Peanut Butter Bars

Name: Peanut Butter Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter flavored shortening; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 1 1/4 cups peanut butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

ByJennifer Osterholt UpdatedAugust 24, 2026

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Rich with peanut butter, these easy bar cookies have a thin layer of melted chocolate chips on top for the perfect finish.

An old fashioned cookie recipe from a church cookbook, this recipe has been in the family for decades.

Side view of a pan of grandma's classic peanut butter bars with a thin layer of chocolate chips melted on top and a few pieces out of the corner showing the texture and rich peanut butter cookie.

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

A generous amount of peanut butter is the key flavor. The creamy nut butter mixes with shortening to create a silky texture in each morsel that is reminiscent of a traditional peanut butter cookie.

So much easier to press into a jelly roll pan we far prefer bar cookies like our Cowboy Bars Dessert and less time intensive than our Peanut Butter Dream Bars.

While they’re all delicious, we especially love how easy these Peanut Butter Bars are to make. They’re a simple cookie bar with a classic, nostalgic flavor that may remind you of something you enjoyed in Grandma’s kitchen.

Fork ready to take a bite of an old fashioned peanut butter cookie bar with a silky crumb on a white plate.

If you want a true peanut butter cookie flavor, leave the chocolate chips off the top. Since you don’t make the crisscross indents with a fork, the chocolate chips are a nice compliment in the bar cookie form.

Ingredients Needed

Creamy Peanut Butter – avoid crunchy as these cookies have a smooth batter.
Shortening – butter flavored Crisco is our favorite.
Sugar – a combination of granulated sugar for a lighter sweetness and brown sugar for a deeper caramel like flavor that keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
Eggs
Vanilla Extract
All-Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Salt
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – an optional topping our family loves!

Ingredients to make peanut butter bars are flour, vanilla, brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter, shortening, sugar, baking soda and chocolate chips on a wooden counter top.

How To Make Peanut Butter Bars

Cream the butter flavored shortening with the brown sugar and granulated sugar.

Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla; mix well.

Peanut butter and eggs added to a bowl of peanut butter, flour and sugar crumbles.

Mixer beaters resting above a mixing bowl with a rich, crumbly mixture of peanut butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

In a separate mixing bowl, use a fork to sift together, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

Add 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time to the peanut butter mixture. Mix well.

Fork sifting dry ingredients with flour in a mixing bowl.

Thick peanut butter cookie dough made from an old fashioned recipe.

Press into a 10 x 15″ jelly roll pan. Use fingers to flatten.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the center is set. The cookies are done baking when a toothpick inserted in the center is clean, or nearly clean for a slightly gooey texture.

Let cool for up to ten minutes before sprinkling the chocolate chips over the top.

Fingers pressing peanut butter cookie dough in a jelly roll pan.

Spatula spreading chocolate chips over a sheet pan of warm peanut butter bars.

Allow the chips to soften and start to melt for a minute or two. Then use a narrow silicone spatula or butter knife to spread over the cookies.

Scoop lifting a peanut butter bar with a thin layer of melted chocolate above the sheet pan full revealing a slightly gooey texture.

For the cleanest cuts, slice the cookie bars while they are still warm.

Similar Dessert Recipes With Peanut Butter

Buckeye Bars with Graham Crackers are a lot more creamy compared to these peanut butter chocolate bars which are a traditional cookie
Our Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are packed with extra ingredients and texture.
Peanut Butter Caramel Bars use a cake mix and have won awards in county fair baking contsts!

Categories:

Bars, Desserts, Recipes,

Jennifer Osterholt

I share how to make life easier while raising a busy family! From delicious desserts to easy dinners and simple breakfast recipes. I’m here to make your time in the kitchen more efficient while building confidence!