Molly Beth’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars

LAST UPDATED: February 15, 2021 | PUBLISHED: November 14, 2019 | By Becca Mills | 33 Comments
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Molly Beth Bars – thick, soft cookie bars filled with the trifecta: peanut butter, chocolate, and oats. This easy dessert recipe is an instant hit!

cut chocolate chip bars with knife next to them

These cookie bars have withstood the test of time. They’re a classic family favorite, and they were the FIRST EVER recipe post on Fork in the Kitchen.

HELLO, NOSTALGIA.

Regardless of what your childhood was like, I’m willing to take a gamble that the combination of gooey peanut butter, melty chocolate, and chewy oats is going to take you immediately to your kid-favorite happy place.

These bars just do that to you.

server holding up a chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bar

They’re the combination of ultimate comfort, sweet-tooth-fix, and childhood favorites.

They’re addictingly delicious.

They’re basically your dream come true.

Yes, yes they are. You know, I know it, and there’s absolutely no denying it.

Now, despite the original photos being ahem, very very beginner, somehow these babies spread like wildfire a few months back on Pinterest. Knowing how they hit the spot for basically any occasion (potluck? weeknight craving? holiday dessert?) they needed a make-over to spread the word further.

overhead view of peanut butter cookie bars with chocolate chips on top

But there’s no way I’m leaving out the origin story for Molly Beth Bars (their actual name). So without further ado…

The Story Behind Molly Beth Bars

As mentioned, these bars are a classic family favorite.

I’m talking as much a part of my childhood as the classic peanut butter and jelly. As much as ice cream cones on hot summer nights, As much as – no, actually more than – chocolate chip cookies.

Even before my time, they were a family tradition. My mom’s older sister, Mandy, had a recipe from girl scouts. As it evolved over the years, no one could remember the actual name of the recipe, and we referred to them as Mandy Bars.

close up of uncut chocolate chip cookie bars

That is until I was in high school when I was eating these bars on a regular basis.

My mom continued to evolve the bars (need I say more chocolate chips? and peanut butter?) each time my brother and I ~~begged~~ politely asked her to make them.

Thus, grew the name Molly Beth Bars, after my mom, and her now-famous cookie bar legacy.

There was a period of time when these bars were made weekly, only to maybe last to the next day.

cut peanut butter bars with melted chocolate pulling

Luckily, I would often dig into a warm pan of gooey, melty bars after hours of dance practice, which made me feel like I could justify downing half of a pan in one sitting. No joke.

Unfortunately, those dance days are long gone, but I have this magic power of justifying chocolate – anytime, anywhere.

Late-night chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bar cravings, here I come!

How to Make the Ultimate Cookie Bars

Disclaimer: once you make these for dessert, you will not be able to stop.

The benefit though is that they are so dang easy to make. One mixing bowl, an electric mixer, and a spatula later, you’ll have these indulgent bars baking away in the oven.

The simple ingredient list goes like this:

butter
flour
granulated and brown sugar
baking soda
vanilla
egg
creamy peanut butter
oats
chocolate chips

You will notice the word heaping gets used a lot. That’s because the beauty of this recipe is that you definitely want to overflow the peanut butter and chocolate chip measuring cups.

That is not a science. No, that’s an art, and my friends, the more the better.

stack of cookie bars with gooey chocolate

The hardest part is waiting for them to cool ever so slightly so they don’t crumble apart.

This may or may not work for me. I give you full permission to dig in and eat the crumbles with a fork, bar be gone until later (when you’re ready for round two).

Yes, you’ve been warned, eat these babies just warm out of the oven and you have my full permission to indulge freely. No judgment here for consuming more than what others may deem as “socially acceptable”.

overhead bars spread around with one on its side showing gooey chocolate next to a knife

Seriously, make them and you’ll understand. When it comes to these bars, you cannot go wrong. Unless of course, you’re not eating them. Then that’s nearly a sin.

More Dessert Bar Recipes

If you love easy recipes, ones that include sugar specifically, you’ve gotta check these out, too!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!