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Home Baking

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

By:Nagi
Published:13 Oct '18Updated:7 Nov '20
226 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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!

Close up of a slice of No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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? 😜

Close up of 3 No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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! 🙈

Preparation of No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars - biscuits in food processor

Preparation of No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Preparation of No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars - the chocolate peanut butter topping

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

  • Peanut Butter Cheesecake stuffed Chocolate Bread

  • 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

stack of 3 No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

And more emergency sweet treats – 3 Ingredient Desserts!!

  • 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

  • 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1 ingredient Dulce de Leche – Slow Cooker Caramel

  • Parmesan Shortbread Biscuit (3 ingredients)

  • 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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Super quick, 5 ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars - tastes like Peanut Butter Cups! recipetineats.com

5 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (NO BAKE!)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Total: 15 mins
Sweet
4.97 from 55 votes
Servings16
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 1194
Recipe VIDEO above. These no bake bars just happen to only require 5 ingredients. The hardest part is waiting for them to set! 

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:

* Originally published June 2015, updated with new photos, words and recipe video. No change to recipe.
1. Biscuits - If you are in the UK, Digestives are great for this recipe. Otherwise, any other plain sweet crisp biscuit (i.e. not a soft biscuit with filling) should work fine - the base has peanut butter as the glue so it's a more flexible recipe than, for example, cheesecake bases.
You could even try biscuits like oatmeal or chocolate chip biscuits! 
To make the crumbs, you can use a food processor or pop them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or can to bash them. Very therapeutic!
2. Chocolate - Make sure you use chocolate for cooking/baking, not the eating kind! And if your store sells many types of chocolate chips, get the MELTING chocolate chips (as opposed to the ones that hold their shape in cookies / muffins etc) as they melt easier and smoother. This can be made with milk or dark chocolate. I use dark - not the expensive kind with a high cocoa %, just normal dark chocolate chips.
3. Storage - keeps very well, around 5 days in an airtight container. If it's super hot where you are, fridge is best but serve at room temperature.
4. Gluten Free option: A reader reported that she used 1 1/2 cups of gluten free pretzels for the base and it worked out great! And a friend of mine has made this with gluten free plain sweet biscuits purchased from the supermarket and said she couldn't tell the difference in the taste or texture.
5. Nutrition per serving (assuming 16 slices).
5 Ignredient Peanut Butter Slice Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 46gCalories: 248cal (12%)Carbohydrates: 21.9g (7%)Protein: 4.9g (10%)Fat: 16.7g (26%)Saturated Fat: 7.4g (46%)Cholesterol: 18mg (6%)Sodium: 156mg (7%)Potassium: 142mg (4%)Fiber: 1.4g (6%)Sugar: 16.2g (18%)Vitamin A: 200IU (4%)Calcium: 20mg (2%)Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Keywords: Peanut Butter Bars
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for some housekeeping matters in October 2018, no change to recipe!

Chocolate, peanut butter, Graham Crackers, butter and sugar is all you need. They taste like Reece's Peanut Butter cups!

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.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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226 Comments

  1. vicky says

    June 23, 2015 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    Made this Sunday and it was awesome, it is now Tuesday and none left LOL

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 24, 2015 at 5:47 am

      You mean it lasted 3 days? Longer than it does in MY household! 😉 So glad you enjoyed it!!! Easy, wasn’t it? Dangerously so. I know the recipe off by heart. Very VERY dangerous. N x

      Reply
  2. Andrew says

    June 19, 2015 at 9:23 am

    One of my all-time favorite treats, and the photos are excellent as well. Very nice.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 20, 2015 at 8:44 am

      Thanks very much Andrew! Hope you love it! N x

      Reply
  3. Silvia Ribas says

    June 19, 2015 at 7:39 am

    5 stars
    Dear Nagi, your recipe looks amazing, beautiful and mouthwatering to say in few words. Your food photography is also incredible and I can tell you you have inspired me to take that extra step 🙂 I am lately very much into no-bake recipes because as the summer approaches cold foods appeals more to me but also because having being a busy working mom with four kids these come in really handy. Awesome job!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 20, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Hi Silvia! Thanks so much for your kind words 🙂 I know what you mean about summer and no bake treats! And…did you say FOUR kids? I have no idea how you do it all – you rock! N x

      Reply
  4. Emly says

    June 18, 2015 at 4:10 am

    5 stars
    Made these yesterday- DELICIOUS! Used plain gluten free biscuits in the base and tempered the chocolate for the top. So good. Only thing is- definitely didn’t make 16 portions! Maybe my portion size is too big 😉 Love from Glasgow, UK.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 18, 2015 at 6:41 am

      Ha ha!!! Sometimes I think this only makes 1. 😉 Thank you for taking the time to let me know you loved it!!! I should have added in the recipe that it works with gluten free biscuits, a friend of mine just asked the same thing.

