We call this recipe 'Monkey' as a family tradition. We also have Monkey Bread. These bars are wonderful especially for when your the parent who has to bring a snack for school!
I found this recipe to be very very sweet. The cookie bar bottom was wonderful and would taste great by itself. The icing and chocolate together seemed too much and made this treat very sweet. Icing or melted chocolate chips would be enough.... or even just the bar by itself!
Read MoreI have been looking for a recipe similar to the chocolate peanut butter bars you can find at the Mrs. Fields store. This wasn't what I was looking for, but they were still pretty good. Of course I got a little impatient with the cooling process and spread the peanut butter glaze on while it was still warm. Don't think it hurt it any. I think the crust could have been a little sweeter but the measurments for the chocolate and PB glaze were right on. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, so I wasn't too disappointed with this one. Gonna keep looking.
Read MoreI found this recipe to be very very sweet. The cookie bar bottom was wonderful and would taste great by itself. The icing and chocolate together seemed too much and made this treat very sweet. Icing or melted chocolate chips would be enough.... or even just the bar by itself!
I made these for Christmas, wanted to try something different. I doubled the recipe and used a jelly roll pan. It was excellent. My husband told me to never make them again since he couldn't stop eating them, when my son-in-law returned home the only thing he wanted to take home were these bars.
These bars are great. I did half with the frosting and half without. I would definitely keep the topping. I only used 1/2 the amount of chocolate chips and it was perfect. Will definitely make these bars again
These are delicious bars that are very quick and easy to make. They are very rich and sweet but sooo good. I too was too impatient to wait for the chocolate to cool before adding the icing. I was able to sort of swirl the peanut butter and chocolate for a marbled effect which I actually really liked. I might try less chocolate chips next time. I'm planning to make these to take to cookouts this summer.
OK, I made these and they were very good. My family loved them. They weren't a brownie type thing that I was looking for, but they were very good. Changes I made were... I used more peanut butter because i really wnated the peanut butter taste. It didn't help. The oatmeal overpowered the peanut butter. They were good though, just not as peanut buttery as I would have liked. I did use semi-sweet chocolate chips, and omitted the peanut butter frosing as suggested by other people here, because it did seem too sweet for me when I read the recipe. They were very good, but next time I will use milk chocoalte chips instead of semi sweet and I will use the frosting. BTW.... everyone who tried them absolutely loved them. My husband was glad to have something different and he liked them alot also. I will definitely make them again. I will make them again, but make some minor changes next time.
These bars are awesome. Sure they are really sweet, but that's the point. chocolate and peanut butter-yummmmm. They disappeared. Next time I will try it with milk chocolate chips I think.
Delicious and super easy! As a vegan, I subbed soy milk for the dairy milk, non-hydrogentated margarine for the butter, powdered egg replacer for the egg, and dark chocolate for the semisweet. Even so, it turned out great! The icing stayed soft and creamy, but that was fine by me.
I have been looking for a recipe similar to the chocolate peanut butter bars you can find at the Mrs. Fields store. This wasn't what I was looking for, but they were still pretty good. Of course I got a little impatient with the cooling process and spread the peanut butter glaze on while it was still warm. Don't think it hurt it any. I think the crust could have been a little sweeter but the measurments for the chocolate and PB glaze were right on. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, so I wasn't too disappointed with this one. Gonna keep looking.
Excellent! Many compliments by my bunko group. I did double the frosting after reading some reviews.
This reminds me of the peanut butter bars that we used to have in the cafeteria in school when I was young, and I LOVED when they were serving them!!!!! So yummy!
Pretty good, but I was expecting something softer/chewier so maybe I'll mess around with it a little next time. We still have no problem eating them--very tasty. I can't believe people are complaining about it being too sweet. What did they expect? And it's hilarious that someone complained about it not being peanut buttery enough after omitting the pb icing. The icing adds a lot to them, including more pb flavor!
