Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are some of the best brownies you’ll ever eat and certainly some of our favorites. We love these delicious peanut butter chocolate chip bars! They have a wonderful peanut butter texture by using extra crunchy peanut butter. Then semi sweet chocolate chips are swirled into that lovely peanut butter batter making a heavenly delight from this combination. They’re chewy, crunchy, and oh, so delectable.

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Peanut Butter Swirl Bars is one of our favorite cookie recipes and has been for almost 40 years. Next to our “Chunky Blond Brownies” recipe I have made these delicious bars more than any other recipe–probably hundreds of times. No kidding!

It’s SO quick and easy to throw together. I can have a pan of this bar whipped up and ready to put in the oven in about 5-7 minutes.

We’ve made this recipe almost every year for 35 years for our annual Christmas cookie extravaganza where we bake anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 cookies, brownies or bars for family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and folks at our church. Everybody loves this recipe. It’s especially kid-friendly. And the taste–absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

I first got this recipe off the back of a Nestle’s chocolate chip package around 1975–even before I got married. I remember trying it the first time when I was 18 or 19 and I didn’t understand what inserting a knife into the dough to marbleize meant! I just stuck the knife into the bottom of the pan in several spots. (Talk about culinarily-challenged!)

It was a couple of years later when I finally figured out marbleizing meant to swirl the knife into the batter and mix the chocolate with the peanut butter batter. I’m so glad I didn’t throw the recipe out because it didn’t work for me the first time! Through the years I have pretty much followed the recipe as written without changes–one of the few recipes I have ever done that with!

When I first posted this recipe in November 2012, my pictures were not the best. Some of them were posed on dark-colored plates with a design that was very busy and not conducive to photography. I recently remade this recipe (October 2014) for our Christmas Cookie Extravaganza, 2014 and put them in the freezer until we packed them up in cookie containers for shipping and delivery.

Like I’ve stated before, we make these brownies all the time. I remade them for a Disciple Now Weekend at our church and gave these goodies to our freshman high school girls. I’ve updated the pictures again (January 2017) and hopefully you’ll be able to see how wonderful these brownies are.

One of the key directions for making this recipe is not to overcook the brownies. They take almost 20 minutes exactly in my oven after I’ve swirled them with the knife. If you bake them much longer than that the chocolate melts too much and actually becomes too gooey. The chocolate chips and swirls hold their pattern better if you don’t over-bake them. These chocolaty brownies are so delicious and decadent. I’m sure they’ll become one of your favorites too.

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are our favorite chocolate chip and peanut butter bars. I’ve made this yummy dessert hundreds of times through the years.

Don’t Peanut Butter Swirl Bars look wonderful? The texture is terrific.

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are filled with extra crunchy peanut butter and semi sweet chocolate chips are swirled throughout the batter making this a chocolate chip peanut butter delight! 

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients to make Peanut Butter Swirl Bars.

Soften butter and put in a mixing bowl.  Add crunchy peanut butter (not creamy — no exceptions!), brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder and vanilla.

Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods.

Stir all ingredients together with a wooden spoon and combine well.

Spray 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cookie dough into prepared dish. Spread a package of Ghirardelli’s chocolate chips over top of batter and bake in preheated 350 oven for 5 minutes.

After baking the bars for 5 minutes remove from oven. The chocolate chips will have softened slightly. Using a knife, swirl the knife through the batter in twirls and swirling pattern until the entire pan has been swirled.  Gently swirl in 3-4″ swirling patterns. If you over-swirl the batter you won’t be able to see any peanut butter!)

Bake at 350 15-20 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t overbake or the chocolate will melt too much and the chips and marbleized chocolate won’t hold it’s shape very well.

Here’s a plate of Peanut Butter Swirl Bars.  Is this your plate or mine?

These are so quick and easy to bake. You can have a pan of Peanut Butter Swirl Bars ready to put in your oven in about 5 minutes!

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are great for tailgating parties, baby showers, office parties and potlucks. Everyone always loves them.

Here’s the recipe.

PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL BARS

(From the back of a Nestle chocolate chip package)

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars

Teresa Ambra

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars have been some of our favorite brownies for decades. This vintage recipe is so quick and easy to make, plus it uses two of your favorite ingredients. Chocolate and Peanut Butter! This one has a crunchy peanut butter dough and softened chocolate chips swirled gently into the batter to marbleize. These bars are perfect for tailgating parties, potlucks, soccer or gymnastics practice or even holiday baking. No one ever turns these brownies down!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 224 kcal

Equipment

• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 9x13" glass baking dish
• 1 spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients, except chips and spread into a greased 9x13" glass baking dish.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Place in 350° oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven; run knife through in swirling patterns to marbleize.
• Return to oven.
• Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes more--until set but not so that chocolate overmelts and becomes gooey.
• Cool; cut into bars.

Notes

NOTE: Try not to be heavy handed when swirling the softened chocolate chips into the batter. You want to be able to see the peanut butter and not just the chocolate.

 

NOTE: These brownies only need to be baked about 15-20 minutes after swirling the slightly melted chocolate chips into the batter. Overbaking causes the chocolate to melt too much and becomes so gooey that the chocolate chips and swirls will not hold their shape very well.

 

Recipe adapted from the back of a Nestle chocolate chip package.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 78mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 148IUCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

Keyword brownie, chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chips, chocolate dessert, cookie, dessert, peanut butter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are great for holiday baking, too. 

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars are loaded with marbleized chocolate chips and crunchy peanut butter and make one very scrumptious and decadent brownie.

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

White Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter Bars  

Buddy Bars

Peanut Blossoms

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars

Teresa Ambra

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars have been some of our favorite brownies for decades. This vintage recipe is so quick and easy to make, plus it uses two of your favorite ingredients. Chocolate and Peanut Butter! This one has a crunchy peanut butter dough and softened chocolate chips swirled gently into the batter to marbleize. These bars are perfect for tailgating parties, potlucks, soccer or gymnastics practice or even holiday baking. No one ever turns these brownies down!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 224 kcal

Equipment

• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 9×13" glass baking dish
• 1 spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients, except chips and spread into a greased 9×13″ glass baking dish.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Place in 350° oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven; run knife through in swirling patterns to marbleize.
• Return to oven.
• Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes more–until set but not so that chocolate overmelts and becomes gooey.
• Cool; cut into bars.

Notes

NOTE: Try not to be heavy handed when swirling the softened chocolate chips into the batter. You want to be able to see the peanut butter and not just the chocolate.

 

NOTE: These brownies only need to be baked about 15-20 minutes after swirling the slightly melted chocolate chips into the batter. Overbaking causes the chocolate to melt too much and becomes so gooey that the chocolate chips and swirls will not hold their shape very well.

 

Recipe adapted from the back of a Nestle chocolate chip package.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 224kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 78mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 148IUCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

Keyword brownie, chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chips, chocolate dessert, cookie, dessert, peanut butter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!