MIL, who is vegan, thought they where amazing.
I’m new to all this. When a recipe calls for say 2/3 cup sugar or substitute, do you use 2/3 cup of the substitute? I have found that the sugar replacements are way too sweet for me. So, what are my options? Thanks
Wowzas. These are easy and delicious! I will cut the sugar next time but otherwise they’re perfect. I love them straight from the freezer.
I am a T1 diabetic. Could I use the same amount of butter in place of the applesauce?
That would probably be fine (I haven’t tried), or if you can do unsweetened yogurt, I know that works!
Jason
Thanks. I will get the yogurt next time I’m out. These look so gooey and good.
Unfortunately, these did not turn out well. I followed the general recipe (using white flour, 2% milk (2tbsp), coconut yogurt, white sugar). The flavor was great. At 10 minutes, it was way too goey..still very much battery. I let it sit for 2 hours and still goo.
Will definitely try again but maybe at 375F for 13 minutes instead.
Hi! Just put them in the fridge overnight and they will firm up beautifully 🙂 Let me know if that works!
Jason
These are fantastic! The first time I made them I was concerned with how soft they were but it did firm up overnight. The second and third time I made them I cut the sugar in half and they were still delicious. My boys just requested these bars again. This has been an isolation favorite recipe!
WARNING!!! DO NOT EAT THIS DOUGH RAW……you will never have enough to bake into bars! Absolutely delicious!!!…..and egg/worry free😉
I used a hand mixer to mix all the wet ingredients, then added in the dry ingredients and mixed again. It looked like it was very dry but as soon as I used my clean hands to smash it together it was the perfect consistency of cookie dough with the addition of any milk. Super fast and easy; took less than 3 minutes from first ingredient to pan.
Bars came out perfect.
Funny…I gave some raw dough to my elderly Father convincing him these were safe to eat….his eyes lit up and he exclaimed he had never eaten raw cookie dough before, but that this was REALLY good!
Thank-you Katie….you’re recipes have never failed to delight.
Correction to my statement in regards to the hand mixer. I DID NOT need any milk.
….and by the way, the unset, fresh from the oven bars are unbelievably delicious eaten warm with a spoon!!
All those years without raw cookie dough! Haha well better late than never, right??
These taste great but literally falls apart. My baking instincts told me to add an egg which going to do next time bc I’m not vegan.
These are called “Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars” and yet the “1/4 cup chocolate chips” are listed at the bottom of the recipe as “optional!” I don’t get it – How can you even Call them chocolate chip bars if the chips are optional??
Are you sure those “optional” chocolate chips aren’t the ones you suggest sprinkling on the top at the end, and maybe there should also be some chocolate chips that get added in when you mix the batter?
I haven’t tried these yet, so I can’t say, but as the recipe reads, it seems not to make sense.
They can be chocolate chip peanut butter bars if you add the chips, or are also good as plain peanut butter bars without. Both ways are super decadent, and the 1/4 cup is the only amount needed (although you can of course add more lol).
I’ve made a keto version twice now and really like them. I used coconut flour (definitely needed the milk), Greek yogurt, granulated monk fruit blend, and Choc Zero monk fruit chocolate chips . I immediately froze them and then warmed up one piece a night for an evening treat.
Super gooey, Super yummy 😋