Yummy and rich! Idk why pictures have m&m's..Didn't use them. Used 1/2 C pbutter, added chips too batter 1 C. White 1 C. semi sweet. baked 17 min. pulled out dropped by Tbs. 1/4 cup pbutter and 1/2 c. chips on top. Put back in oven 2 minutes. Spread easily and LOVED them! Crust is dry but I liked it! FYI~ Chips aren't going to just melt and spread by themselves. When glossy take out and spread with spoon very easily.
the crust of these came out very dry. not a favorite of mine, but my kids do like them.
Made these for my daughter's peanut butter loving softball team, and they quickly devoured them. Great recipe. Made just as written.
1. Line your pan with tin foil and spray with butter Pam-then when they're cool lift them out to a cutting board, pull the foil away from sides, and take a large knife to cut them into triangles-no waste, broken bars, or mess. 2. Initially bake for 18 minutes. 3. Return to oven for 2nd bake for 5 minutes. 4. Double the peanut butter frosting recipe for frosting lovers. (Great recipe!)
I made the bars according to recipe, and didn't like how they turned out. I thought the icing was was too much. So I made my own version...I kept the crust as is, and instead of the icing I sprinkled 1/2 c. coconut, 1/3 c. chopped walnuts, 1/4c. semi-sweet choc. chips, and then I melted 2 tabl. peanut butter, with 4 tabl. semi-sweet choc chips and drizzled it on top (to help hold the other toppings on) I placed it in the frig for 1 hour, and served! Yummmy! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Excellent dessert! It was a hit with the whole family wanting seconds. I did not add the pb icing...was trying to save on calories. It was delicious even without the icing. Will definitely be making again!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was just okay. The base was really dry and crumbly - it would have been nearly inedible without the frosting.
Simply scrumptious!! If you like peanut butter, you HAVE to give these a shot. I had trouble with the chocolate not melting, but after I drizzled the icing on top, they looked fine. They were definitely as addicting as brownies, maybe more so. I added some flax seeds to the cookie base, just to feel a little better about myself. I'm sure no one noticed. The base is almost reminiscent of a chewy granola bar, but the toppings definitely give it a cookie/candy bar status.
goodness itself! used milk chocolate and the kids gobbled everything up, oats and all:-) I think I'll put some whole wheat flour in next time, just to make sure it's healthier, as I've seen you don't notice. I agree that spreading the chocolate is nearly impossible, and the risk of braeking the fragile crust of the bars is very high. I gave up in the end but the result didn't suffer for it, in my opinion. Last but not least: it looks undercooked when you take it out of the oven after the stated time, but do not give in to the temptation to leave it longer!
We thought these were very good. Instead of adding the chocolate chips later I added them in before baking and just baked them for 25 minutes. They were great! My family couldnt keep their hands off of them. I am going to try half the amount of choc chips next time, I think one cup would be plenty.
These where awesome. I was tempted to double the top frosting because it left such a thin layer. But, I didn't and was glad since it seems to be just enough & not overly rich. The bottom is kind of like a soft granola consistancy. The only thing I changed was the baking times. Only baked for about 15 min. with an additional 5 min. after adding the chocolate chips.
These were nice and sweet. The bottom was a little crunchier than I was expecting. I topped with chocolate sprinkles. Would've also been good with mini M&M's on top.
Wow! Recipe as-is, is way too sweet - even the kids thought so. And we love our sweet baked goods. Not sure I'll make this one again.
I made these for a family picnic and they were a hit. Very rich and extremely sweet, so if you have a major sweet tooth, this is an absolute treat! I had a couple requests for the recipe too!
These were good but not excellent. I would have cut down on the bake time for the brownies because they were a little overbaked. I may try them again and see if they taste better.
I was disappointed, I love peanut butter anything, and I thought the chocolate overpowered the peanut butter flavor! I followed the recipe too a tee, my base was dry. I will try another recipe for peanut butter bars next time!
