Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars {No-Bake!}

Side shot of a stack of chocolate peanut butter bars on a white plate

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars {No-Bake!}

These no-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars are a rich, decadent and easy dessert recipe!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate peanut butter bars, no bake peanut butter bars, peanut butter chocolate bars

Prep Time 15

Chilling Time 2

Total Time 2 15

Servings - 25 squares

Calories 209kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

BOTTOM LAYER:

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter (such as Jif or Skippy brands)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 cups finely-crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full-sheet graham crackers)

TOP LAYER:

6 ounces (about 1 cup) chocolate chips
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Instructions

PREPARE THE BOTTOM LAYER:

Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish or line with parchment paper. I like to let the parchment paper overhang the sides of the pan so that I can easily lift up the bars once they're cool. Set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Stir in graham cracker crumbs until completely combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

PREPARE THE TOP LAYER:

Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer.
Chill in the refrigerator until firm and set, about 2 hours. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Line the pan with an overhang of parchment paper. This makes it easy to lift the bars straight out of the pan once they're set. That way you can easily cut them into squares on a cutting board.
Use a processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than all-natural peanut butter. The processed nut butters do not separate, which yields a better quality bar.
Use the microwave to melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter. I place the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup and then microwave on high for a total of about 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate.
Allow plenty of time for the bars to chill and set up before you slice into them. If they're too hard when you first pull them out of the fridge, just let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing.
I cut the recipe into 16 squares here, but the bars are so rich that you can really get closer to 25 squares if you like a smaller bite.
I used a 9-inch square baking pan here, which I think creates perfectly-thick bars. You can use an 8-inch square pan for even thicker bars, or use a 9 x 13-inch baking pan for thinner bars. Any of these options will work, so it's just a matter of personal preference.
Use store-bought graham cracker crumbs for a shortcut, or crush your own graham crackers at home. I place 16 full-sheet graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag and then use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.
Any variety of chocolate chips will work for the topping. I prefer semi-sweet with this recipe, since it's a good balance to the sweet peanut butter base. That said, if you like milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or even white chocolate chips...go for it!
Sprinkle a little bit of flaky sea salt on top of the chocolate before it sets. This will really bring out the delicious sweet-and-salty flavors in the bars.

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