Peanut Butter Frosted Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars

11/11/13

Chocolate chip sugar cookie bars, slathered with creamy peanut butter frosting. This is what sugar cookie bar dreams are made of!

The Bug loves cookies. And chocolate.  The Bug also loves peanut butter, and he also has no attention span.  So for Mama Monday and the kickoff of #CookieWeek, the perfect recipe for he and I to bake together is Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars with Peanut Butter Frosting!

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Welcome to Cookie Week my little cookie monsters! Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen and Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic have joined together this week with 23 of their blog friends to present to you a week of cookie treats! We have every type of cookie recipe you can think of listed this week, including something for our furry friends!

Now is the time to bookmark these recipes for the upcoming holidays and cookie swaps!

Last year I told you about The Bug’s issues with baking, and why instead of the more detail oriented drop cookies or cut out cookies, we opt for Sugar Cookie Bars.  Well this year I wanted to come up with a new version.  And since it is something he and I do together, I wanted to use some of his favorite ingredients.  And while I rave up and down about how much he likes things like cauliflower and roasted broccoli and salmon, but really, all he wants is chocolate chips and peanut butter.

One time.  ONE TIME The Hubby made him a waffle with peanut butter and chocolate chips on top for breakfast, and now he asks for it all the time.  Much to his disappointment, he gets a bowl of yogurt and fruit or some oatmeal.  Sorry kid.

But, you know, cookies are a special treat, and I mainly only bake cookies for Christmas, so Christmas Cookies are a really special treat.  Since these are destined for the freezer till closer to Christmas, they are, technically, Christmas Cookies!  So I figured I’d turn plain old Sugar Cookie Bars in to The Bug’s Ultimate Sugar Cookie Bar – which naturally meant chocolate chips and peanut butter frosting!!

And of course his favorite part – sprinkling some mini chips and sprinkles on top!  OK, I lied.  His favorite part is eating them.

NOTE: you’ll notice some of my chocolate chip sugar cookie bars look a little doughier.

I think my oven is heating unevenly, but to tell you the truth, I kinda love underdone cookies!

Look how seriously he takes his sprinkling duties!  And how proud he was of the finished product!  (Really he was just trying to get close enough to take a bite of what he thought was one giant cookie all for him.  He did get to sample one or two, but the rest are now frozen till late December!

Now enough about my kid and chocolate chip sugar cookie bars.

What is your favorite cookie to bake during the holidays or for cookie swaps?

Enjoy the peanut butter frosted chocolate chip sugar cookie bars. Here’s the recipe!

5 from 1 vote

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Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars with Peanut Butter Frosting

An easy recipe to make with the kids, the addition of chocolate chips and peanut butter frosting make basic sugar cookie bars more fun and yummy!

Course: Bars, Cookies, Dessert

Servings: 6 -7 dozen

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 5 c flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 c 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Peanut Butter Frosting see below, or whatever frosting you like
• Optional sprinkles mini chocolate chips or peanut butter cups, etc.

For the frosting:

• 1/2 c 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 c creamy peanut butter
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 2-3 T milk

Instructions

For the cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease or line a 13x18 inch baking pan with parchment paper (I use the parchment to make them easier to remove).
2. Sift or whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the butter and sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and cream with stand mixed or hand mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and mix well.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Spread the dough on the prepared pan (I spray a spatula and sometimes my hand with cooking spray to do this).
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean (it won't look done, so use the toothpick test).
10. Cool completely, then frost and decorate as desired.
11. Cut into small squares.

For the frosting:

1. Beat together the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy.
2. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.
3. Increase mixer speed, and add milk, 1 T at a time, to achieve desired consistency.
4. Beat until light and fluffy.

Recipe Notes

Sugar Cookie Bars adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Peanut Butter Frosting is from The Real Housemoms

Do you love chocolate and peanut butter as much as The Bug?  I’ve got you covered.

• The Bug’s Ultimate {healthier} Funky Monkey Cupcakes
• Chocolate & Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt Bars
• Salted Caramel Chocolate PB Krispie Bars

Plus here are all of today’s fabulous #CookieWeek recipes from my awesome bloggy pals!

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