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People go wild for these No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars! They only take 5 ingredients and 10 minutes (plus chilling time) to make, and they take just seconds to disappear. This is my grandma’s recipe which she dubbed “Almost Reese’s.”
These no-bake peanut butter bars are a must-make for anyone who loves the timeless combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
I’ve had this recipe on my site for years, and it’s always been popular. The only issue is, some readers complained the peanut butter mixture was “grainy” if the brown sugar didn’t dissolve properly in the melted butter.
We reworked the recipe and swapped out all the brown sugar for an equal amount of graham cracker crumbs. I personally think it’s better (sorry grandma!) and there are no issues with graininess anymore. I hope you love it! And if you like the old way better, you can continue to 1 ½ cups brown sugar instead of the graham cracker crumbs.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Butter: Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power (that’s ten percent!) for 1 minute. Afterward, gently press on the butter with your finger. If still too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
- Graham cracker crumbs: The original version of this recipe was prone to grittiness (the brown sugar would not always dissolve completely in the melted butter). To fix this issue, we updated the recipe to use graham cracker crumbs instead of brown sugar, and it’s fabulous. But if you miss the old way, just substitute an equal amount of brown sugar for the graham cracker crumbs.
- Peanut butter: I use store-bought peanut butter for this recipe, and Skippy is my favorite brand.
- Chocolate: I like regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer that.
Step-by-step instructions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with a foil sling for easy cleanup and coat with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, cream 5 tablespoons butter, graham crackers, and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in peanut butter.
- Mix well and press into prepared pan.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and remaining 5 tablespoons butter for 1 minute. Stir carefully and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until smooth, stirring after each increment. Pour over peanut butter filling and spread evenly.
- Chill until completely firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: I calculated the yield based on using an 8-inch by 8-inch pan and cutting the bars into 2-inch squares. This makes 16 bars. Your yield may vary depending on which size pan you use and how you cut the bars. The bars are very rich, so smaller pieces may be appreciated by some guests.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. Or, if you live in a cold climate and the temperature is 40 degrees or less, feel free to store these in the pan in your garage or on your patio.
- Make ahead: These bars need some time to set up, so plan on chilling them at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
- Freezer: The Peanut Butter Bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. You can either freeze them unsliced in the pan, or slice them into pieces and store them in layers between parchment paper.
Recipe FAQs
Some cooks prefer crunchy peanut butter for the bottom layer, and even chop up peanuts for pressing over the warm chocolate before it sets up. Get creative!
If I’m using a 9″x 13″ baking pan for this recipe, I will usually make a double batch. BUT, readers have used a larger pan for a single recipe and have been happy too, claiming it makes a thinner bar that is more like the real thing.
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No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons butter room temperature, divided (see note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (see note 2)
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (see note 3)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips (see note 4)
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with a foil sling for easy cleanup and coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, cream 5 tablespoons butter, graham crackers, and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well and press into prepared pan.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and remaining 5 tablespoons butter for 1 minute. Stir carefully and continue to microwave in 30-second increments until smooth, stirring after each increment. Pour over peanut butter filling and spread evenly.
- Chill until completely firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Butter: Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power (that’s ten percent!) for 1 minute. Afterward, gently press on the butter with your finger. If still too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
- Graham cracker crumbs: The original version of this recipe was prone to grittiness (the brown sugar would not always dissolve completely in the melted butter). To fix this issue, we updated the recipe to use graham cracker crumbs instead of brown sugar, and it’s fabulous. But if you miss the old way, just substitute an equal amount of brown sugar for the graham cracker crumbs.
- Peanut butter: I use store-bought peanut butter for this recipe, and Skippy is my favorite brand.
- Chocolate: I like regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer that.
- Yield: I calculated the yield based on using an 8-inch by 8-inch pan and cutting the bars into 2-inch squares. This makes 16 bars. Your yield may vary depending on which size pan you use and how you cut the bars. The bars are very rich, so smaller pieces may be appreciated by some guests.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. Or, if you live in a cold climate and the temperature is 40 degrees or less, feel free to store these in the pan in your garage or on your patio.
- Make ahead: These bars need some time to set up, so plan on chilling them at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
- Freezer: The Peanut Butter Bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. You can either freeze them unsliced in the pan, or slice them into pieces and store them in layers between parchment paper.
