No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars have a crunchy peanut butter base with smooth chocolate topping. These no-bake peanut butter bars are an easy dessert or after school treat!

Easy chocolate peanut butter bars are like homemade Reese’s peanut butter cups, only better! These no bake bar cookies are perfect when you need an easy dessert, and you can add seasonal candies to the top to dress up this easy recipe for holidays.

There are a lot of classic peanut butter bars recipes out there, and I’ve been making the basic version for a long time. However, when the pickiest child started hating peanut butter, I tweaked the basic recipe and amped up the chocolate.

You can still taste the peanut butter flavor, but it isn’t as strong as the original version. The best part about these chocolaty peanut butter treats is that no baking is involved, so you can enjoy these no bake desserts all year long!

Chocolate peanut butter lovers may also love my no bake chocolate peanut butter ritz cookies, peanut butter cheesecake dip, no bake chocolate peanut butter pie and more easy desserts!

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars Ingredients

You can find these simple ingredients in your local grocery store if you don’t already have these pantry staples at home.

• Creamy peanut butter — Make sure it isn’t the all natural peanut butter with a lot of oil as this may change the texture of the bars.
• Butter — softened room temperature butter
• Powdered sugar — Confectioners’ sugar adds sweetness and helps hold the bars together
• Graham crackers — to hold the peanut butter layer together. You can buy crushed graham cracker crumbs to save a step!
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips — for the creamy chocolate frosting. I also like to add some to the peanut butter layer.
• Cocoa powder — Adds a hint of chocolate flavor. You can omit this if you prefer the classic peanut butter flavor.

How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

First, you make the base, which starts out as a mix of softened butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.

Add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to make mixing easier.

Then, crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor or a large ziploc freezer bag. You can use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush them.

When the mixture is nice and creamy, add your crushed graham crackers, chocolate chips and a little bit of cocoa powder.

The cocoa powder is optional, but it add a little extra chocolate flavor.

Mix the peanut butter filling until well combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Next, press the peanut butter mixture into a greased 9 X 13 pan in an even layer using a rubber spatula.

To make the chocolate frosting, melt the chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Melt chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.

Pour melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter layer. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate evenly over the bottom layer. Then, pop the pan into the fridge for about 30 minutes or until it’s firm enough to cut.

How to Store Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Store the bars in an airtight container or cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. If your house is warm like mine, you may need to refrigerate this delicious treat so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

This sweet treat keeps fresh for up to 1 week. You can freeze these no bake bars in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just be sure to thaw completely before eating!

Recipe Variations

Dress up these delicious treats for different holidays with seasonal m&m candies or sprinkles on top of the bars. Reese’s pieces would be a great addition, as well.

Leave the chocolate chips out of the bottom layer and omit cocoa powder for less chocolate. You can sub milk chocolate chips for a sweeter flavor.

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate if you don’t want to use the microwave.

Sub plain vanilla wafers or similar cookies for the graham crackers. You can also use almond butter or a different nut butter in place of peanut butter.

Recipe Tips

You can line the baking pan with parchment paper or foil if you want to remove the dessert before slicing.

For clean slices, use a warm wet paper towel to wipe the knife after each slice.

Refrigerate the bars for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing. Otherwise, they may be too soft.

These bars are very rich. If you don’t want large squares, slice them into smaller pieces.

I hope you enjoy these homemade peanut butter bars as much as we do. It’s the perfect dessert for peanut butter fans!

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Recipe was first published in 2014 and updated in 2023