      Thanks again! So glad you loved it!! N x

      Reply
  5. Yogicfoodie says

    June 17, 2015 at 7:01 am

    5 stars
    HI Nagi,
    My little girls and I made this yesterday. we all enjoyed it very much. Very very decadent… I only let them have a marble size bite at a time.

    Of couse, little later, they were bouncing off walls. -.-;
    I’m nibbling on a piece as I type this.

    This should be stored in the fridge, right? Also, is there a way to have sturdier structured base?

    Thank you as always!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 17, 2015 at 7:27 am

      I have visions of your girls running around like loonies around your house!! Too funny!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 What do you mean about a sturdier base? I find that it holds together really well – like in the pictures, you can see that it didn’t crumble when I cut it. Did you find that yours crumbled? If so, it is probably the brand of biscuits you are using for the base. All you need to do is add either a bit of extra peanut butter or melted butter so that the base is more like a “dough”. You can tell it will hold together when you mix it up when you press it into the tin, bits shouldn’t crumble 🙂 Hope that makes sense!

      I agree, small pieces are very sensible. 🙂 I store it in the fridge in warmer months but during the cooler months, it is fine to keep in the pantry. 🙂 So glad you loved it!! Thank you for coming back to let me know! Nx

      Reply
  6. john | heneedsfood says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    The last photo made me smile. Such a dainty bite. I bet you didn’t bite like that when nobody was looking!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 13, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      You think I bite into it? No no. The whole thing gets shoved into my mouth!

      Reply
  7. Lucy @ Bake Play Smile says

    June 12, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    Oh WOW Nagi!! Now this is my kinda food!!! Yum!!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 13, 2015 at 12:30 pm

      TOTALLY know that Lucy! I actually popped onto your site first to see if you had posted one 🙂

      Reply
  8. Carmen Evans says

    June 10, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Sorry Nagi, I’m one crazy woman, we are North Westerly from Newcastle but on the East coast otherwise we’d be living in the ocean. Lol at the moment we have this gorgeously huge green tree frog perched up on the beam of our verandah just catching a little morning sun. Gorgeous!

    Reply
  9. mira says

    June 10, 2015 at 3:10 am

    5 stars
    These look beautiful and I can’t believe how easy to make they are! Pinning to try them!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 10, 2015 at 8:09 am

      Thank you so much Mira!! I was hoping the Baking Queen would approve! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Holly says

    June 9, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    How funny! My teenage daughter found this recipe via online a few month ago and we made it together. They were quite rich but really delicious. I was gonna post the adapted recipe but you beat me. LOL!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 10, 2015 at 8:04 am

      Too funny!! I have seen many variations of this type of bar online 🙂 I really like this one from Dorothy though, it’s the easiest and just as delicious! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Carmen Evans says

    June 9, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi I’m from Aus. And just had to try this recipe as my hubby just adores peanut butter and is a chock-a-holick. So to keep up his energy levels as he just loves to dig holes for me on request (he has to) on our acres, I have to keep him happy and obliging. As he like dark and I like white I varied it a bit with swirls of white chock (as I had some in the fridge) using a skewer, very decorative and utterly delicious! Love the fudgy base. Thank you so much

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 9, 2015 at 4:50 pm

      Carmen!!! You’re hubby is one LUCKY guy. Not only do you make these for him but you do swirls to accommodate the both of you!! Soooo cute 🙂 Where in Aus are you? I’m up in the northern beaches are of Sydney! N x

      Reply
      • Carmen Evans says

        June 9, 2015 at 10:25 pm

        Thanks Nagi for the lovely complement. My husband and I retired here onto our 5acre property just on ten years ago from the Central Coast just about an hour North Easterly from Newcastlein in the lovely little country town of Barrington just 5ks further on from Gloucester. This arvo I made the criss-crossed cheese and garlic stuffed sour dough bread to complement my chicken and veg soup for a late lunch, soo lovely. I will definitely make it for our family sometime! Love checking out your recipes as they are soo simplistic.

        Reply
        • Nagi | RecipeTin says

          June 10, 2015 at 8:06 am

          I LOVE Barrington!! We got camping at the Barrington River – a place called the Steps! And I am very fond of the town pub – we always stop by in the way there AND on the way home!

