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No bake peanut butter bars recipe
If you love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, then this recipe is for you. Our no bake peanut butter bars are easy to make and only require 5 ingredients. Start making them now and you’ll be enjoying a delicious treat in just 30 minutes!
Peanut Butter No Bake Bars
While lots of recipes for cookies and bars only take a few minutes to put together, you still need to wait while they bake which can sometimes take double the time! In addition, turning your oven on and waiting for it to preheat can be a pain, especially in the summer when you definitely do not want your kitchen heating up! So what should you do when you want delicious chocolate peanut butter bars but want them quickly and with no oven involved? Reach for our no-bake chocolate peanut butter bar recipe!
This recipe is not only super easy to make, requiring just 5 ingredients, but it is also very fast to put together. There is very little prep time, absolutely no cooking time and you can be cutting into these tasty peanut butter bars in no time! Get ready to have a new favorite recipe!
How to Make No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Putting this recipe together is very simple. In fact, I have made these peanut butter bars with my kids multiple times and it is a perfect recipe for the little ones to “help” with. Here is how our delicious recipe comes together in just a few minutes of time:
- Combine the graham crackers, powdered sugar, melted butter and peanut butter together in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to make it easy to combine the ingredients or just mix by hand.
- Press the peanut butter mix into a greased 9×13 pan, making it as even and compacted as possible.
- Melt the chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter in a small sauce pan or microwave.
- Spread the melted chocolate mix over the top of the peanut butter mix in the pan.
- Place the bars in the fridge until firm then slice and serve. Put the bars in the freezer to speed up the waiting time!
Seems like a recipe anyone could make! No matter if you are a novice baker or a professional pastry chef, these no-bake peanut butter bars are a dessert that you will love. Everyone loves this recipe and it only takes a little bit of time to put together.
Baking with Kids
If you have kids who like to help you in the kitchen, this is a perfect recipe to get them involved. The fact that there is no hot oven and no baking time involved is ideal for little helpers! Here are a few ways that your kids can help with these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars.
- Have them measure the ingredient into the bowl. The dry ingredients are especially easy for kids to measure with a measuring cup. Help younger kids use a cup to scoop and measure the ingredients and talk about volume and quantity of ingredients while you work together- it’s a total science and math lesson wrapped into one tasty treat!
- Let them stir the cup peanut butter, graham crackers and powdered sugar mix together.
- Have them press the peanut butter mixture into the pan.
- Let them spread the chocolate peanut butter topping across the bars.
- Have them “taste test” the peanut butter, powdered sugar and graham crackers mix- you have to make sure it tastes good! Since there are no eggs or raw ingredients, the peanut butter layer batter is totally safe to eat (and all kids love tasting things with sugar!).
Kids will have lots of fun making these bars and definitely enjoy eating them afterward. Just make sure to supervise the kids with the hot butter, melted chocolate and warm peanut butter- any hot ingredients should be used with caution! Our recipe for no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars is 100% kid-approved and they love the fact that there is no baking or waiting involved!
No Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe Options
There are a few ways that you can switch up this recipe and make it new and exciting. While we think our peanut butter bar recipe is perfect, you can make a few easy switches to make them even better! Here are a few things we have tried in the past that worked well:
- Sprinkle chopped peanut butter cups over the top of the melted chocolate. The peanut butter cups will add a slight crunch and give the no-bake peanut butter bars even more chocolatey, peanut buttery taste!
- Use almond butter in place of peanut butter for an almond no-bake bar treat- perfect for anyone with a peanut allergy or just for anyone who loves almonds! You can even use 1 cup peanut butter in the filing and almond butter for the topping. Or switch that and do almond butter in the filling and 1/2 cup peanut butter for the topping! Any combination of nut butter will work well.
- Replace the melted butter with melted coconut oil for a slightly tropical taste. Coconut oil also has lots of health benefits so you can pretend that these bars are a nutritious and delicious dessert!
- Use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips to make an even more peanut butter-packed dessert.
- Replace the graham cracker crumbs with crumbled cookies. Pulse stale or crunchy cookies in a food processor to make crumbs. Use these cookie crumbs in place of graham cracker crumbs for a whole new taste. Ginger snaps, chocolate chip or a chocolate cookie will all work well in place of graham cracker crumbs!
If you make any awesome changes to this recipe, let us know- we would love to hear how you took our recipe and made it your own! Leave a message in the comments below and snap a picture too.
Storing No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
To add another thing to the list of reasons why our no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are amazing, they keep really well after baking. When wrapped well, the chocolate peanut bars will last for up to a month in the fridge. You can also store them in an airtight container and freeze the peanut butter bars for up to three months!
Anytime you need a peanut butter, chocolate treat, just take one out of the freezer and enjoy! You can let the bars come to room temperature before eating or give them a try frozen- no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are delicious when cold, almost like a peanut butter popsicle!
We hope that you love this recipe as much as well do and add it to your repertoire. If you’d like more great, easy dessert recipes, be sure to subscribe to our emails and get amazing recipes sent right to you! Browse our site anytime for easy dinner, dessert and snack recipes that anyone can make- fast, simple recipes are our specialty. Enjoy!
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No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
Description
No baking means that you will be eating these peanut butter bars in just a matter of minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup real butter (melted)
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 1½ cups creamy peanut butter (divided)
- 1½ cups dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Press dough into a 9×13 inch pan.
- Combine chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until melted and smooth.
- Spread chocolate sauce evenly across the peanut butter dough. Place pan in the refrigerator to cool for about half an hour. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Store at room temperature in airtight container.
Notes
You can also heat the chocolate sauce in the microwave if you prefer. Simply place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl then microwave for 60 seconds. Stir then heat for another 20-30 seconds or until sauce smooth and creamy.
Pro Tips:
- Use powdered erythritol sugar in place of powdered sugar for a lower carb version of these bars. Powdered erythritol sugar will work in the same way as powdered sugar and tastes just as great as regular powdered sugar too! This is an easy way to make these chocolate peanut butter bars fit into your low carb diet. Find a sugar replacer that works 1:1 in baking so the quantity of sugar is the same in the recipe – having the same cup to cup ratio is important to ensure the texture stays great.
- Be sure to spray the baking pan with baking pan spray, melted butter or coconut oil. The peanut butter layer will pop out of the pan much easier when the pan is well greased. a piece of parchment paper in the pan under the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter layer will work well too! Cut the parchment paper to be the exact size of the pan and the bars will pop right out after then have firmed in the fridge.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips, extra graham cracker crumbs or big graham cracker pieces over the top of the bars to add extra texture, taste and eye appeal. Graham crackers will add a nice crunch while a topping like sprinkles will make the recipe festive and fun!
WOW, These looks absolutely amazing! I am so into easy foods that I can just grab and go. Your recipe is a little bit like the one I recently made but yet different. I can taste its goodness just by looking at it. Thanks for the idea, I will have to try your recipe.
What can one use when your recipes call for sugar or powdered sugar. Like in the case of muffins or the no bake peanut butter bars. I found your recipes on my google app. when I log in. Really like Paleo pancakes.
Tls for being there for me and so many others.
★★★★★
Hello Tara! Thank you for you very nice comment! For the No Bake Peanut Butter Bars, we have never tried a substitution – but our favorite substitute is AGAVE Nectar or raw honey. Here is another one of our recipes that may help you a little more https://simplegreenmoms.com/two-ingredient-reeses-cups-paleo-vegan/ — you get the ‘sweet’ but not the sugar!
Have a WONDERFUL DAY!