These No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars taste like Reece’s peanut butter cups! A soft peanut butter biscuit base topped with a peanut butter flavoured chocolate, all you need are 5 ingredients: biscuits, butter, chocolate, peanut butter and sugar.
This is the ultimate emergency sweet-treat!
NO BAKE Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
When it comes to sweet treats, these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are probably what I make the most often because it’s so quick to pull together, no bake, and WHO DOESN’T LOVE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS???
Plus, I almost always have everything I need to make these. Even though biscuits aren’t part of my weekly shop, usually if I dig deep into the giant baskets into which I toss everything that doesn’t have an obvious dedicated position in the pantry, then usually I’ll find some sort of biscuit suitable to use.
A month past the due by date, perhaps. Pffff! That’s fine. Everyone knows that the used by date for things like dried goods are conservative. Right? 😜
And actually, here’s proof of how frequently I make these: I just realised as I was pulling together the photos for this post how they don’t fit together like a set, and it’s because I shot them all on different days.
The photos you see in this post are from 3 different batches where I snapped a quick photo thinking hmm, I really should re-publish these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe with a video soon, and finally I got my butt into gear and actually did it.
Albeit I’ve ended up with a weird set of photos from three different days. Four actually – because the step photos were taken while making the recipe video! 🙈
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe truly is pure gold. It was given to me by a reader, the lovely Dorothy from Tennessee, way back when I started this blog. It’s only 5 ingredients – crackers, peanut butter, chocolate, icing sugar (confectionary sugar) and butter. That’s it.
And it’s NO BAKE. Waiting for it to set is the hardest part of this recipe.
I usually approach “5 ingredient” recipes with caution. I find that many “5 Ingredient” recipes I see usually include a store bought sauce or similar. Like 5 ingredient BBQ chicken which includes a “bottle of your favourite barbecue sauce”.
When I see recipes like that, I instantly think that’s cheating!! 😂
Please don’t ask me why in my twisted mind, this counts as a 5 ingredient recipe “made from scratch” even though it is made using crackers. It just is.
#FemaleLogic
– Nagi x
For the Peanut Butter Obsessed
-
Peanut Butter Caramel Pie – dangerously easy, outrageously decadent
-
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies – just 3 ingredients!
More irresistible bars and slices
-
Brownies!! AND Salted Caramel Stuffed Brownies – ooh la la!
-
Caramel Slice (aka Millionaire’s Bar!) – the great Aussie favourite!
-
Strawberry Bars – made with tons of fresh strawberries!
-
Easiest Ever Raspberries Jam Bars and Lemon Bars
And more emergency sweet treats – 3 Ingredient Desserts!!
-
1 ingredient Dulce de Leche – Slow Cooker Caramel
-
Classic Scones – and faster Lemonade Scones – both 3 ingredients!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Sometimes it helps to have a visual so watch me make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars!
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5 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (NO BAKE!)
Ingredients
Base
- 115g / 1/2 cup / 1 US stick melted salted butter (or unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1 cup crushed Arnott's Marie crackers (11 crackers) or graham cracker crumbs (8 crackers) (Note 1)
- 1 cup icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth)
Topping
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips - the melting kind (US: semi sweet) (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth)
Instructions
- Butter and line a 8" / 20cm square dish or pan with baking paper.
- Place the Base ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Press into the prepared pan.
- Melt the Topping ingredients (I do it in the microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts). Pour and spread over the Base - smooth the top or do swirls (see photos for examples of each).
- Refrigerate until set - about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from fridge, allow to come to room temp slightly (so top cuts neatly). Cut into 16 squares (or whatever shape you want!). Best served at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for some housekeeping matters in October 2018, no change to recipe!
LIFE OF DOZER
That time he snuck on mum’s couch and we wondered how many cushions we could pile on him. We ran out of cushions.
Lovely recipe. Absolutely delicious! I used a slightly smaller tin as my base was going to be to thin otherwise.
