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Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars

Chewy dessert bars layered with fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and peanut butter chips. Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars are easy to make and are totally addictive.

Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars

Soooo tell me I am not alone in shamelessly dunking my apple slices into the peanut butter jar.

It’s like… dream snacking. Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy. Apples and peanut butter are all the good things.

Sometimes I even call apples and peanut butter lunch. Because protein. So basically these are protein bars.

Just kidding.

They will test you though, these bars. Not eating the whole pan is an exercise in self control.

I finally caved last week and had TV service installed. My 7 or 8 year hiatus was finally broken down by a flaky Hulu app and a fancy talking sales rep named Nancy.

I really liked Nancy.

Apple Bars with Peanut Butter

So between Nancy’s job skills and Chad doing Yes!-Now-I-Can-Watch-UFC cartwheels around the room, my cable-ban resolve went right out the window.

Now we have to practice a new kind of self control which involves taking in home improvement channels in tiny little doses so that I don’t spend my days obsessing over all the things in my house that ARE NOT DONE.

Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars

I was going to tell you that it would be easier to not eat a whole pan of these Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars, but that would be a lie.

These bars win.

I can’t remember where I found this recipe originally, just that a version of it was one of my very first posts back in 2011. Since then I have added things and taken others away, changed up the pan size and increased the bake time. The result in a crazy good cookie bar loaded with fresh apples and peanut butter chips, that is seriously so delicious you will have to give them away for the sake of wearing non-elastic pants.

Cookie Bars with Apples and Peanut Butter

5.0 from 2 reviews
Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
  • ½ cupunsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups chopped apples (See Note)
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9 X 9 baking dish.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then stir in the vanilla.
  3. In another bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingretients. Then stir in the apples, peanut butter chips, and pecans.
  5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan (the batter will be THICK).
  6. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, and then cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
I prefer a firm, more tart apple to balance the sweetness - Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, etc. Also, when I chop the apples for these bars I usually slice them thinly (like for a pie) and then cut up the slices into rough 1" pieces.

This post was also part of the Leftovers Club! Every month a group of bloggers gets together to mail each other goodies. We post the recipes here. In theory all these treats should mail well. If you’d like to participate you can learn more HERE.

See all the other treats we stuck in the mail below…


These Chewy Apple Peanut Butter Bars are simple to make and are loaded with cookie bar goodness. A favorite recipe no matter the time of year!
Rate this recipe:  

Lesa Davis N Indy, Ks

Wednesday 29th of July 2020

Amazing! Don’t cut tell cool! Hard to do, but it doesn’t work until they are cool! Trust me lol. These are amazing. I pressed the dough into my metal pan and looks pretty and taste SO good. Great recipe as is! And yes it taste peanut buttery! Thanks for this one to help use my apples from the farm.

Heather Tullos

Thursday 30th of July 2020

Thank you so much, Lesa!

Lesa n Indy Ks

Tuesday 28th of July 2020

I made it. Super simple. I used bottled lemon juice, I didn’t know how much so put in 1 1/2 T. I may have missed that part. Definitely oatmeal! And it was gooey, tart, crispy and sweet. I used apples from my trees. Half sweet and half tart. I cooked in the cast iron! Really looked perfect for my 9in pan. Great camp fire or fall night recipe. It’s a hot July day and my apples couldn’t wait. And that vanilla ice cream made it perfect! Great recipe! Simple to make and so yummy to eat! Thanks will definitely look for more great recipes from you. Sharing to FB!

Ian

Wednesday 8th of July 2020

If I want it to be vegan

Nancy Salmon

Friday 12th of July 2019

I've never tried this combination, but will definitely be trying it this weekend. I hold a brunch every Sunday at my house after church, so my "guinea pigs" will get to test these out. Thanks. Will let you know how they went over.

Heather Tullos

Monday 15th of July 2019

Thank you, Nancy! Hope they turned out well for you!

Carol Johnson

Sunday 22nd of November 2015

I used 1cup nutty peanut butter and it worked Great

Heather Tullos

Monday 23rd of November 2015

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know! Lots of readers check the comments for tips so I'm sure this will come in handy :)