Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
A bar cookies recipe that's rich and tasty.
These chocolate peanut butter bar cookies have a buttery shortbread crust.
Whether you're baking for the PTA bake sale, a neighborhood pot luck or just for the kids for an after-school snack, these chocolate peanut butter bar cookies will hit the spot.
The crust is made of buttery shortbread, while the middle layer is a decadent dark chocolate and peanut butter mixture. But the topping is what really sets these bar cookies apart from the pack: crushed pretzels. It's that combination of sweet, creamy and salty that makes this bar cookie recipe unique.
Although the recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, if you prefer semisweet chocolate chips or even milk chocolate chips, by all means, use them. These bar cookies will still turn out great. For a chance of pace, substitute crunchy peanut butter for the creamy. It'll give the filling a nice texture.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Cookies with Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips or Hershey's special dark chocolate chips)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup crushed, salted pretzels
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together the flour and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until lightly golden. Allow to cool for ten minutes.
Put the dark chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe container. Heat on high for one minute. Stir. Heat on 50 percent power for 30 seconds and stir again. Continue heating in 30-second increments on 50 percent power until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Pour over the cooled shortbread crust.
Sprinkle the crushed pretzels on top. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes. Then refrigerate until firm.
Makes 12 bar cookies.
*Tip: The easiest way to crush the pretzels is to place them in a gallon-size ziploc storage bag. Then lay flat and pound or roll with a rolling pin. Don't overcrush the pretzels. You want pretzel bits, not crumbs.
For more great bake sale and picnic treats, check out these recipes:
- Lemon Coconut Bars
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Lindt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
- Magic Cookie Bars
- Peppermint Meringue Cookies
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