Ohhh my! Some of your recipes are very good Nagi, some are even great, and then there are those that are addictive such as these peanut butter bars! It was bad enough when I discovered your carrot cake cupcakes – quite possibly the best cupcakes ever created. Now I’ve found these and I don’t really know how I’ll manage two addictions! (But thank you, anyway😊)
NEVER EVER have all these ingredients in the house at the same time. On lockdown, raining, bored, made these – how do you not eat them all!
Thanks for your reply. However it is the peanut butter and icing sugar I needed converting to grams as the recipes states cups which we don’t use in the UK.
Thanks for your response Tracey and I had in fact noted the comment about 8 digestives. However it was the cup quantities that I needed to be converted to grams as we do not use cups in the UK.
Someone below said they were from UK and used 8 digestives, if that helps
I am in the UK and we don’t use cups. Can you please give me the grams/ounces I would need to use for these. They look delicious.
Someone below said they were from UK and used 8 digestives, if that helps
Should the peanut butter be regular sandwich peanut butter or natural peanut butter? (some of your recipes specify, so I wanted to be sure before I make it! I read through about half the comments and didn’t find the answer) Totally looking forward to this one!! Thanks!
Hi Janelle, either will work fine here! N x
Hi. Really enjoyed these but was curious how they would be with half the sugar. Tried it today but was unsure how to change the other ingredients to compensate, little too buttery bit still tastes good. I’m not a great cook but was hoping you had some recommendations?
Struggling to cut thru the topping without it cracking. Tried a hot knife and room temp slice, but not a lot of success either way. Any tips?
And you definitely put the peanut butter in the topping too? This makes the chocolate softer and sliceable. If you still have issues, add 1 tbls of neutral flavoured oil (vegetable or coconut oil) into the topping, this will make it even softer 🙂 N x
Very hard to stop at one piece. 😋
OMG! these are scrumptious and so easy to put together. However, we found them to be far too sweet for our taste. Do you think it will work if I omitted the icing sugar altogether or half it maybe?
Just came to make these again as the 1st batch disappeared too quickly… And I just realised that I left out the butter in the base! 😄 These are delicious, Nagi, almost like a peanut butter fudge 😋
Thank you
Um sorry, there is no way I could have missed the butter out last time 😂 must have made it such a hurry (so i could eat them) that I added it with out thinking! 2nd batch just as good 😁
These are great made with graham cracker crumbs.
Hi Nagi! I just put them in the fridge to cool! Can’t wait to dig into them! First time to make this no bake goodness!
There’s no turning back now – I apologise in advance for the addictive deliciousness that awaits!!!! N x
OH. MY. GOODNESS! This is heavenly! I used a confectioners sugar replacement (erythritol) and it still tasted great! So easy to make! Thank you for another tasty 😋 treat!
Simple, easy and delicious! I made these to take to an afternoon tea. Left with an empty plate. I have put two GF onto your site and they love your recipes too.
Thanks so much for the great feedback Katrina, that’s lovely to hear! N x
Hello Nagi, 20yr old guy from London here ! Brilliant recipe – my mother loves them ! Thanks !!!
Hi Nagi, I realize this might be a silly question as these are chocolate peanut butter bars but I was wondering if I wanted to make them without peanut butter – do you have any ideas what I could use instead?
Hi Amanda, it would be a totally different recipe sorry! N x
Im thinking maybe you could use biscoff spread you can get it at Woolies and Coles.I might give it a go,
Thanks for the suggestion Carol! I think I have seen that spread here in Canada. Will give it a try!
Nutella?
OMG they do taste like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! I’m in the UK and used 8 digestive biscuits. Such an easy one you can get the children to make them!
Yes perfect for the kids to help make, I’m so glad you loved them Jo! N x
These were great!! Anybody that likes Reese cups will love this, and very easy to make
It’s so addictive Mary – I can’t have this in my house!
These bars taste like what I always thought reese’s PB cups should taste like. I ended up adding 19 marie biscuits to get closer to the texture of base in the video.