Yield: 48 bars

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 37 minutes

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie Bars: Made with Reese's and peanut butter fudge on a peanut butter cookie crust! The kids will go nuts for these sweet homemade treats.

Ingredients

For the Cookie Layer:

  • ½ cup butter flavored Crisco
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda

For the Middle Layer:

  • 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 bag (10 ounce) peanut butter morsels

For the Topping:

  • 1 bag (14 ounce) Reese's pieces
  • 1 bag (8 ounce) Reese's MINI peanut butter cups

Instructions

  1. For the cookie, beat Crisco with peanut butter, milk and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in egg. Add flour, salt and baking soda, mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. Press cookie dough into a lightly greased 15x10 baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, until browned. Remove.
  3. While baking, heat condensed milk with butter over low heat until warmed. Remove from heat, whisk in peanut butter morsels and stir until melted. Pour over warm cookie layer.
  4. Immediately press candies into top layer. Allow to set, about one hour. Slice and serve!!

Notes

  • I store cut cookie bars in a ziploc freezer bag on the counter. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months. The color of the candies may change slightly, but they taste delicious!
  • I used plain old shelf stable creamy peanut butter in the cookie crust. While the natural style peanut butter you keep in the fridge would also probably work, I can't vouch for the results. These varieties can sometimes be too oily and mess with the texture of peanut butter cookies. If you try it, let me know how it works for you!
  • You're not limited to Reese's candies here. M&Ms, crushed oreos, chocolate chips and mini Hershey's kisses would also taste great on the peanut butter bars! Get creative and have fun experimenting with different toppings.
  • Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk in the filling NOT evaporated milk!
  • See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 86Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g

*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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