No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (with Video)

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A delicious no-bake peanut butter and chocolate dessert, these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a bake sale staple and always a welcome treat! If you’re a fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you’re going to love these Reese’s Bars!

These no-bake peanut butter bars are an indulgent and rich take on the classic Reese's PB Cup. Mix it up with white chocolate, sprinkles, or a hit of sea salt

Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

Is there any better dessert combination than chocolate and peanut butter?

(Shh, be quiet salted caramel… this post isn’t about you…)

I worked at a deli in university that sold peanut butter chocolate squares like these and charged some obscene amount of money for them – and despite the fact that the clientele was almost exclusively poor students, they sold out daily.

They were not merely a “square version” of a Reese’s PB Cup. These Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares were a richer, more satisfying dessert – and super easy to replicate at home (and for way cheaper than you buy them in a bakery).

This no-bake dessert recipe is also super easy for kids to help with and I’ve made it more than a couple times with my daycare kids to take home as a birthday treat for their parents.

We’ve had a lot of fun playing with this recipe – adding nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, caramel bits, sea salt, and trying out different nut butters and chocolate types (like this White Chocolate School Bar that I made for my friend Stacey’s site).

You can even add crushed Rice Krispie cereal for a fun twist on Buckeyes – Buckeye Bars!

Every version we’ve attempted has been delicious, but I keep coming back to the classic.

You will not believe how delicious these peanut butter chocolate dessert squares are - and only 10 minutes to make

This Peanut Butter Bliss Bar is awesome for an afternoon pick-me-up, for a no-bake playdate dessert, or just a fun after school treat. I’d even be happy to see them at a cookie exchange.

(Obviously, they aren’t a good choice anytime that allergies may be a concern, but there are plenty of opportunities for nut-friendly families to enjoy them.)

These bars also freeze well, so you can make a batch and freeze half for when you need a peanut butter chocolate fix. They can be tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap before being placed in your preferred air-tight freezer container (or freezer bag) and kept frozen for up to 3 months.

Do these bars need to be kept in the fridge? That really depends on the temperature or humidity of your home but I’ve had no problem keeping these out at room temperature. They do become softer a room temperature.

Are these peanut butter bars gluten-free? If you use gluten-free graham crackers and double-check all of your ingredients for no cross-contamination, these bars can absolutely be made gluten-free! (Please note that most graham crackers/graham cracker crumbs are not gluten-free so you will have to buy ones specifically labelled “gluten-free.”)

Can I use natural peanut butter to make these no bake peanut butter bars? I do have a natural and sugar-free version of these peanut butter squares coming up, but this recipe will not turn out great with natural peanut butter because the oil content is different. It will still taste great, but it will be messier and the chocolate layer may not stick to the peanut butter layer.

Do I have to use peanut butter? You can experiment with other shelf-stable nut butters: cashew, almond, etc. I’ve had great success with cashew butter but haven’t experimented beyond that.

PS – if you love peanut butter and chocolate, check out our Peanut Butter Chocolate Lasagna or our Homemade Snickers, too!

Check out our quick recipe video to see just how easy these Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars are to make, and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free recipe printable:

 

How to make peanut butter bliss bars, the best peanut butter and chocolate dessert bar recipe

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

  • Butter, melted – you can use ghee or browned butter in this recipe
  • Graham cracker crumbs – I do not recommend chocolate graham crackers, but honey or cinnamon would be fine
  • Powdered icing sugar – I do not recommend using white granulated sugar or brown sugar, as they can cause the peanut butter layer to be “gritty”
  • Creamy peanut butter – I like creamy peanut butter for the texture but you can use chunky peanut butter, or even an almond or cashew butter
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips – this gets the best “Reese-like taste” but if you prefer dark chocolate or white chocolate, you can use those instead
  • Coconut oil or shortening, optional – this helps soften the chocolate, but if you want a “hard crack” you can skip this ingredient
  • Good quality salt, optional

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: swap out the nut butter, chocolate type, or add in your favorite toppings for a customized dessert square.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

These no-bake peanut butter bars are an indulgent and rich take on the classic Reese's PB Cup. Mix it up with white chocolate, sprinkles, or a hit of sea salt

How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate School Bars

Line or grease a 9×9 casserole pan and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter, crumbs, sugar and peanut butter and stir to combine.

(Or you can alternatively mix in a food processor.)

Press into the casserole pan into an even layer.

In a microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and heat in 25 second bursts. Stir in between each heating until fully melted.

Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth out with an offset spatula.

Place in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours or overnight.

Cut into 9 squares and serve or package.