          Oooh, so glad you tried the crack bread. It’s CRAZY delicious isn’t it! N x

          Reply
  12. Kevin | keviniscooking says

    June 9, 2015 at 4:17 am

    5 stars
    These look so beautiful – and more importantly super inviting. Mel and I will have to share!
    Dorothy is a kicker, right? Always fun to interact with and her husband gets fed very well 😉

    Pinning and making this one soon.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 9, 2015 at 6:04 am

      Her husband is seriously one lucky guy! PS Looks like you had a FAB grill out on the weekend! 😉

      Reply
      • Kevin | keviniscooking says

        June 9, 2015 at 6:33 am

        We did indeed, thanks to you. Sorry for my quick iPhone pic, but we devoured that Thai chicken rather quickly. 🙂

        Reply
  13. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

    June 8, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    I lived many years there and I’m a certified Tennessee VOL but I never had this recipe. I wish I’d known Dorothy then but it’s quite possible she wasn’t born yet. 🙂

    Dorothy, I think I’m in love with you. I’ll give you my finest East Tennessee phrase. “You’re finer than a frog hair split four ways!”

    I’m off to make these.

    Reply
    • Dorothy Dunton says

      June 9, 2015 at 6:13 am

      Hi Maureen! We are transplants from MI and love it here in TN! As to age, well I’m guessing that I’ve got some years on you! Thank you for the kind comments!

      Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 8, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      Maureen, when she reads this, I think you’ll make her day 🙂 Thank you for such a sweet comment!! N x

      Reply
  14. Nisie says

    June 8, 2015 at 12:00 am

    This looks great! I love chocolate and peanut butter. Is there a reason why it has to be smooth peanut butter? I love crunchy PB.

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 8, 2015 at 6:27 am

      Hi Nisi! Go wild – use crunchy!!! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Priya says

    June 7, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    5 stars
    This look so tempting! Bookmarking to try out soon <3

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 8:56 pm

      Hope you do Priya!! 🙂 N x

      Reply
  16. Helen | Grab Your Fork says

    June 7, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Wow these look so good. And so perfectly sliced too!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      He he!! Everyone keeps comment on the slicing….I didn’t even think about it! Just CUT it!! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Amanda Mendell says

    June 7, 2015 at 1:45 am

    When I saw this recipe/photo, I did my best not to squeal like the little chocolate and peanut butter piglet that I am! I love the fact that it’s NO BAKE and who doesn’t have these ingredients in their pantry? I’m going to take inspiration from this and try a sugar free version for me, myself, and I because it looks like they would be hard to share! I want them all to myself! Gorgeous photo And thank you Dorothy for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 6:51 am

      You crack me up!! Chocolate and peanut butter piglet? He he he!!! You are TOO FUNNY!! Dorothy is the best. She has such great taste! This recipe is totally GOLD. 🙂

      Reply
  18. Tara |Deliciously Declassified says

    June 6, 2015 at 10:43 pm

    Yum! These remind me of buckeyes but without all the work of rolling them into balls and dipping. If you want even more crunch you can mix in some Rice Krispies cereal into the base layer – so good!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 6:50 am

      Oooh, I got that tip from another reader! I should add that into the recipe. Thanks Tara!! Happy weekend! N x

      Reply
  19. Rachel (Rachel's Kitchen NZ) says

    June 6, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Love the pic with the bite taken – these look as tempting Nagi – even for me who does have much of a sweet tooth. Your images are just so beautiful and tempting!

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 6:36 am

      Thanks Rachel! You and I are two peas in a pod….95% of the recipes I share are savoury because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth either. When I go to restaurants, I usually can’t fit in in 3 full course so I choose 2 and I always choose an entree and main, rather than main and dessert!! Though I have also been known to do 2 x entrees and dessert!! N x

      Reply
  20. Sneha says

    June 6, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    5 stars
    Heyya.. That looks like my kind of treat! Thanks to Dorothy for sharing it with you… your food styling is really incredible Nagi. That slice that you’ve bitten looks so yummy. I’m also wondering about how you managed to cut them so clean, they look perfect. 🙂 Thanks for sharing… 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi | RecipeTin says

      June 7, 2015 at 6:35 am

      Hi Sneha! Honestly no trick to cutting them clean 🙂 All I did was run a large sharp knife under hot water, wipe it dry then slice! I think because the slice base isn’t crumbly that’s why it sliced so neatly! 🙂

      Reply
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