These are very good and really easy to make. Everyone in my youth group liked them. They are REALLY rich. I was rushed because of time, but even if my measurements weren't as meticulous as normal, it still turned out fantastic. And even though a comment mislead me into thinking that this recipe needed to be doubled in order to fill a 9x13, I realized this was wrong and put the double batch into a lager 10.5x14.75 pan hoping it would help...When I took them out I wasn't sure if they were too thick and under done, but I put almost a full bag of chocolate chips (I should have used more) on and continued baking...I wish, however, I had waited a few minutes longer, because the chocolate chips burnt slightly (although the flavor was not noticeable). Spreading the chocolate chips is tricky. Be careful not to rip the top of the cookie. Oh, also I used quick oats because that was all I had. That did not ruin it at all though. Because of time-constrainets I chilled the chocolate layer and simply let it thaw slightly before serving it (although I actually liked it cold). The frosting was yummy too, I didn't have much on there, but it was good nonetheless and really added a little something special. I should have made a double batch of that to match the larger pan, though only a light layer is needed. I love cooking and I definately want to make this again. Even with my rushed efforts and little technical mistakes, this recipie was still impossible to screw up. Simply Addictive!!
At first I didn't think much of these, thought they were just "okay"...However, I tried them again this evening after the icing had time to set and it was like a different bar! I went from dislike, to love them!
Pretty good..I took other people's advice & added more PB....I think it kinda messed them up a lil..also did less choc & regretted it...but they were good, just could have been better if not due to me taking other's advice :)
These were awesome!!! Made them when I was on a diet, so I put the whole pan in the freezer for 2 months. My brother came to visit. I pulled them out of the fridge. When I told him what they were, he said, oh, I don't eat any baked goods with peanut butter. I said, oh, just try one. He ended up eating 3 or 4!! Very awesome flavor. Will be a regular at my house. They freeze extremely well!! Thanks!
This is definitely 5 stars all the way! After reading a few of the reviews about a dry crust I underbaked the crust by 2-3 minutes before putting on the chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate) and only baked it for 5 minutes before removing it from the oven. This resulted in a delicious soft yet chewy crust (after it has sat in the fridge of course) I loved the addition of oats to this bar and I sprinkled the top with chocolate jimmies - just for it to look pretty. This is a wonderful bar, I loved it and will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing.
Frosting was awesome but not enough to cover the pan, you'll have to double that one. Everything else was just average. As others said, the crust didn't taste like peanut butter and was a little too dry. But still edible. Otherwise I agree with those who said there is too much chocolate.
Meh. The main detraction for us was the oats. We just didn't care for the texture of biting into something periodically that's semi-firm. I baked for only 18 minutes the first time, then another 5 after adding the chips. By underdoing them, I had no problem with their being dry. They were quite moist and chewy. Frosted it with the gooey boiled topping from the Peanut Butter Sheet Cake from this site, which ramped up the peanut butter flavor a few degrees. Very chewy and gooey that way, and they were gone in a flash. Others seemed to like them more than I did. Feedback I got said mostly that it was because of the Sheet Cake Frosting recipe I used. A respectable bar, good, but nothing exciting that I'd rush to make again.
very good and versatile. we made a double batch and they made a very thick and gooey chocolate chip peanutty square cookie like treat. You will not be disappointed. Top with a frosting of your choice and be on that sugar high!!!!
Very tasty.I used only 1 cup choc. chips & put them on top bars & let to melt before I spread them before baking 8 min. more.For frosting I upped PB to 1/3 cup & added more milk for good spreading consistency. This is a keeper. Thanks.
YUM - I followed the recipe exactly and these came out perfect. My whole family loved them and they are so easy to make. Flavorful and rich, so a small bar goes a long way. These are a definate favorite and will be made time and time again.
I love peanut butter, so this is a great little treat to make when you get that craving. It turned out great as is. Thanks for the recipe!
OMG!! I have made these over and over again. My kids love them and they are usually gone in two days. The frosting is killer....yum yum
Just alright, I thought they were too dry and didn't taste much of the peanut butter. Expected them to be more moist with the peanut butter, but I think the oats dry them out.
Yum, yum! I love this combination. They seemed a little dry though. Next time I won't bake quite as long. And they do take some extra work to make the frosting and to let the chocolate cool before you frost. But overall, they are worth the time!
The frosting and the chocolate layer makes this ALMOST too sweet...but everyone loves it!!!
Very, Very YUMMY! Only changes I made was using less chocolate chips and added some into the batter and the rest melted on top. YUM! We all loved them. The peanut butter frosting is a bit on the sweet side, but very good nonetheless.
