Peanut Butter Bars (Print Version)

No-bake peanut butter bars with a graham base and chocolate topping — chewy, rich, and easy to chill and slice.

# What You Need:

→ Base

01 - 1 cup creamy peanut butter
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
04 - 2 cups powdered sugar

→ Chocolate Topping

05 - 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
06 - 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

# Directions:

01 - Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to lift the bars out later.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, stir together the creamy peanut butter and melted unsalted butter until completely smooth and well blended.
03 - Fold in the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar, stirring until the mixture is uniform and no dry pockets remain.
04 - Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and press it firmly into an even, flat layer using a spatula or your hands.
05 - In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each burst, until fully melted and silky smooth.
06 - Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the peanut butter base and spread it into an even layer using a spatula.
07 - Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours, or until the chocolate topping is firm and set completely.
08 - Lift the slab out of the dish using the parchment paper overhang, cut into 16 even bars, and serve chilled.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • No oven required, which means you can make these in literally any kitchen, even a sketchy college one.
  • The graham cracker crust soaks up just enough peanut butter to become fudgy without turning into a soggy mess.
  • They look fancy enough for a bake sale but take about fifteen minutes of actual effort.
02 -
  • If you skip the parchment paper, you will be scraping peanut butter cement out of that pan for a week.
  • Chilling for less than two hours means the chocolate layer will smear everywhere when you try to cut, so be patient.
03 -
  • Run your knife under hot water and dry it between each cut for bakery perfect edges that make people think you bought them.
  • A light spray of cooking oil on your hands before pressing the base prevents everything from sticking to your fingers instead of the pan.

Go Back