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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’m confused regarding the serving size and carbohydrates. Are these the nutrition fax for a 2 x 2“ bar? Or the whole thing?
Hi susan, so sorry about that. It’s supposed to say 1 (2″x2″) bar. But I see it looks like 12×2″ bar. The nutrition label program squishes all the fields together. So it should be just 1 bar. Thanks! I’ll go figure out how to make that make sense. -Meggan
I actually made a shortbread crust for these so they would be more portable. I would probably use less brown sugar.I did heat butter and brown sugar but still crunchy,sugar texture.These are good but maybe not great.
Thank you. You were correct. This recipe has become our favorite dessert for special occasions. Easy to make and oh so decadent! Hardest part is the time waiting for it to set
So easy; thank you!
Sooo tasty! I’ve been looking for an old tried and true recipe with no luck, but I’ve been craving those bars so bad recently and figured this recipe looked close enough. Turns out, these taste exactly how I remembered them! Only twist I may try next time is to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract when creaming the butter and sugar, and perhaps an extra pinch of salt or a sprinkle of flake salt on top while the chocolate is still melty (I’m a fan of desserts on the more salty side). Would highly recommend even for beginners!
Sooo tasty! I’ve been looking for an old tried and true recipe with no luck, but I’ve been craving those bars so bad recently and figured this recipe looked close enough. Turns out, these taste exactly how I remembered them! Only twist I may try next time is to add about 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract when creaming the butter and sugar, and perhaps an extra pinch of salt (I’m a big fan of desserts on the more salty side). Would highly recommend even for beginners!
Hi Alex, thank you so much! I agree about both the vanilla and the salt. I had posted this recipe a million years ago on my blog, just the way my grandma gave it to me, so now I’m kinda stuck. If I make changes, people will be confused and angry LOL. But I will try vanilla and salt when I make these for Christmas because I think it will be amazing. And then I can add it to the recipe notes if nothing else. Thank you!!! -Meggan
Love these, especially because there is no yucky shortening in them and they have less sugar than other recipes. When I have them on hand, I like to put broken pretzel pieces over the melted chocolate before chilling. Since there is no graham crust, the pretzels give these bars an added crunch and saltiness
This looks great! May I ask why the butter in this recipe?
Hi Mak, the butter adds flavor as well as fat to the recipe. It’s how my Grandma made them! Thank you! – Meggan
Any tips for cutting these into squares without the chocolate topping cracking? When I cut mine sometimes the chocolate top cracks.
Hi Liz, you can try adding one tablespoon of oil (coconut or vegetable) to the hot chocolate mixture before pouring. You could also try using a hot knife (soak the knife in water, then dry it before slicing. Repeat the process when cutting all the squares.) Good luck! -Meggan
Definitely a Reese’s dup!!! Nice job! Very delicious….and I am hard to amaze….my dad who is a junkie is going to try them next….he will be the real test! But me and my husband – 5 Stars All Around!!!Easy to make too!