Doubled the peanut butter topping and was pretty good, but no one really liked the "cookie" part. Won't be making again.
Delicious. The topping was the perfect combination. I would not change a thing.
This recipe was fast and easy to make. We love anything with peanut butter and chocolate. This is a great tasting cookie-bar. I found that it became very dry and crumbly. The chocolate seperated from the cookie part and made it difficult to eat without a fork. Otherwise it's Yummy.
Needed to add more milk to mix the icing than what the recipie called for. I really thought 4 cups of powdered sugar was a bit much. The icing would have been better if it wasn't so thick. All & all, the bars were ok.
Totally delicious! I made these exactly as written in the recipe up until the end, where I spread my own recipe of peanut butter frosting over the melted and cooled chocolate chip layer. I will be making these again for sure, so good! Thank you for sharing this tasty gem!
I'm only giving this 4 stars because if I had made it as stated it would have been WAAAYYY too sweet. The base was perfect. I added the chocolate chips on top, but skipped the icing. 2 out of my 3 kids asked me to cut the chocolate off b/c it was too sweet, so thank goodness I didn't do the icing -- that would've just been too much. So the crux of my review is this -- the bottom part of this bar is all you need .
This was very easy to make. My choc chips didn't melt even after leaving them in the oven for 15 minutes which, stupid me, made my bars REALLY crisp. I will make again!!! Thanks for sharing!
These remind me of the ones you had in the school cafeteria, yet they are not quite the same. Very good, I cut back on the chocolate after making these the first time around and also like others, added a bit of peanut butter to the chocolate to make it less stiff. Very good recipe. (Not too sweet as other have suggested, just right. These are not meant for you to have a 4X4 size piece, but a very small couple of bites.)
5 stars for flavor-yum! I did not do the layer of chocolate chips, instead, I added the chips into the cookie base(only about 1 cup-my preference). I checked the bars at 17 min & they were already over done.Once cooled,I toppped w/the frosting but had to make an entire 2nd batch of frosting to cover the bars. Would definately be a 5 star recipe w/the correct cooking time & frosting amt!
Yummy just like the ones we used to eat at school. The only change I made is that I put the peanut butter icing on first before the chocolate chips. I didn't bake it for any additional time and then I melted the chips in a microwave bowl and spread on top.
These rich bars were a hit with coworkers. I subbed PB chips for the chocoloate chips for pure peanut butter bliss. Baked very nicely--producing a buttery, chewy bar. Next time, I will make with the chocolate as specified, as I'm sure they will be even more amazing!
These were really good and easy to make. I took them to work and their was only one bar left by noon. I got a lot of compliments. Will be making them again.
I can't say enough good things about these! This is the best bar cookie I have ever eaten. The oatmeal cookie part is so good I could even eat it plain, except then I would miss out on the yummy chocolate and icing part!
I love this recipe!! It doesn't have too much peanut butter that it sticks to your mouth, but it has just enough to make your mouth water!
My bars are cooling right now. The recipe sounds yummy so I decided to try it. An easier way to spread the mix in the pan is spray some oil on your hand and evenly press it. I had a hard time getting my choco. chips to melt. So, I just took them off and put them in the microwave with a little milk. Made it easier to spread. Hopefully it turns out like everyone is raving about.
I was very disappointed in this recipe. There was actually too much chocolate, if you can believe that! The strong flavor of the semi-sweet chips totally overpowers the peanut butter. Net time I will use milk chocolate chips and only use half the bag.
OMG! It was so good! turned out great! I made it for my fiddle group and they all loved it! Great recipe and everyone should try it!
I love these bars. The only thing I would do differently is double the peanut butter frosting. It should be thicker. I will try that next time. This was a simple recipe with delicious results.
One of the best bar cookie recipes I've tried. Doesn't last very long!
These were wonderful for a family who loves peanut butter and chocolate! I made them exactly by the recipe and loved them. They were eaten way too fast!
