Description
These Peanut Butter Cup Gooey Cookie Bars combine the rich flavors of creamy peanut butter and chocolate in a delightfully soft and gooey treat. Perfectly baked with a luscious layer of sweetened condensed milk and studded with mini peanut butter cups and chocolate chips, these bars are an irresistible dessert that’s easy to make and sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix-ins and Topping
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups, halved
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the sides for easy removal of the bars.
- Cream Butter, Peanut Butter, and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, and packed brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to ensure even distribution of leavening agents and seasoning.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until a soft dough forms, avoiding overmixing which can lead to toughness.
- Add Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Chips: Fold in half of the halved mini peanut butter cups and half of the chocolate chips gently to incorporate without breaking them down.
- Layer Dough and Sweetened Condensed Milk: Press two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, creating a firm base. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over this dough layer, spreading it gently with the back of a spoon to cover the surface.
- Add Remaining Toppings and Crumble Dough: Sprinkle the remaining mini peanut butter cups and chocolate chips over the sweetened condensed milk layer. Crumble the remaining one-third of dough over the entire surface, leaving some parts exposed to maintain a gooey texture once baked.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is set but still slightly soft, ensuring a gooey consistency inside.
- Cool and Slice: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan; this helps them set and makes slicing easier. For cleaner slices, chill the bars in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting into 16 bars.
Notes
- For cleaner slices, chill the bars in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.
- You can substitute mini peanut butter cups with chopped full-size peanut butter cups if preferred.
