Peanut Butter Bars
Peanut Butter Bars are the tastiest no-bake bars—sweet, thick peanut butter base topped with smooth chocolate. Just seven ingredients and so easy to make!
Servings: 16 bars (these are rich—a little goes a long way!)
Cost: $5.32
Equipment
- 8 x 8-inch baking pan or 9 x 9-inch
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Blender or food processor
- Hand mixer or a wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 full graham cracker sheets 1 cup of crumbs
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter plus 2 tablespoons, see note 1
- 1 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or milk chocolate, see note 2
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch pan (for thicker bars) or 9×9-inch pan (thinner bars) with parchment paper or foil. Set aside. Melt butter in the microwave, then set it aside to cool to room temperature. (Hot butter melts the sugar and makes these bars greasy.) Crumble graham crackers into a blender or food processor and blend to get crumbs. Alternatively, add crackers to a gallon plastic bag, seal it without air, and crush crackers to crumbs with a frying pan, rolling pin, or meat mallet (see note 3).
- Add melted (and cooled) butter, salt, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 cup peanut butter to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon to mix until you have a thick dough. Press dough into an even layer in the base of the prepared pan. Place in the fridge while preparing the topping.
- Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring between each burst for 10 seconds until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and tap the pan on the table a few times to get the chocolate in an even layer.
- Chill in the fridge until bars are firm, about 1-1/2 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before cutting. Cut into the bars with a hot sharp knife: Run the knife under hot water, dry it, then immediately cut the bars.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Any creamy and thick peanut butter will work; I love Skippy® Creamy Peanut Butter. I don’t recommend a natural peanut butter that needs stirring—it will make the bars greasy.
Note 2: Use milk chocolate for a sweeter dessert or semi-sweet or dark chocolate for a less-sweet treat. Stick to whatever chocolate you like best or a combination. I like milk and semi-sweet chocolate mixed (half and half) or plain milk chocolate best! The better the quality of chocolate, the better the flavor of these bars will be.
Note 3: To ensure there aren’t large chunks of graham crackers in the bars, which will affect the texture, blend the graham crackers until they are crumbs. Add any large pieces that didn’t blend completely back into the blender and blend again.
Storage: Cover leftover bars tightly and refrigerate for 5–7 days. To freeze, wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw bars overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.4g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 18.5g | Cholesterol: 15.3mg | Sodium: 116.2mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 26.1g