Peanut Butter Cookie Bars (5 Ingredients!)

At a glance

What stands out: Make irresistible peanut butter cookie bars with only 5 ingredients! This recipe is kid-friendly, straightforward to mix, and dangerously rich.

How long it takes: 10 minutes to whip up, 40 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, measuring utensils, 8-inch square baking pan, oven
Servings: 16 small bars

Straightforward to mix Peanut Butter Bars

Only 5 ingredients! We're not even kidding. There are FIVE ingredients in these M&M peanut butter bars! Here’s a straightforward math lesson:

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + oven = Rich!

Peanut Butter + M&Ms = Happy!

(5 x 1) + Hungry Kids = Zero!

Soft, chewy, and sweet!These M&M peanut butter bars are not only insanely straightforward to mix but they are so rich. We recommend a big glass of milk or a cup of coffee. And small bites that savor each morsel.

Lots of possible variations. You’ll love that you can make straightforward changes to this recipe, too. M&Ms aren’t the only candies that taste great in bars.

Kid-Friendly Beginner Recipe

Since there are only five ingredients, this recipe is reliable for beginners. Let your kids help you make peanut butter cookie bars. They’ll love measuring the baking mix and brown sugar. Teach them how to crack eggs into a small bowl before they add them to the peanut butter. They’ll get good practice stirring and blending and they’ll love using their hands to mix the dough and press the M&Ms in. (Be sure to try red velvet cookies, too, a straightforward recipe made with a cake mix.)

What goes in

What are the five magic ingredients? We bet you’ve already figured it out!

• Peanut Butter: Creamy or chunky, doesn’t matter. Avoid the natural peanut butters that have to be stirred; choose a brand like Jif or Skippy.
• Eggs: A couple of eggs hold this business all together.
• Brown Sugar: The molasses flavor adds to the profile of these cookies. Dark brown sugar works as well as light brown sugar.
• All-Purpose Baking Mix: An example of this is Jiffy or Bisquick. The mix comes in a large box and is a shortcut product used to make pancakes, waffles, or biscuits. The baking mix contains flour, oil, leavening, salt, sugar and other ingredients. It’s meant to be a shortcut, eliminating the need for several different ingredients. If you prefer, you can use from-scratch Bisquick.
• M&Ms: Who doesn’t love these chocolate candies? Use the regular assorted colors or buy a color that’s coordinated with an occasion.

How it comes together

Get ready. Turn your oven on, wash your hands, and let’s get started! You’ll need an 8 x 8 inch baking pan, or an equivalent of that. Spray it lightly with cooking spray.

Blend together. In a mixing bowl, blend together the peanut butter and eggs until the two ingredients are nice and smooth.

Add dry ingredients. Add the brown sugar and stir again. The mixture should be well-blended.

Measure out the baking mix and add that to the bowl. Mix it in as well as possible. The dough is thick. You may have to use your hands to combine it. We usually do.

Stir in M&Ms. Add the M&Ms and stir some more. Again, hands are totally permissible. If all of the M&Ms don’t stay in the dough, don’t worry.

Press into pan. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer. Press any stray or remaining M&Ms right into the dough.

Bake. Pop the bars right into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Be sure to notice the sweet aroma emanating from your kitchen.

Cut into squares. Cool the bars before cutting into 16 squares or whatever size you like. Maybe 4 big squares!

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Different mix-ins. Try mini M&Ms, peanut butter M&Ms, or Reese’s Pieces. Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips are great too.
• Gluten-free. Use a gluten-free baking mix, such as King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix.
• Turn the bars into dessert. Top each square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of from-scratch hot fudge or from-scratch caramel sauce, and sprinkle on a few more M&Ms for garnish. This is really, good when the bars are still slightly warm.
• Love M&Ms? Try our modestly named reliable M&M cookies — they are pretty reliable!
• No-bake bars: If you don’t want to turn your oven on, try no-bake peanut butter bars. They taste just like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/freeze: Peanut butter cookie bars will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter. If you need to store them longer than that, refrigerate or freeze them.

Recipes For Peanut Lovers

• Peanut Butter Popcorn
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (no bake!)
• Buckeyes
• Buckeye Brownies
• No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
• Peanut Butter Trail Mix Recipe
• Oh Henry Bars
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Peanut Brittle Recipe

• Yield: 16
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 40 minutes
• Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• ¾ cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose baking mix (such as Bisquick or Jiffy)
• 1 bag (12 oz.) M&Ms, about 1 ⅔ cups (use regular, mini, peanut butter, Reese's Pieces, or even chocolate chips)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325F°. Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and eggs until well mixed and smooth.
3. Add brown sugar and stir until well-combined.
4. Stir in baking mix until moistened (we use our hands – it is a very thick batter).
5. Fold in M&Ms. Again, using your hands works best for this step. Don't worry if some of the M&Ms don't stick in the dough.
6. Spread mixture evenly in greased pan, pressing any remaining M&Ms into the dough.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into 16 squares.

Notes

Storage: Bars will keep in a covered container on the counter for up to three days. If you want to store them longer, store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Add-ins: Possible substitutions for plain M&Ms: Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter M&Ms, dark chocolate M&Ms, etc. Chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips are good, too.

Make it a dessert: Top a bar with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge or caramel sauce, and a sprinkle of M&Ms. Especially good when the bars are still warm!