Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Posted by on Apr 7, 2021 in Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, chocolate, no-bake dessert, nutty | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

When you need a dessert in a hurry, these delicious No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars are the way to go.

Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

I especially enjoy this recipe because it doesn’t involve the oven, which is a wonderful thing during Arizona summers.Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

These bars come together in minutes thanks to a microwave, and they only need a few hours to set. You end up with an entire casserole dish of candy bars. Yum.

Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Use crunchy or creamy peanut butter. I used a jar from Trader Joe’s that had flaxseeds mixed in, and my son didn’t like it. This recipe gave me a way to use it up by sending the result with my husband to work!

Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

This would be an easy recipe to dress up, too. Add sprinkles, nuts, or cacao nibs atop the chocolate. Have fun with it!

Bready or Not Original: No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

This quick and easy microwave-based recipe uses most of a pound jar of peanut butter to whip up a whole casserole dish of delicious candy bars.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, no bake, peanut butter
Author: Beth Cato

Equipment

  • 13x9 pan
  • large microwave-safe bowl
  • uneven spatula

Ingredients

Bars

  • 2 cups peanut butter crunchy or smooth
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Ganache

  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips semisweet, dark, milk, or a mix
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter crunchy or smooth

Instructions

  • Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
  • In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt together the peanut butter and butter by zapping in short increments and stirring well between each pass. Once they mix together, stir in the graham cracker crumbs and confectioners' sugar. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Use a hands or maybe a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to compress the layer as much as possible.
  • Use the same microwave-safe bowl to bowl for the chocolate chips and peanut butter, again zapping in brief increments and stirring well between each burst. Once they can mix together smoothly, dump dollops atop the layer in the pan. Use an uneven spatula to even out the chocolate to the edges.
  • Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  • Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Let sit for about 10 minutes, enough time to soften the chocolate so that it doesn't shatter when sliced. Use a long knife or sharp bench knife to cut bars. If desired, cut off edges first to produce neater pieces to share.
  • Store bars in a sealed container in the fridge with waxed paper between the layers. Keeps for days.

OM NOM NOM!