Pin this No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert:

These decadent no-bake peanut butter dessert bars are THE BEST peanut butter chocolate dessert, and so simple, kids can help make them

Grab your free printable recipe card for our peanut butter chocolate squares recipe:

Yield: 9 servings

Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

A delicious no-bake chocolate peanut butter bar that tastes just like a Reese's Cup! The quintessential peanut butter chocolate dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups graham crumbs
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil or shortening, optional

Instructions

  1. Line or grease a 9x9 casserole pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter, crumbs, sugar and peanut butter and stir to combine. (Or you can alternatively mix in a food processor.)
  3. Press into the casserole pan into an even layer.
  4. In a microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate chips and heat in 25 second bursts. Stir in between each heating until fully melted.
  5. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth out with an offset spatula.
  6. Place in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours or overnight.
  7. Cut into 9 squares and serve or package.

Notes

You can swap out the peanut butter for cashew or almond butter. Avoid using natural peanut butters for best results.

If you want more texture, add crushed rice cereal, shredded coconut, sprinkles, etc.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 642Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 308mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 4gSugar: 51gProtein: 9g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

These no-bake peanut butter chocolate dessert squares are a delicious treat for true PB & Chocolate lovers – they make a great playdate treat or after school snack and are easy enough for kids to help make.

For more delicious PB Chocolate desserts, check out our No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Lush or our Reese’s PB Cup Stuffed Chocolate Cookies.

Check out some of our other No Bake Recipes:

No Bake Recipes
These no-bake peanut butter bars are an indulgent and rich take on the classic Reese's PB Cup. Mix it up with white chocolate, sprinkles, or a hit of sea salt You will not believe how delicious these peanut butter chocolate dessert squares are - and only 10 minutes to make These no-bake peanut butter bars are an indulgent and rich take on the classic Reese's PB Cup. Mix it up with white chocolate, sprinkles, or a hit of sea salt These decadent no-bake peanut butter dessert bars are THE BEST peanut butter chocolate dessert, and so simple, kids can help make them How to make peanut butter bliss bars, the best peanut butter and chocolate dessert bar recipe You will not believe how delicious these no bake peanut butter chocolate dessert squares are - and only 10 minutes to make These decadent no-bake peanut butter dessert bars are THE BEST peanut butter chocolate dessert, and so simple, kids can help make them

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17 Comments

  1. Maybe it’s because I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 (so my chocolate was a little thicker), but do you ever have a problem with the chocolate cracking when you cut the bars. They tasted delicious but looked like a wreck. ?

    1. Did you add the coconut oil to the chocolate? I have only had that issue when using straight chocolate with nothing to soften it. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out perfectly!

      1. Yes, I added shortening. They tasted so good that I don’t think anyone cared that they didn’t look picturesque. I’m just a perfectionist haha! I’ll try them again sometime in the square pan. Thanks for the recipe!

  2. I made these to take to a family get together and everyone loved them. It would definitely be dangerous to have a whole pan of these at home with me. I had tried a similar recipe one time and they were not nearly as good. Thank you for the great recipe!

  3. These are delicious, but not sure what I did wrong… they were very crumbly and messy. The bottom layer separated from the chocolate when I cut them and everything fell apart!

    I see another version that uses more butter and more PB. I will try that recipe next time.

    1. Hi Gigi,
      I’ve never had that issue and no one has ever mentioned that (it’s been a few years since I posted this recipe and it has a few thousand views a month).
      I’m wondering if the peanut butter was the issue – if it was too oily, it could have prevented the pb layer from sticking to the chocolate, and could have prevented the graham cracker layer from setting up properly. Do you mind me asking which brand? (I don’t think natural PBs would work in this recipe.)

  4. Hi there. Just wondering if I could use digestive biscuits instead. Anyone know what weight their cookies were before you crushed them?? Thanks ?

    1. I think digestive biscuits would work, the moisture content seems to be the same. I’m not sure on weight but this isn’t a really technical recipe so if your measurements are slightly different due to UK conversions, it shouldn’t be a problem as long as your crust “batter” looks like ours in the pictures.

  5. Is the 2 cup measurement for the Graham crackers correct? Mine were just crumbs, trying to add another stick of butter, as this is way not right. Seems like too much sugar or too much crumbs…

    1. Hi Jennifer,
      Yes the measurements are correct, however I find that different brands of graham cracker crumbs have different flavors and textures. I always buy the Honeymaid brand – I like the flavor better and find it lasts longer than the store brands. So, if you’re using a different brand, you may need to play with the butter amount a bit to get that same “wet sand” texture you see in the pictures and video.

  6. I just made these, TWICE this week. My first batch, the graham layer came out crumbly but I think I had a Tb. or two over two cups crumbs and I had crushed them with a rolling pin in a zip lock. The second time time I crushed the crackers in the food processor with 1/4 cup of Swerve ‘brown sugar’ and 1/4 cup of granulated sucralose, (diabetic household). Just blended it all together to a fine crumb. Melted the butter and mixed the peanut butter in with the melted butter again, then mixed that into the crumbs and got the “wet sand” result. No crumbling graham layer this time. Also tried the chocolate layer both ways and the one with the cocnut oil didn’t crack quite as easily. Either way, they were delicious. Even the crumbly ones! Thanks for sharing!

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