Thick, chewy, and loaded with peanut butter, these Peanut Butter Overload Cookie Bars only take 30 minutes from start to finish and are a great way to use up candy you have on hand or to make as a last minute dessert!

If you find yourself with way too much candy after trick or treating and fall parties this week, these cookie bars are a great way to use it up! I love making cookie bars to use up leftover candy.

Cookie bars are so easy to whip up and bake, and they just taste good! Thick, chewy and loaded with candy. . .what’s not to love?!

We don’t eat much candy around here, so if I get a bag of candy around the different holidays, I usually end up baking with half of it.

That’s what happened with my last bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups. If you don’t have Reese’s, peanut butter M&M’s or any other chocolate candy would work just as well.

I just happen to have a love for all things peanut butter and find myself stuffing as much peanut butter as possible into my baked goods, especially these peanut butter overload cookie bars.

That’s why you’ll find lots of peanut butter, lots of chopped peanut butter cups, and lots of peanut butter chips in the ingredient list! Mix them all together and you have a peanut butter lover’s dream cookie bar!

Tips for Making Peanut Butter Overload Cookie Bars

• M&M’s and chopped Snickers bars work well in place of (or in addition to!) the chopped peanut butter cups.
• Feel free to use either creamy or crunchy peanut butter.
• The dough may appear to be dry, but should hold together when pressed. If you are using a natural peanut butter that is on the drier side, you may need to add up to 1 Tablespoon of milk to get the dough to hold together when pressed.
• To keep the bars nice and chewy, do not over-bake. Bake just until the edges start to turn golden and the center is set. The bars will continue to set up as they cool.

More Cookie Bar Recipes to Try!

• Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Cookie Bars
• Monster Cookie Bars
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
• Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars — Sally’s Baking Addiction

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Peanut Butter Overload Cookie Bars

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Thick, chewy, and loaded with peanut butter, these Peanut Butter Overload Cookie Bars only take 30 minutes from start to finish and are a great way to use up candy you have on hand or to make as a last minute dessert!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, depending on preference)
• 1/4 Cup butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 Cup quick cooking oats
• 3/4 Cup chopped peanut butter cups
• 1/3 Cup peanut butter chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray an 8x8 inch or a 9x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well-combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat to combine. Stir in oats.
4. Add chopped peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips. Stir to combine.
5. Press dough into the bottom of prepared baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown and center is set.
6. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars and serving.
7. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 cookie bars
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 353Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 21gProtein: 9g

Nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and may not always be accurate. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.

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