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.
YUM. These look incredible- a great quick fix for my own cravings or for a last minute potluck dish!
YES!!! Exactly!!
Five ingredient recipes are some of the best! These look to-die-for! Simplicity for the win. 🙂 Can’t wait to make these.
YES!!!! 🙌🏻
Hi, Nagi,
Just a heads-up about people who might have peanut or tree nut allergies and don’t eat tasty treats like this one. A great alternative to peanut butter or tree nut butter (such as almond, cashew, etc) is SunButter, made with sunflower seeds. You can Google SunButter and read about it on their website. We use SunButter in our house, and it’s delicious. It tastes so close to peanut butter, no one would probably notice that it was something else entirely. Amazon sells it, and so does iHerb, but some health food stores carry it, too.
I also have a question. I got a big tin of Walker’s shortbread cookies (biscuits where you are) and wonder if they can be used for the base crust. I just have so many of them, I’d just as soon use some in a recipe, but they aren’t thin and crisp.
Dozer is so sweet to put up with you (and your mother!). LOL
Small price to pay for all the goodies and love showered on him every day. 🙂
PS For the shortbread, I would probably reduce the butter by about 1/3. Because Walker’s is so buttery! The peanut butter should keep the base together enough 🙂 N xx
Thank you SO MUCH for that tip!!!! N xx
Hi Nagi,
There is not one recipe that I don’t like…and I love,love, love Dozier..I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.😊
Thank you so much, you are awesome.
Ohhhh MONICA! Best message ever to read on a Monday night! N xx PS Slobbery kisses from Dozer
Thank you so much for all of these wonderful recipes!!! I’m so happy to have found your blog!!
You’re so welcome Karalyn! And I’m so glad you found me too! N x
Peanut butter and chocolate! You can’t go wrong with that combo! I think I have everything to make these, and I love quick, easy recipes. Thanks, Nagi!
Poor Dozer must have been really out of it to not feel those cushions being placed on him. LOL!
I KNOW!!! It was so funny, he just happily snoozed away!!
Hi, Nagi,
Do you think it’s possible to make a sugarless version by using sugarless crackers/peanut butter/chocolate, and then using a sugar substitute such as splenda? Thinking of making for a diabetic person’s birthday.
Hi Judith! You know, I think that will work great! This is such a great recipe for subbing the sugar because it’s no bake – no cook! N xx
These look scrumptious and now I am DEFINITELY needing some peanut butter for lunch! As a suggestion if anyone ever wanted to try something new, I have made them using crushed pretzels in the base instead of cookies…..it gives it that salty/sweet quality! I love all your recipes, Nagi and look forward to reading your blog every week!!!
That is SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA!!!! Do you mix pretzels with sweet crackers or just use pretzels??
I have one question. I crush my peanuts in the blender to mix the peanut butter base. May I do that?
Do you mean adding crushed peanuts as well as peanut butter?? Or instead of?? 🙂 N x
This is my go-to slice to make when we’re having a morning tea at work and it always gets a huge response – my colleagues LOVE it!!
I’m so happy to hear you love this Corrin!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
Any chocolate suggestions for someone living in chocolate-chip deprived Europe? Would something mysteriously terrible happen if I chopped up a fairly dark, fairly pure bar of eating chocolate and used that instead? I forgot to mention that they also don’t really sell baking-specific choc in these parts.
Hi Jennifer! Nothing mysterious terrible will happen, it is just that many eating chocolates do not melt well so you may get a few lumps in your chocolate. But if your eating chocolate melts fine, it will work fine!
Hey, can I crush my own peanuts in the blender and mix those into the peanut butter base?
Yes!
I love your very simple recipes.They are oh!so delicious
Thank you Rokiyah! N xx
All I can say is OMG!!! These are so much better than Reece’s, definitely a keeper!!! Thanks Nagi 😊
Oh wow! I’m so happy to hear that Monika, thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
I just made these this afternoon and they were delicious! I didn’t have the biscuits for the crust so I used crushed cornflakes and it worked very well! Had to add about half a cup more cornflakes to get a better crust consistency (I didn’t want it to be greasy) but that was all. I made them in a silicone muffin tin so I could pop them out easily and didn’t have to cut them all.
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Jessica! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
This sounds really delcious. Gonna give this recipe a go. Tjhanks for sharing.
Simon
Hope you do! I am OBSESSED with this recipe!
Oh yummy. These are just delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Aren’t they wicked? I am obsessed with these!!! N x
Can you use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth???
Hi Alannah – yup, you sure can!
how do you get these squares to cut perfectly when I make them the chocolate cracks and falls off the peanut butter filling
Hi Jodie! The peanut butter in the chocolate topping is what softens it so it should definitely be cuttable without the chocolate cracking. What type of chocolate did you use? If you used expensive dark chocolate with a high cacoa % then it would be harder so yes it would crack. I use normal chocolate chips which are softer. Also I added a tip to run the knife under hot water then dry – this also helps but I find I don’t need to do this with this recipe. I hope that helps!
Hi Nagi I,m Méxicana so escuse my english, I like very much this recipe . Im going to make it cause i want to sell this candy bars to my friends and all people I need money……..like every Mexican ja ja and i know is going to be a big hit for me. Thanks for your recipes , you are the best.
Hi Ale! Your English is fantastic and I have great respect for anyone who can speak, read and write more than one language. 🙂 I think selling these is a great idea! They are so easy to make, you can make loads!! PS I was in Mexico a few months ago. I LOVED IT!!! I want to go back! I visited Mexico City, Oaxaca and Playa.