I made these and used exact recipe and instructions. The brown sugar left the peanut butter grainy instead of smooth. Any thoughts.
THanks
Sarah
We tested this recipe extensively using melted butter, room temperature butter, and cold butter. Room temperature butter was the clear winner and we’ve updated the recipe accordingly. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience! Thanks for your feedback. You help make the recipes on this site the best they can be!
Hello! Lovely recipe! I made these on the fly after my husband requested something – I didn’t have to run to the store! I usually completely fail and the PB balls, so am thrilled these turned out well. I noticed another comment about cooking with a toddler and wanted to comment also. We used crunchy PB, and I made them with my 3 year old. The brown sugar is still gritty, but I assumed that was because of how slow I work with a toddler. I suspect that if we blended the brown sugar with the butter quickly, and while still warm, and then added the rest, we might have a smoother consistency. Either way, a true win for a quick and easy treat!
After these bars firm enough to make in candy molds for a specific shaped bar for a party?
I am from Utah and have found that in general here men prefer dark, and women prefer milk chocolate. Odd that this preference is upside down from other places. I teach cooking classes, including a whole class dedicated to just chocolate, and so have had opportunities to speak with lots of people about this. How interesting.
I thought your comment about imported chocolate being preferable for milk chocolate interesting. Traditionally there have only been one or two American manufacturers that make edible chocolate. All the other stuff like Hershey’s and Nestlè are just terrible. The problem is they use inferior beans, and don’t process them well. The gourmet chocolate being produced by a few French and Italian companies has changed the way I think about chocolate, both milk and dark. Because of this, I think, there are now a number of American bean-to-bar companies that are doing amazing and wonderful things with chocolate.
Thanks for the delightful recipe.
Hey Matthew, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. It’s slightly anxiety-inducing to have a professional such as yourself be on my blog, ha ha! I didn’t know much about the process big American chocolate companies were using to make their inferior product, but what you said makes perfect sense. It still begs the question, why can’t they do a better job? Perhaps Americans just don’t know any better or don’t care how it tastes as long as it’s sweet. Thanks again for stopping by and I appreciate your input. Take care!
Is this recipe gluten free?
Technically yes, provided none of your ingredients have been cross contaminated. But none of the ingredients inherently contain gluten. Great question! Thanks Emilia.
Hello, Is it 5 Tablespoons of butter per 1 cup of chips to melt? When I use your slider to increase the recipe it doesn’t change the butter in the recipe. Thank you.
I LOVE this recipe! I was wondering if you think they would hold up rolled into balls and put on abstick before dipped into the chocolate?
Hi Jerrica! I think so! But I would roll the balls and chill them for 30 minutes or so before dipping in chocolate. Then you should have no problem! Thanks for your question. 🙂
I made these today with my 3 year old. They were super easy! However, I miss read the directions and microwaved the sugar with the butter. That’s what happens when cooking with a 3 year old. They came out really gritty. I was expecting a smooth crust.
Hi Amanda, I think it’s a bit gritty. I don’t know about “a lot” gritty, but definitely some grit. Chances are you didn’t do anything wrong and you just don’t care for the recipe, but I’m speculating. 🙂 I can’t really see why microwaving the sugar would make it “more” gritty! Great you’re cooking with a child, though. Mine always want to help!
My wife and I seem to break your “survey” on dark vs milk chocolate. I prefer extra dark chocolate (75% and above cacao content) while my wife prefers milk chocolate and would prefer to stay below 65% cacao.
These “almost Reeses” sound wonderful. I can also see adjustments to the recipe, such as not just which chocolate to use, but also creamy vs chuncy peanut butter, almond butter, chocolate hazelnut spread (you know the brand) You could make a whole variety pack for yourself or as holiday gifts.
That’s so interesting, Mark! And you’re right, there are a lot of ways you could change these up. Nutella definitely needs to be added here, among other things. 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment.
Super yummy but I do not like the grit from the brown sugar. I like the smooth peanut butter bottom. Next time I will use all powdered sugar.
It’s weird, I actually like that grittiness so that must be a personal preference. I make peanut butter balls and I grind up graham crackers in them to make them grittier! Glad you can find a way that makes you happy, that’s what counts. Happy New Year!
Making these tonight for my boss! I’lol let you know how they turn out.