Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The nutty peanut butter coupled with the semisweet chocolate chunks is just the perfect flavor combination!
Texture: The bars are perfectly thick and chewy with a generous amount of gooey chocolate chunks studded throughout.
Ease: Super easy!
Pros: Simple recipe to satisfy any PB & choc craving.
Cons: None!!
Would I make this again? I already have three times.
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Or you love someone who loves chocolate and peanut butter.
Either way I have a feeling these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars will become a staple part of your baking repertoire.
They’re super quick and simple to throw together, and you likely already have most of the ingredients on hand. I love that they’re thicker than a cookie and you can serve a slice with a scoop of ice cream on top. YUM.
Most of the time when I’m craving something sweet I want something with a substantial texture. Whether that’s thick, fudgy, rich, dense, chewy, gooey, or crunchy, I’m all about the texture.
That’s probably why I’d take a cookie, bar, or brownie over a slice of cake almost any day. I might be the only one who feels this way, so if you agree please let me know in the comments below!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bar Recipe Tips
The Peanut Butter
Don’t use an all natural peanut butter that separates easily in this recipe. I’ve used Skippy “natural” peanut butter, which doesn’t separate, with success.
The Chocolate
Besides the peanut butter, this is the most important ingredient! Be sure to use high quality baking chocolate, like Ghirardelli. I prefer to chop the chocolate myself so I know it’s fresh and just the right size.
I find semisweet or even milk chocolate works best in this recipe. Bittersweet is just too dark to complement the nutty slightly salty peanut butter flavor.
Brown Sugar
This is a must for this recipe! Brown sugar adds moisture, extra chewiness, and that wonderful butterscotch flavor which complements the peanut butter so well. Here’s a helpful video article I wrote about how to DIY and store brown sugar.
Baking
I tested this recipe using an 8-inch square metal baking pan. If you use a glass or ceramic pan, you’ll likely need to increase the baking time. Just a hint: metal pans tend to make for chewier crunchier corner pieces.
The bars may bake up taller at the edges and slightly sunken in the center. If this happens, don’t worry too much. It’ll taste delicious no matter what! The edges are exposed to the heat first and most intensely so they set more quickly. And because the batter is just so rich this is just a small sacrifice we must make for the most gooey ooey bars possible 😉
Cookie Customization Guide
Although these are technically cookie bars, if you enjoy learning about cookie baking, ingredients, and science then I think you’ll enjoy my free cookie customization guide.
More Bar Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Ever Chewy Brownies
- Classic Cheesecake Bars
- Blondies Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
August Baking Challenge
These bars were the recipe selection for the August 2018 Baking Challenge! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars
Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 (350 grams) cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (135 grams) smooth peanut butter
- 2 eggs plus one egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (286 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch metal baking pan with parchment or foil.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Once the butter mixture is cool, add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into the prepared dry ingredients, and stir to create a very thick dough-like batter. Fold in 3/4 the chocolate chunks, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chunks, lightly pressing them into the batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool in the pan. Use the parchment to remove the bars before cutting into squares and serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I used another peanut butter and it separates from the butter. and when it got cold it was like a stone 🙁
I melted adding some water and stiring in stove but I don’t know if I can use it in this recipe.
Just made this and my kitchen smells so good. Can’t wait to try it…
These look amazing! I only have salted butter on hand. Can I use that?
Made this tonight. Yum. I ran out of peanut butter so I substituted half of the peanut butter for Tahini, it was the next closest ingredient I had in the pantry. Works really well. So if someone has a peanut or nut allergy this would be a great substitution.
So glad to know that tahini works in this recipe as well! Thanks Ahang!
Do you ever double your recipes? Like making these bars into a 9 x 13 pan.
Hi Tessa,
These sound so yummy. I have celiacs so need to try with Gluten Free flour! will let you know the outcome!.
Barbara
I’d love to make these and enter your contest!!! Sounds exciting- I’ve never done a baking contest before, although baking is probably my favorite thing to do in the kitchen. I’m right with u on cookies and bars being better than cake!!! Absolutely! There are very few cakes I like, but cookies and bars- oh my!!!
Hi Tessa!
Would semisweet chocolate chips work instead of chunks for this recipe? 🙂
Of course!
They are so good to make. My house smells amazing. thanks Tessa
Yay, so happy to hear that!
Love the idea of this! Do you think this would work as one- or two-bite bars, made in a mini-muffin tin (with obvious adjustments to the cooking time)? If so, how full would you make each muffin cup, because these do look like they rise a lot.
I’m not sure if a mini muffin tin would work well, but a regular muffin tin should!
I’m also on the brownies & cookies over cake train. PS these look so awesome. My mouth is watering.
I’ve made your chewy brownies twice now, and both times were successful. I can’t wait to give this a shot
Yaaassss!!! Brownies over cake ANY DAY!!! And I agree; it’s all about the texture.