Last updated on April 3rd, 2025

Ingredients
Dietary Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
Related Recipes
More Bar recipes

These Payday Cookie Bars are a rich “candy-like” dessert with a cookie base layer from cake mix, smothered with toasted marshmallows and topped with candied peanuts. They are a gooey confection that perfectly balances sweet and salty easy-to-make dessert, perfect for potlucks or indulging in a taste of nostalgia.

Upon doing research, I found a couple variations of this cookie bar. One version calls for yellow cake mix as the base layer often called “Payday Bars”. Another popular version was for “Payday Candy Bars” which is a copycat recipe to make a homemade Payday candy bar.

My vintage inspiration.

This handwritten recipe was given to me from my Nana who received it sometime in the early 1970’s. I’ve taken this vintage recipe from the early 70’s and baked it modern. This modern version of Payday Cookie Bars is made with natural ingredients with a base layer of a homemade cake mix, marshmallows and topped with a layer of sweet, chunky peanuts.

How I baked it modern.

The original recipe calls for a boxed yellow cake mix. Cake mixes can be filled with artificial ingredients and additives, so try to find an all-natural brand if possible. If you don’t have a boxed cake mix on hand, you can make your own with a few basic pantry ingredients like flour, sugar, and leavening agents. Here is my recipe for Homemade Cake Mix.
The original recipe calls for margarine, however, the all-natural flavor of butter tastes so much better! Margarine is a processed blend of oil, with a higher water content than butter, thus changing the texture of baked goods.
The original recipe calls for Karo syrup. To help balance the sweetness, I’ve replaced a portion of the Karo with all-natural chunky peanut butter.
The original recipe calls for 12 oz. peanut butter chips, however, I used chunky peanut butter instead. Peanut butter chips contain sugar, oil and artificial flavor and lack peanut butter flavor once melted down.

Ingredients

cake mix: Using a box cake mix makes for a quick and easy cookie base. However, most boxed cake mixes are filled with artificial ingredients and additives. Try to find an all-natural brand or make your own.

Homemade Cake Mix

Check out this recipe

butter: American butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.

peanut butter: Ideally, look for either “all-natural” peanut butter which is typically made with just peanuts and a bit of salt. If purchasing regular peanut butter, look for one that has “fully hydrogenated oil”, minimal trans fats and no high fructose corn syrup. Some peanut butters may be labeled as “natural”, but they are actually a “Peanut Butter Spread” that contains palm oil. Homemade peanut butter is so easy to make from fresh roasted, salted peanuts in which you just place in food processor and blend to desired consistency. MAKE YOUR OWN! Simply purchase roasted peanuts that are lightly-salted or no-salt peanuts. Use a food processor and grind them 2-3 minutes to find the consistency you like. Store in the fridge up to 3 weeks.

peanuts: Peanuts are legumes that grow underground and are rich in protein, healthy fats and fiber. Look for “dry roasted” variety with either “no-salt” or “lightly-salted” on the label. Be sure to read the label because most brands that are “dry roasted, salted” may contain added ingredients like savory or sweet spices, msg, or sugar.

rice krispies cereal: This breakfast cereal is made from puffed rice that has been cooked and toasted to create a light, crispy texture with a bit of sweetness.

corn syrup: Corn syrup is a glucose-based simple sugar made from cornstarch that is primarily used to prevent crystallization in candy, which causes a gritty texture. It can also improve texture and shelf-life of candy and baked goods. It should not be confused with high fructose corn syrup.

marshmallows: Marshmallows are a fluffy confection made from sugar, corn syrup, water, and gelatin. Some variations may use egg whites instead of gelatin. For the best flavor, use all-natural marshmallows, as many popular conventional brands have artificial flavors and additives.

vanilla extract: Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, enhancing the depth of flavor to baked goods. Always use a high-quality, all-natural brand that is made from real vanilla beans containing at least 35% alcohol. MAKE YOUR OWN! Purchase (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 oz. of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.

Dietary Substitutions

For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

Here are some tips for gluten free baking

Use a premium gluten-free cake mix.
Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
Add 1-2 tablespoons additional liquid to help hydrate the flour.
Reduce the oven temperature by 25°, as gluten-free flour is delicate and could burn before the center is done.
Gluten-free baked goods dry out quickly, so put them in a sealed container right away.

TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE

To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.
Swap out the butter with unsalted vegan butter sticks.
Replace marshmallows with Dandies.

Equipment

Recommended tools: (affiliate links)

Storage

If Baked: Cover in air-tight container and leave on counter up to 3 days.

To freeze, cover in saran wrap and place in freezer-safe container up to 6 months. Thaw on counter in the container for 1/2 hour before opening up the container.