No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

I made these on a recent episode of my Food Network show, and they’re too tasty for words! They’re a super-simple no-bake bar that uses mostly pantry ingredients, and they’re a great treat to have in the fridge for after-school snacks…or, in my case, after breakfast snacks.

But that’s more my issue than yours.

 

First, make the chocolatey peanut buttery topping! Put some chocolate chips in a bowl with some creamy peanut butter…

 

 

 

Microwave it for a minute or two…

 

 

 

Then stir it until it’s smooth, silky, and you feel like diving in and going swimming. Set this aside to cool slightly while you whip up the bar mixture!

 

 

 

Throw a box of vanilla wafers into the bowl of a food processor (or a large ziploc bag)…

 

 

 

And pulverize them into fine crumbs. When I made them on the show, I kept the crumbs a bit chunky, and that’s delicious, too! Set the crumbs aside for a minute…

 

 

 

Then throw 2 sticks of nice, soft butter into the bowl of a mixer.

 

 

 

Add a cup of chunky peanut butter…

 

 

 

And mix it until it’s smooth.

 

 

 

Then add powdered sugar…

 

 

 

Mix it again until smooth…

 

 

 

Then add the crumbs…

 

 

 

And a bag of a mini-chocolate chips!

 

 

 

Then mix it until the crumbs and the chocolate chips just barely come together.

 

 

 

Butter a 9 x 13-inch dish and dump the mixture right in…

 

 

 

Then press it with a spoon or spatula…

 

 

 

Until it’s in a nice, even layer.

 

 

 

Then, you guessed it, pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture all over the top…

 

 

 

And spread it into a thin layer, until it coats every last crumb.

 

 

 

Crush up some peanuts…(or pretzels!)…

 

 

 

Then sprinkle them…

 

 

 

All over the top!

 

 

 

Oh, yum. Double yum. Triple yum!

But you can’t eat them yet. You have to pop the pan in the fridge to set the chocolate topping as well as the bars themselves. Just an hour or two! Patience is a virtue!

 

 

 

Once they’re set, you can cut them into squares.

 

 

 

And serve them up.

 

 

 

These are so good, friends. Cut ‘em big, cut ‘em small…and enjoy every bite!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

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Recipe
No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time:
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 20



Print Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter2 sticks Butter, Softened, Plus More For Greasing The Pan1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter2 cups Powdered Sugar1 box (12-ounces) Vanilla Wafers1 bag (12 Ounces) Semi-sweet MINI Chocolate Chips1/2 cup Chopped Peanuts Preparation Instructions

For the topping: Using a double boiler or a microwave, melt the chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes while you make the bars.

For the filling: Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with some butter. Using a stand or electric hand mixer, mix together the butter and chunky peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar a cup at a time.

Add the vanilla wafers to a food processor and process until they are in crumbs. Then add the crumbs and mini chocolate chips to the peanut butter mixture. Spread it evenly into the buttered pan and set aside.

Pour the topping over the base. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle over the chopped peanuts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then cut into 20 bars.

Keep refrigerated, as the bars and chocolate will soften at room temperature.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on