A 5-ingredient dessert recipe everyone will rave about

Some recipes seem too good to be true. This recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars may very well be one of those recipes!

It is super simple with just five ingredients and has been a hit with everyone I’ve ever made it for.

I recently made three batches for our church youth group and they were gobbled up in a snap.

Why cookie bars instead of cookies

While I’m certainly the cookie maker in my family and love a good cookie, my mom life most appreciates cookie bars for one huge reason: they are easier.

There is no baking in batches and dolloping dough onto cookie sheets. Instead, you whip up the batter, put it in one pan, bake it, let it cool and swiftly cut it apart.

It doesn’t get much easier. When you are feeding a bigger crowd or just have a busy schedule (who doesn’t?!) cookie bars can be a quick and easy go-to dessert.

This peanut butter chocolate cookie bars recipe is ideal for all those reasons.

Making the batter

The big secret behind the ease of this recipe is the base is a yellow boxed cake mix. Brand doesn’t even matter for the cake mix either. I buy whatever is cheapest whether it’s store brand or a name brand on sale.

In a large mixing bowl, add the yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup peanut butter. If you want some additional texture, chunky peanut butter should also work. I just always use creamy for personal preference.

Mix them together until completely combined.

Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

You can make this batter stirring by hand or with your mixer, whichever you prefer. I do it both ways.

Baking the cookie bars

Put the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Spread it out evenly in the pan.

If your chocolate chips aren’t sticking well in your batter, just mix them in by hand or plop them on top of the batter and push them down a bit.

I usually have about a dozen chocolate chip stragglers I do this with.

Bake the peanut butter chocolate cookie bars at 350-degrees (F) for 14 to 17 until until lightly golden brown.

Cut and serve

Let the bars cool for about 10 minutes and then cut them into squares and serve!

Store them in an airtight container for as long as they last. Around my house, they don’t last more than 24 hours at most!