Today, we’re making a no-bake chocolate peanut butter bar. Seriously, these are so good, and they’re perfect for any occasion.

You can find variations of this recipe kind of all over the internet, and they’re all a little different. But today, we’re going to do this at least two ways: a Creamy version and a Crunchy version.

So, we’re gonna go over the basic ingredients first, what you have to have.

Jump to Recipe

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (Creamy or Crunchy)

Yields: 24–30 bars
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chill time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

The Crust/Filling:
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227g) salted butter, softened to room temperature (or melted)
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 9 to 12 oz vanilla wafers OR graham crackers (crushed into fine crumbs, approx. 2.5 to 3 cups)
- 1 cup (250g) peanut butter (Creamy OR Crunchy)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Optional: ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (for the “Crunchy” version)
The Topping:
- 1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (125g) creamy peanut butter
- Optional: Chopped peanuts or pecans for garnish

The “Two Ways” Strategy

The Filling: You can use a cup of creamy or a cup of crunchy peanut butter.
The Topping: You definitely need a half-cup of creamy peanut butter mixed with your chocolate chips for that smooth layer on top.

You can also add a bag of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the filling for a crunch. You really want the mini ones because a whole chocolate chip is kind of hard to chew in a bar like this. If you don’t have any mini chips, you can also use chopped-up regular chips.

Step 1: Get Those Cookies Crushed

You want to crumble your cookies up as fine as you can get ’em. You can use a food processor if you have one, but not all of us do. A good trick is to leave them in the bag, poke a couple of tiny holes in it with a straight pin to let the air out, and use a rolling pin. Or, just mash them between your hands! This is a great job for the kids.

Step 2: Mix Up The Filling

Start by adding cookie crumbs to two cups of powdered sugar and giving that a mix. Then, add a cup of butter. I use room-temperature butter because it’s faster, but you can melt it if you prefer. Just mix it until combined.

If you’re making the whole batch one way (all creamy or all crunchy), just dump your cup of peanut butter in right now with the butter. It mixes up really easily—no mixer required, just fold it together. If you’re splitting them, divide the crumb mixture first, then add creamy peanut butter to one bowl and crunchy peanut butter (plus those chopped chocolate chips) to the other.

Step 3: Press and Top

Press the mixture into a 9×13 pan that you’ve wiped with butter. It might feel a little soft and sticky right now, but once it hits the refrigerator, it will firm up nicely.

For the topping, melt one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with a half-cup of creamy peanut butter. You can do this on the stovetop on really low heat or in the microwave. If you use the microwave, go slow! Start with 45 seconds, then 15-second intervals. Don’t overheat it or the chocolate will lump up. The peanut butter has plenty of oil in it, so it makes the topping melt really smooth and shiny.

Pour that chocolate goodness over the top and spread it out. I like to leave a little texture in mine, but you can smooth it perfectly if you want.

Easy no bake dessert, a rectangular glass pan containing a thick layer of no-bake chocolate bars base topped with smooth, melted chocolate ganache, half of which is sprinkled with chopped nuts.

Step 4: Chill Time

You want to refrigerate this for at least an hour, but I really recommend 2 hours before you try to cut it. It needs to get real stiff. You can store these in the fridge, or even wrap them up and keep them in the freezer for several months.

Slice into squares. Serve cold or at room temperature.

If you like this recipe Explore more recipes.