No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars feature a rich peanut butter layer with a sweet chocolate topping for a decadent dessert made with just six ingredients!
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Pin RecipeNo-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
Peanut butter and chocolate are one of the best flavor combinations out there. Luckily, these Reese’s peanut butter cup-inspired no-bake bars capture that irresistible combo just perfectly. When you take a bite, you’ll get all that delicious sweet peanut butter taste, made just a little crisp by the cookies. (I love it in Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Buckeyes, and Peanut Butter Blossoms, too!)
Creamy peanut butter combines with crushed vanilla wafers for crunch and flavor. Then, we top the mix with decadent melted chocolate.
The bars chill in the fridge. So, they’re a great option on hot days or when you just don’t want to bother with using the oven. I dare you to stop at just one!
These chocolate peanut butter bars are an almost candy-like treat. They’re perfect on a potluck table or as an after-school snack treat like Hello Dolly Bars, Lunch Lady Bars or Rice Krispie treats. You are going to adore them!
Recipe Ingredients
To print: see recipe card below
Peanut Butter Bars
- 3 cups Nilla Wafers – These are the classic Nilla Wafers we all know and love!
- 1 cup salted butter – If unsalted butter is all you have, just add a sprinkle of salt to the mix.
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter – Smooth rather than chunky peanut butter is best in this recipe. I recommend using brands like Skippy or Jif rather than natural varieties that tend to separate.
- Vanilla extract
Chocolate Topping
- Peanut butter – Once again, smooth peanut butter is ideal for the topping.
- Chocolate – Use semi-sweet chocolate rather than milk chocolate. Or, opt for dark chocolate for a richer taste. Chocolate chips or chocolate bars will work.
Variations
- Use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth in the bar mixture. This will definitely alter the texture of the bars, but it adds a satisfying crunch.
- Replace the Nilla Wafers with animal cookies, shortbread cookies, ladyfingers, gingersnaps, or graham cracker crumbs.
- Replace the peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter to accommodate dietary or allergen needs. (You can use this trick with Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs too.)
Directions for How To Make No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Process the cookies: Add the Nilla Wafers to a blender or large food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form.
- Create the peanut butter base: Add the melted butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla to the cookie pieces. Mix until a smooth, thick batter forms. Scrape down the sides of the blender, and pulse to ensure everything is well combined.
- Spread: Spoon the peanut butter mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Use a metal offset spatula to smooth it out evenly.
- Create the topping: Add the chocolate and 1/4 cup peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted.
- Top the bars: Pour the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter layer, spreading it out evenly.
- Chill: Transfer the pan to the fridge to chill for about an hour or until the bars are firm. Or, transfer them to the freezer for about 15 minutes. Slice the bars, and enjoy!
How to Store + Freeze
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Serve straight from the fridge.
- Freeze leftovers for up to three months. To keep them fresh, wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap. Then, transfer them to a sealable bag.
- Enjoy frozen, thaw the bars in the fridge, or set them out to soften at room temperature when you’re ready to eat!
Quick Tip
Line your baking dish with parchment paper, letting some hang over the edges before you begin layering the ingredients. Then, all you have to do is lift the paper to remove the bars, slice, and serve!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
- 1 9×13 baking dish
- 1 Microwave safe bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups Nilla wafers
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Add the Nilla Wafers to a blender or large food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs.3 cups Nilla wafers
- Add the melted butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. It will be pretty thick. Scrape down the sides of the blender and pulse to make sure everything is well mixed and evenly combined.1 cup salted butter, melted, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread the peanut butter mix into a 9×13 pan. Use a metal offset spatula to make the peanut butter mix smooth and level in the pan.
- To make the topping, add the chocolate and ¼ cup peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after heating each time to melt the chocolate. Once the mix is completely melted and smooth, pour it over the peanut butter in the pan and spread it evenly.¼ cup smooth peanut butter, 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Put the pan in the fridge for about an hour to cool.
- Cut the bars and serve!
Nutrition
Did you make this No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars recipe? Let us know how it turned out with a rating and comment!
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Is this three cups of crushed wafers? Or do you measure three cups of the whole cookies and then crush? Thank you.
My family absolutely loves these bars. Now we have the recipe we can make all the time. Thank you