Decadent tasting No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars make the perfect healthy snack or treat! Made with only five ingredients.
Chocolate smushed with peanut butter…is there anything more magical? Topped with flaky salt, mind you. We’re so extra today!
In 2018 we mastered Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites and just over a year ago we went to town on these Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars. Who remembers?
Today’s recipe is like a close cousin, but by far the most simple of them all.
Because it’s august, it’s hot, and we’ve just gotta bang out a few more handy dandy snack recipes before pumpkin takes over the world.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t *just* Google “2020 PSL Starbucks launch.” And I don’t even like Starbucks. But PUMPKIN!!
The best part about these bars (beyond only having five ingredients) is that they’re kept in the freezer to preserve that wonderful texture. Who in their right mind would say no to a chilly treat right about now?
And they’re healthy!
A lot of no bake chocolate peanut butter bar recipes call for boatloads of powdered sugar and butter. That’s all fine and dandy, but I wanted to create a more snackable version that’s not a total sugar bomb after that 2pm work call.
With over five grams of plant protein, three grams of filling fiber and oodles of satiating fats, we’re blessed with total brain food right here.
I swear they still remind me of Reese’s cups! Ugh, so good. Halloween nostalgia is totally happening right now.
Tips and tricks
- Use natural, salted peanut butter for the best flavor and texture. It should be drippy, not hard. I love Costco’s Kirkland organic peanut butter or 365 brand from Whole Foods. If your peanut butter isn’t salted, I’d add 1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
- Top with salt! I’m a fan of these flakes but even plain old kosher salt will do. It adds a wonderfully delicate little crunch and brings out the chocolate flavor even more.
- Freeze until solid. You don’t want the chocolate coating to fall apart! The peanut butter + chocolate combo in the topping helps create that perfect, sliceable texture but this baby needs time to set.
Recipe substitutions and modifications
These are divine as is, but I like to anticipate any and all substitution questions so you can get your [no] baking on straight away.
- Go nut free: Swap out the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.
- Go grain free: Swap out the oats for almond flour.
- Up the chocolate factor: Want a thicker chocolate layer? Increase the chocolate chips to 1 cup or more!
- No ground flax: Sub almond flour, more oat flour, or simply omit. They will be a bit more moist and extra peanut buttery, which isn’t a problem in my book.
- Boost flavor: Go wild with a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or half a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Craving more snacks? I gotchu!
- Cookie Dough Protein Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Salted Chocolate Covered Oatmeal Bites
- No-Bake Matcha Protein Bars
Three cheers for the flawless union that is chocolate and peanut butter!
Print
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Muffins, Bites and Bars
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Decadent tasting No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars make the perfect healthy snack or treat! Made with only five ingredients. (Prep time does not include freezing time.)
Ingredients
For the bars:
- 1 cup natural salted peanut butter*
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats, ground into flour (I use my Nutribullet, can sub almond flour)
- ¼ cup ground flax (or sub more oat flour)
For the topping:
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp natural salted peanut butter
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Combine all bar ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Press mixture evenly into the lined pan.
- Make topping by placing chocolate chips and peanut butter in small bowl. Microwave for a minute in 30 second increments, stirring each time until smooth. Pour chocolate on top of bar mixture and use a rubber spatula to smooth. Top with flaky salt.
- Freeze for four hours or overnight. Once solid, slice into 16 bars. Store in a freezer baggie or air-tight container in the freezer.
Notes
*This recipe was tested with drippy natural peanut butter. If your peanut butter is hard/refrigerated/needs to be scooped out, you won’t need as much flour for these to come together. I have not tested this recipe with conventional peanut butter spreads like Skippy or Jiff and cannot verify the results. Add 1/2 tsp fine sea salt if your peanut butter is not salted.
Readers have tried this recipe with almond flour instead of oats and reported that it worked great!
Inspired by these bars.
Made this recipe with almond flour instead of oat flower….delicious! Will definitely be making them again because I’m sure this batch will not last long!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear almond flour worked! Thanks a ton, Meaghan 🙂
Easy, only 5 ingredients, super tasty, reminds me of a frozen Reese’s cup! Will make again, sharing the recipe with my parents, I made this recipe for them and they loved it!
★★★★★
Wonderful, thank you so much Stacy!
Ok I freaking love these. So easy and delicious! Thank you!
