Resee Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 Need an early Halloween fix? Love Reese's candies and Peanut Butter? 

Then these Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are just for you. 

Cook's Notes: 

A delicious peanut butter version of M&M Cookie Bars made with Reese’s Pieces, and a layer of creamy peanut butter baked right in. They are perfectly balanced with a 1:1 ratio of brown sugar and granulated sugar and an epic combination of peanut butter and chocolate. You get the soft, rich cookie bar center with a decadent layer of real peanut butter and the crispy texture on the edges. This is a must-try recipe. You can also press miniature Reese's candies (featured on the plate) into the cookie dough before baking. Yum and Yum!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1/2 pound)
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
• 1-1/2 cups Reese's Pieces plus more for topping
• Reese's candies and autumn sprinkles for topping 
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, warmed

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9 x 13 light colored cake pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set pan aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla extract.
• With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture to bowl and mix until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Stir in chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces.
• In a small saucepan, warm peanut butter over medium-low heat just until it reaches a pourable consistency.
• Transfer 1/2 of cookie dough to a lined cake pan and spread into an even layer. Pour peanut butter over the first layer of cookie dough and spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough all over the peanut butter layer. Use an offset spatula to carefully spread the top layer of cookie dough into an even layer.
• Sprinkle with additional mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Reese's Pieces and sprinkles. Bake for about 25 minutes, until cookie bars are light golden brown. Do not overbake. Cookie bars will continue cooking and set as they cool.

Baking Tip: Avoid overmixing the batter so the baked bars aren't dry.