Peeps Cookie Bars

Peeps Cookie Bars

Bake playful Peeps Cookie Bars with golden cookie layers and gooey pastel marshmallow pockets. Make, slice, and share.

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Yield12

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat and prepare the pan

Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan by greasing it lightly or lining it with a strip of parchment so the finished bars lift out cleanly. This step sets you up for easy removal later — a simple, steady start before anything sticky happens.

Step 2: Cream butter and brown sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and packed light brown sugar together until smooth and shiny, about a few minutes of steady mixing. You want a dense, slightly glossy paste where the sugar has dissolved into the butter, the texture airy but still substantial — the backbone of the cookie bars.

Step 3: Beat in egg and vanilla

Beat a large egg and a generous tablespoon of vanilla extract into the creamed butter-sugar until fully incorporated and slightly emulsified. The mixture should loosen to a cohesive, slightly glossy batter that holds together when lifted with a spatula.

Step 4: Whisk dry ingredients together

In a separate bowl whisk the all-purpose flour with baking soda and salt until evenly distributed and aerated. This dry mix should be fine and powdery with no visible lumps, ready to be folded into the wet base.

Step 5: Combine dry and wet until just mixed

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, folding and mixing just until combined — avoid overworking. The finished cookie dough should be dense and pliable, a bit sticky but with a firm structure that will spread and hold marshmallows in place.

Step 6: Fold in chopped nuts if using

If you’re using pecans or walnuts, fold in the chopped nuts now so they’re evenly distributed through the dough, adding a subtle crunch and flecks of warm brown against the tan dough.


Step 7: Spread half the dough in the pan

Press roughly half of the cookie dough evenly into the prepared 9x13 pan, smoothing it into the corners so you have a compact, even base. The dough should be thick enough to form a sturdy bottom layer but soft enough to press with a spatula.

Step 8: Arrange Peeps halves over the dough

Place the Peeps, each cut in half, evenly across the dough base—bright rows of pastel marshmallow sitting directly on the dough. The candy should be snug on the surface, colorfully peppering the base without sinking completely.

Step 9: Cover with remaining dough

Dollop and then gently spread the remaining dough over the Peeps, using a lightly floured spatula to press and seal the top so the marshmallow sits sandwiched and will melt into sweet pockets during baking.

Step 10: Bake until golden and set

Bake the assembled pan for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. The marshmallow will puff and meld into the dough, creating glossy, slightly browned patches where the Peeps meet the cookie.

Step 11: Cool completely, cut, and serve

Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan so the layers set and the marshmallow pockets stabilize, then lift out on the parchment and cut into rectangular squares for serving. Enjoy slices with visible layers: golden cookie base, gooey pastel marshmallow, and a slightly browned exterior.


Notes