★★★★★
These are so good! Extremely easy to make, it basically took me less than 10 minutes (minus the freezing time). Only change I made was to mix together the peanut butter layer in my food processor — it made it faster and smoother since my peanut butter was just slightly clumpy.
Will definitely be making this recipe again in the future!
★★★★★
Thanks a ton for the feedback, Melissa! Glad you loved these.
So easy! used a mix of the nut butters I had (finished off cashew butter, some almond, and peanut) and also tried to make them a bit more doughy with an additional cup of almond flour and a splash of almond milk, very forgiving recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so glad that worked! Thanks a ton for letting me know, Lindsay.
Love these! So easy to make. For me the hardest part was spreading out the mixture as mine was so stiff I could have rolled it out! For the topping I ran out of peanut butter so I mixed coconut oil with the chocolate – just enough so it was a nice spready consistency. They are totally yummy – remind me of Snickers bars (am I allowed to say that?!) and I nibble them straight out of the freezer (as I do now with flapjacks) – which makes them somehow more filling! A delicious satisfying indulgence!
★★★★★
Oh man! Was your peanut butter the natural drippy kind? Did you spoon and level the oat flour? Thicker peanut butter or packed flour can definitely impact the texture. You can always add less flour if that helps. I love Snickers bars! What a compliment. Thanks for your feedback, Angela!
I struggled with this a bit too! Do you leave your opened jars of nut butter out of the fridge Alexis? I’ve never known if that’s safe to do!
★★★★
I do not refrigerate nut butter–should be drippy, natural PB. If it’s hard and needs to be spooned out, I’d try 1/4 cup less flour? Feel free to play with it depending on how hard your nut butter is! It says to refrigerate to protect the fats so they don’t oxidize and go rancid. I go through nut butter quickly so it’s never been a concern. You’d know if it went bad because the flavor would be off 🙂
Aha – that’s it! It was super crunchy dense peanut butter! Yes less flour next time – and I need to make more as they’ve all GONE! Thank you Alexis – so happy to hear your wonderful news too! 😀 💕
★★★★★
Hahah I love it! I just added a recipe note clarifying how to adjust the recipe depending on the peanut butter consistency. Thanks, Angela!
I make these as energy bites with honey and choc chips, but I would love to do the bars! Less time consuming I would imagine! I’m nursing, and these are a great snack to have on hand and oatmeal and flaxseed are great for you while you are nursing. Sometimes I throw in a little brewer’s yeast (not too much).
★★★★★
Love, that–I will totally remember this in 6 months 😉 Thanks for leaving a review and thoughtful comment, Shawna!
Soooo good and I’m so happy to have them on hand all week for snacks/dessert!!
★★★★★
Woop! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed these, Caitlin!
These look amazing, and I’m definitely going to make them ASAP! Could you sub something for the ground flax? Or just omit entirely? Wondering if that would change the consistency of the base layer.
Thanks! I think you could leave it out and they’d just be more peanut-buttery, but since they’re frozen, it wouldn’t be a huge deal. Or add more oat flour! Let me know how they turn out 🙂
I just made them with an additional 1/4 cup of oat flour and they turned out great! Never tried them with the flax so I really cannot compare, but they are delicious.
★★★★★
SO glad to know that worked, thanks Molly!
Yum! I love your cookie dough protein bars. I will have to try these!
Love those! Let me know if you try these 🙂
Delicious and super easy and quick to make. These bars will definitely be a frequently requested in my house.
★★★★★
Woop! Thanks so much for letting me know and leaving a rating, Melissa!
Very peanut-butter forward! The salt on the top was a nice way to break up the richness. Super easy to make.
★★★★★
Glad you liked them! You can almost add more maple syrup if you want to cut the pb down.
Easy to make and delicious! I’m a chocolate-pb fanatic and these bars hit the spot! I melted coconut oil with the chocolate just bc I love that combo but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
★★★★★
Ohhhh love that. I bet they had an awesome texture. Thanks, Lisa!
These are the best bars yet! I really enjoy the flavor and they are so easy to make!! They are such a wonderful treat and I’ll make them every week!
★★★★★
I love that, Gertrude! Thanks a bunch!
These came out so well, super tasty and easy to make!
★★★★★
Amazing, thanks a ton Colleen! I’m super pumped you loved them.