Just what i was looking for.Simple,Tasty and everyone loved them.Will make again :))
Not the best bar cookie ever but pretty good. The bars were too hard to cut when they were refrigerated but the peanut butter frosting melted when it wasn't refrigerated. This could be because I used natural peanut butter. I ended up cutting them after they sat out for a while and then kept them in the fridge.
I thought it was just ok. The bottom part was not peanuty enough and the choc chips didn't spread well. The icing was tasty. Overall, I won't be bothering with it again. I will continue my search for the perfect peanut butter bar.
These are delicious! However, I reduced the quantity of chocolate chips to 1 cup. Also, I reduced the confec. sugar in the icing to 1/2 a cup.
These were great and easy to make.
Hello Kate. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Like a lot of other people I’m in love with baked peanut butter anything! So thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us :-) I rated it 4 stars only because the chocolate chips didn’t melt as expected. I WILL make this again changing only HOW the chips are melted- double boiler. Cheers
Great taste - just expected the 'base' to be brownie-like consistancy. The 'base' was crumply so I will try adding another egg to help 'hold things together' next time around. Husband and the firefighters LOVED them.
Very tasty...huge hit! My only suggestion is that when you put the chocolate chips on top of the 1st layer, spread them around before you put it back into the oven. My chips were hard to spread after being in the oven for 8 minutes. I would have spread them and let them melt first and then bake the additional 8 minutes.
Came out a tad bit too crumbly and dry rather than being moist and chewy. Might play with proportions.
I made these bars to take to a family gathering because I wanted something that would travel well. These bars more than met that requirement. The recipe puzzled me a little. It didn't seem like enough mixture to fit in an 13 x 9 inch baking pan but it did. I added a couple tablespoons of water, and once it baked, it looked fine. I would recommend spreading the chocolate chips out a little more evenly for the next step. I didn't. Mine were a little clumped but it didn't make any real difference. I only had crunchy peanut butter but it worked out fine. The topping was not spread evenly on the top but it added to the look. I put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours then cut the bars to put in a tin for the trip, layering the bars with wax paper. My family loved them.
These are fantastic if you love PB & chocolate! They are a nice change of pace in texture with the oats in the bar. I made as written with the exception of using Stevia in the raw for the white sugar & I only used the egg white part of the egg. I would definitely make them again, though I don't think they are the best dessert in terms of looks. My peanut butter frosting layer was quite thin and because I used chunky pb, it had weird bumps. I'm all about taste though, and these were quite the treat!
These are good but definitely nothing special. Simple flavors for a simple dessert. 2 cups chocolate chips is way too much.
Very good - nice and buttery. I did cut the chocolate chips in half as suggested by other reviewers; all I had on hand was mini chips. Instead of melting into a spreadable mixture, they cooked into hard little crumbles. I think maybe the oven should have been turned off for the final 8 minutes. I added enough milk to the peanut butter frosting so I could pour it over the cookie layer and tilt the dish until the frosting covered the entire surface.
Excellent! Excellent! Very quick and easy and my whole family loves them!
I probably won't make these again because the cookie part came out very hard - not chewy at all. When cutting the cookies tend to break apart. The good part about this recipe is the peanut butter icing - yum! I'll have to try that on other dessert ideas.
Pretty good, but nothing too exciting. The frosting was delicious though, I will maybe use that on another dessert of mine sometime.
This has become a favorite in my family...a must for every occasion!!! They love it!!!!!
I looooove peanut butter, so I wanted to try this bar, especially with all the great reviews. I'm so glad I tried them! I used chunky peanut butter, so I took into account the chunks of nuts by adding about an extra 50% to both measurements. I only used about half the amount of chocolate chips (in the interest of keeping healthy! =P), and I melted the peanut butter when I mixed the icing so it would be easier to blend. My 2-year old loves these bars, even the base! Usualy she eats the topping and leaves the base. A great recipe, thanks for sharing!
I'd have to say, being a sweetooth...these were devine!! Just the right amount of chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate was a little hard to deal with. As i read the reviews, i took someones advice and melted the choc. first then spread. As I was spreading the middle was still doughy. Got a little messy but all in all it turned out great. They are cooling as we speak but I already sneaked a bite! =)
