Ooey gooey chocolate chip peanut butter bars…
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
These chocolate chip peanut butter bars are one of the top most popular recipes on my blog – and for very good reason!
When you need a recipe that both meat eaters and vegans love, these bars are an absolute must-try, because they will never let you down.
Of every dessert I’ve ever made, these peanut butter bars are still one of my go-to recipes for parties, because they’re easy to transport, get rave reviews even from guests who aren’t into healthy eating, and you’re pretty much guaranteed no leftovers by the end of the night.
People go crazy for the soft, gooey, peanut buttery texture and melty chocolate in each delicious bite, and they taste like the lovechild of a chocolate chip cookie and a Reeses peanut butter cup!
*There’s now also a chocolate brownie version, so be sure to try the Brownie Batter Bars!
Above – watch the video of making the peanut butter bars!
The peanut butter bars can be:
Vegan
Keto
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Sugar Free
Egg Free
Grain Free
Soy Free
Paleo
And Oil Free
(For high-protein peanut butter bars, make these Protein Bars.)
Homemade Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
With chocolate and peanut butter, is it any surprise how good these are?
If Nestlé and Hersheys were to collaborate on a dessert, I’m pretty sure they’d come up with something along the lines of these gooeylicious chocolate chip peanut butter bars.
The recipe was originally adapted from my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, and I’ve changed it over the years to make it even better (which I didn’t think was possible, because the original was so good!).
Below is the newest version, which now includes a keto friendly option for those who need it. Everyone should be able to enjoy these crazy delicious peanut butter bars!
(Above, bringing the bars to a party earlier this year. They did not last long!)
If you want a bigger batch, try the popular Ryan Reynolds Blondie Bars.
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup applesauce, or yogurt such as coconutmilk yogurt
- 1 cup peanut butter OR allergy-friendly alternative – nut-free recipe here
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour – you can use spelt, white, sorghum, oat, almond, even or buckwheat (50g)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar of choice or xylitol
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
- up to 2 tbsp milk of choice, only if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch pan, or line with parchment. Gently heat nut butter if not already stir-able, then stir in the applesauce and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, stir baking soda, salt, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and keep stirring—it will seem very dry at first, so you’ll need to break up the nut butter and stop occasionally to scrape it off your spoon. If needed, slowly add up to 2 tbsp milk of choice as you stir. Don’t add more milk; it will eventually get gooey like cookie dough. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth down evenly. (I press a second sheet of parchment on top to smooth, then remove this sheet.) Press some chocolate chips into the top if desired. Bake 10 minutes. When you take the peanut butter bars out, the top will look set but they will still be very undercooked underneath. This is okay! Leave them to cool for at least 20 minutes, during which time they will firm up. (They also firm up even more overnight.)View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
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(NO avocado, NO tofu!)
Do you think they would work with coconut flour?
Try it and let us know how it works. But be prepared in case it doesn’t work out as you planned.
Do you think I could substitute ripe mashed banana for the applesauce?
Try it, but be prepared for a result that is different to what you may expect. Be sure to respond back if you do experiment.
These look AMAZING! Honestly LOVE peanut butter and chocolate together.
P.S.–your recipes are great!! I’ve made a few of them before, and I’ve been impressed. Just subscribed 🙂
These are A-FREAKING-MAZING!!! they really really are. i used stevia powder as the sweetener. i added ground chocolate chips to the dough- like to do to my healthy muffins- but next time maybe add some full size to the top like the pic or even add in some nuts and it would be like a healthy breakfast protein bar. LOVE THIS!!! thank you.
These bars are absolutely delicious!! I made them with crunchy natural peanut butter and subbed 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the recommended 2/3 cup of sugar or xylitol. I love peanut butter-y desserts because they are not quite as addictive as chocolate desserts, while still having one of my favorite foods 🙂 thank you for the recipe, Katie!
PS I actually really like them without the chocolate chips! I don’t think they need them, so long as you love peanut butter!
Was wondering about the nutrition facts w sugar vs xylitol…
I was wondering what you could substitute for applesauce ??
Hi Katie! I was wondering what brand of chocolate chips do you like?
Hi, I know Katie only uses fair trade (no slave labor) chocolate chips. Try brands such as Equal Exchange, Pacari, or Enjoy Life.
I just made this recipe and the flavor was delicious! I love the fact that there isn’t any butter, egg, or brown sugar that can pack on the calories. However, this recipe came out super dry, which was disappointing.
Hmm I didn’t have that problem – they were really gooey for me. what flour and milk and sugar did you use?
Shouldn’t be dry. I’ve made this several times, and never had that problem. No mis-measurement of ingredients anywhere, or switching of ingredients from the recipe? Maybe try the FAQ at the top of Katie’s blog for other ideas.
I made this recipe last night. Was really excited to taste it. But was VERY disappointed when I i did as it only tasted of bicarb!! Horrible!!