Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars – Soft, gooey bars loaded with M&Ms, chocolate and made for serious peanut butter lovers! So good!
I make my fair share of treats, and have the hodgepodge of random add-ins in my pantry to show for it.
Half-used bags of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and a random assortment of candy were taking over the cupboard so I found a home for them.
In these bars.
They’re the perfect bar to toss in everything but the kitchen sink.
Use this flexible and forgiving dough base as your opportunity to stir almost anything that’s plaguing your pantry into it.
What else are you going to do with 1/3 cup chocolate-covered sunflower seeds from your last Trader Joe’s impulse buy or that small handful of butterscotch chips from your last batch of cookies, or a few stray marshmallows.
Use up last year’s Halloween candy or Easter candy. Those Fun-Size Twix bars are begging to be diced and tossed in. Don’t pretend you don’t discover random candy from months ago. Well, I do. Life of a food blogger.
The bars come together in 5 minutes in one bowl, no mixer needed. Unlike making cookies, there’s no dough to chill, and they’re ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish.
I used my go-to blondie base, with a half-cup peanut butter stirred in, before stirring in the kitchen sink.
I had partially used bags of Peanut Butter M&M’s, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, toffee bits, and included them all.
Because peanut butter is used three times – peanut butter that’s stirred into the dough, Peanut Butter M&Ms, and peanut butter chips – they pack a bold, peanut buttery punch.
They’re very moist and soft. The edges turn slightly chewy, while the interior remains a squishy, soft heaven.
The crunchy candy coating of the M&Ms and their firmness, coupled with Heath toffee bits, are the perfect texture contrast to the buttery, peanut buttery, dense, melt-in-your mouth dough.
There’s plenty of chocolate, too. Chocolate and peanut butter just go together. The abundance of melted chocolate chips is practically mandatory with all that peanut butter.
Soft, chewy, fast, easy, peanut butter used three times, and you can clean out your cupboards. That’s success.
And let’s face it, any time you can bake candy into a dessert, you won’t hear too many complaints.
Cleaning out your pantry never tasted so good.
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Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- heaping 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, etc.; don’t use homemade or natural – too runny
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Peanut Butter M&Ms
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks, or a combination
- ½ cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
- ⅓ cup Heath Bar Toffee Bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the peanut butter and whisk or stir until smooth and incorporated.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Add all remaining add-ins and fold to incorporate.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. I like to strategically place a few M&Ms on the top of the batter for a nice visual effect.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until top is set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What’s the last pantry cleanout recipe you’ve made? What do you put in your Monster Bars?
I just made these bars wow! Yummy and super sweet! I used M& M’s and mini chocolate chips, I think I might have put too many M& M’s on the top, very rich and peanut buttery! Great recipe I will definitely make these again!
I just made these bars wow! Yummy and super sweet! I used M& M’s and mini chocolate chips, I think I might have put too many M& M’s on the top, very rich and peanut buttery! Great recipe I will definitely make these again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they turned out great for you! Yes, they are very rich indeed.
It’s definitely a good way to get rid of left over candy, and personally I would cut the candy in half so it tasted more like a cookie bar. But all in all very tasty!
It’s definitely a good way to get rid of left over candy, and personally I would cut the candy in half so it tasted more like a cookie bar. But all in all very tasty!
These. Are. The. Best.
Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that they get The.Best. vote!
These. Are. The. Best.
Thank you!
Sounds delicious! I often keep leftover candy in the freezer and will just chop up whatever I have left to add to cookie or brownie recipes. Pinned.
Thanks for pinning!
Hi,
Do you think these could be made with double the peanut butter chips and no M&M’s? I love them, but a jaw problem make it impossible to indulge.
Thank you.
Hope
Yes I think that would be fine. Enjoy!
Can you make ahead and freeze?
I think you’d be safe yes.
I made these this weekend! They turned out great (although I think I overbaked them a little).
Can’t wait to try more recipes from this site!
Hi there! Thanks for the delicious looking recipe! I’m going to try baking it this weekend, however, I notice there is no baking soda OR baking powder called for. I’ve never baked a bar cookie without using one or the other. I’ve always been under the impression that using non baking powder/soda will cause them to turn out flat and tough, no?
I do not like cakey bars cookies at all and when I put leaveners in them, even 1/2 teaspoon, they turn out cakier than I like. If I wanted cake, I’d make cake :)
The bars, if you make them according to the recipe, should look like the photos. They’re definitely not tough and I wouldn’t say flat either but it’s personal preference.
Thank you for making my coworkers think I’m the best baker ever! This is such a wonderful recipe (and base blondies recipe) that I get requests all the time.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And glad you love this blondie base too and that your coworkers think you’re a superstar!
These bars are now requested every time my friends get together. They are delicious. I love your blog. :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that they’re on request from your friends!
I have these in the oven right now :)