No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe - How to Make No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Nov 04, 2024

Chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven!

I love sweets, especially sweets that require zero baking. On summer days when it's too hot to turn on the oven to bake a cake or batch of brownies, no-bake desserts like these marvelous peanut butter bars save the day. I’m continually amazed at how scrumptious this peanut butter recipe is. In fact, they’re shockingly delicious considering how easy they are! The ultra-rich bars have a chewy peanut butter and vanilla wafer base and a decadent chocolate topping. You can cut them into small squares if you just need a small bite. Or you can cut them into big bars if you want a big bite. Live your life!

What's the best peanut butter for no-bake peanut butter bars?

I use both creamy and chunky peanut butters in these bars. The creamy peanut butter melts into the chocolate to create a smooth topping for the bars, and the chunky peanut butter gives the base a little crunch. Don't use the natural peanut butter that needs to be stirred in this recipe. It can be a little too oily for these bars.

How long do no-bake peanut butter bars last in the fridge?

Stored in an airtight container, these bars will stay good for up to a week. They're a great little treat to keep in the fridge and pull out for an after-school snack!

semi-sweet chocolate chips

creamy peanut butter

(2 sticks) butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan

chunky peanut butter

powdered sugar

(12-oz.) box vanilla wafers

(12-oz.) bag semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

chopped peanuts

I made these on a recent episode of my Food Network show, and they’re too tasty for words! They’re a super-simple no-bake bar that uses mostly pantry ingredients, and they’re a great treat to have in the fridge for after-school snacks…or, in my case, after breakfast snacks.

But that’s more my issue than yours.

First, make the chocolatey peanut buttery topping! Put some chocolate chips in a bowl with some creamy peanut butter…

Microwave it for a minute or two…

Then stir it until it’s smooth, silky, and you feel like diving in and going swimming. Set this aside to cool slightly while you whip up the bar mixture!

Throw a box of vanilla wafers into the bowl of a food processor (or a large ziploc bag)…

And pulverize them into fine crumbs. When I made them on the show, I kept the crumbs a bit chunky, and that’s delicious, too! Set the crumbs aside for a minute…

Then throw 2 sticks of nice, soft butter into the bowl of a mixer.

Add a cup of chunky peanut butter…

And mix it until it’s smooth.

Then add powdered sugar…

Mix it again until smooth…

Then add the crumbs…

And a bag of a mini-chocolate chips!

Then mix it until the crumbs and the chocolate chips just barely come together.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch dish and dump the mixture right in…

Then press it with a spoon or spatula…

Until it’s in a nice, even layer.

Then, you guessed it, pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture all over the top…

And spread it into a thin layer, until it coats every last crumb.

Crush up some peanuts…(or pretzels!)…

Then sprinkle them…

All over the top!

Oh, yum. Double yum. Triple yum!

But you can’t eat them yet. You have to pop the pan in the fridge to set the chocolate topping as well as the bars themselves. Just an hour or two! Patience is a virtue!

Once they’re set, you can cut them into squares.

And serve them up.

These are so good, friends. Cut ’em big, cut ’em small…and enjoy every bite!

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