Description
Classic Peanut Butter Lunch Lady Cookie Bars are a nostalgic and delicious treat combining creamy peanut butter, rich brown sugar, and melty chocolate chips in a soft, chewy bar. Perfect for lunchboxes, snacks, or dessert, these easy-to-make bars bake quickly to golden perfection and deliver a satisfying peanut buttery flavor with every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Add-ins
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking your cookie bars.
- Mix Peanut Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and packed brown sugar. Stir until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Crack in the eggs and pour in the vanilla extract. Blend well to fully integrate these ingredients into the peanut butter-sugar mixture.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning agents.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients bowl. Stir continuously until just combined to form a consistent dough.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Gently incorporate the chocolate chips into the dough, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout.
- Prepare Baking Pan: Grease a baking pan lightly, then spread the cookie dough evenly across the bottom, smoothing the surface for uniform thickness.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the bars turn a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Cool and Slice: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookie bars to cool completely before cutting into 24 evenly sized bars for serving.
Notes
- Make sure not to overbake to keep the bars soft and chewy.
- You can substitute chocolate chips with butterscotch or peanut butter chips for different flavors.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
- For a nuttier texture, consider adding chopped peanuts to the batter.
