No-bake peanut butter bars.
When I was in elementary school (30+ years ago!) these were a favorite treat served with our school lunches. They were called Hollywood Squares. Somehow my mom snagged a copy of the cafeteria's recipe which is identical to this one EXCEPT it also calls for a 1/2 cup of sweet crumbs. For years, I left this out because I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. I later discovered that it meant finely crushed cookie or graham crackers. I use graham cracker crumbs (make sure they are really fine!) and it makes this recipe. It gives the peanut butter layer some substance (without making them dry or crumbly) which makes for much easier cutting. For those of you who have trouble with the chocolate layer cracking -- let the bars chill until firm, then remove from the frig and let warm up a tad before cutting. No cracks and smooth cutting. I also add a couple tablespoons of margarine to the chocolate chips before melting. ENJOY!
Read MoreThis recipe was richer than I was looking for. Very simple to make, but unless you are taking the dish to a large gathering, it will be hard to consume all of it.
Read MoreWhen I was in elementary school (30+ years ago!) these were a favorite treat served with our school lunches. They were called Hollywood Squares. Somehow my mom snagged a copy of the cafeteria's recipe which is identical to this one EXCEPT it also calls for a 1/2 cup of sweet crumbs. For years, I left this out because I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. I later discovered that it meant finely crushed cookie or graham crackers. I use graham cracker crumbs (make sure they are really fine!) and it makes this recipe. It gives the peanut butter layer some substance (without making them dry or crumbly) which makes for much easier cutting. For those of you who have trouble with the chocolate layer cracking -- let the bars chill until firm, then remove from the frig and let warm up a tad before cutting. No cracks and smooth cutting. I also add a couple tablespoons of margarine to the chocolate chips before melting. ENJOY!
For easy cutting, line the pan with wax paper or foil. Leave about 1 inch over hang on the ends. Place ingredients inside, allow to set as directed. Remove from pan by edges of foil/paper and use a pizza cutter to cut into nice, smooth squares. We use this method with all desserts/bars that need to be cut!
Very easy to make and everyone loved them. A pain to cut into squares, with the chocolate cracking very easily. Can get quite messy and frustrating. Suggest spooning peanut butter mixture into small muffin tins or small paper cups, then spoon melted chocolate over. This eliminated the need for cutting.
If you substitute powdered sugar for the brown sugar the grainy/gritty consistency doesn't occur. Also you can put half of the chocolate on the bottom of the pan and let set for a few minutes before adding the peanut butter mixture and then put the other half of the chocolate on top.
What a great, quick, and easy recipe! My family just loved them. Next time I will cut back on the chocolate by 1/2 cup, and use Milk Chocolate Chips instead. I am a chocolate lover but the Semi-Sweet chips made them alittle too rich.
5 stars times 10! Awesome recipe and so very easy. I actually doubled the recipe and made in a LARGE (much larger than 9x13) pan. I added a tbsp of butter to the chocolate as it melted to help keep it soft and easier to cut after cooled. I also highly suggest using a standing mixer if you have one instead of mixing by hand! Takes a lot of arm muscles and still may not get the lumps of sugar smoothed out. I placed parchment paper on bottom of pan and spread the peanuttbutter over, then cooled it and did the chocolate top the mext day. Then let that cool as well. I followed another reviewers suggestion and scored the chocolate as it was cooling to allow for easier cutting with out cracking. This seemed to help. Also, not cutting when the chocolate is cold will help to keep them from cracking. Room Temp is fine. Great recipe, will make again and again.
Yummy! I softened the peanut butter in the microwave for easier mixing. Also great with white chocolate chips or milk chocolate:)
These give me cafeteria lunch flashbacks! I haven't had these bars in YEARS, but i've always wanted to make them. This recipe is really easy, and "wicked good". all "taste testers" have loved them.
I made these with my 7 year old son for a fun snowy day project and they turned out great! Soooo yummy....your diet doesn't stand a chance! LOL ;) We did increase the chocolate just a tad because we like it a bit thicker but other than that we followed the recipe exactly. If you like Reese's, you will LOVE these. Just plain yummy! :)
Oh dear, I don't think I'll make these too often as they are very moreish, difficult to stop nibbling at! I used a good quality milk chocolate for the top as I don't like dark chocolate. I also used a litle less than the recipe says as I didn't want too thick a layer on top. I scored the bars while the chocolate was setting, but before it had hardened, so that the chocolate didn't crack when cutting out the bars. I also used crunchy peanut butter for added crunch.
This recipe was richer than I was looking for. Very simple to make, but unless you are taking the dish to a large gathering, it will be hard to consume all of it.
Wow- these bars are better than peanut butter cups! I used the advice of others & added 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs to the peanut butter mixture. I ended up making these bars twice because the first time I decided I wanted a thicker layer of peanut butter & used an 8X8 pan, but I didn't decrease the chocolate layer. Once the chocolate layer set up, it made the bars very difficult to cut! So, darn, I had to keep that batch to myself because they just weren't pretty enough to share with others! Thank you for sharing!!
Good and easy, very hard to stop eating them. But a little soft on the bottom.
I don't usually say this, but these deserve more than 5 stars. Made per the recipe, except that I just used an 18 oz jar of extra crunchy peanut butter--the whole thing. (it was all I had on hand) So, I don't know if it was too much or too little, because they turned out great. The only other change I made was putting a few tablespoons of butter in the chocolate chips to keep them soft. Next time I think I'll try milk chocolate chips. Yum!!!
These are always a hit, wherever I take them! I omit the brown sugar and use 3 cups of powdered sugar instead, and add 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (as suggested by another reviewer- thank you) Otherwise they are way too soft. I sometimes use a combo of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips to cover the top or all milk chocolate chips. Scrumptious!!!
These are delicious, although I decreased the butter and used dark chocolate. No need to buy Reese's Cups when you can make them in your own kitchen!
This was a very good, quick recipe. I did take other's suggestions and used 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 milk chocolate chips. I also put some chocolate on the bottom, and then the rest on the top. It is a very rich dessert. I would make the following recommendations...make it in a larger pan (they were very thick) and also sift the powdered sugar. I had problems getting the smaller lumps to dissolve. Overall a great recipe, as I had everything I needed on hand. I will make these again.
Just made them..and they are great! I did soften the peanut butter in the microwave and that helped with the stirring and used milk chocolate instead of semi sweet chips..semi sweet would have been too rich. I cut mine into small squares and wish I had left them into "bars" the presentation on my dessert tray would have looked better
Awesome! I must admit, when I was mixing the "batter" I didn't think they would turn out. It seemed very runny without the usual graham cracker crumbs. I refrigerated the PB layer for 30 minutes, and it hardened nicely. I used 50/50 semisweet & milk chocolate chips with a dollop of PB for the topping. That's what I use for Special K bars & love it. I took the advice of others & lined my pan with wax paper to make removing bars easier (worked great!) and scored the chocolate while semi-soft and cut before it hardened completely. I had no problems with cracking. Flavor is excellent! Creamy & delicious! I will store these in the fridge as they get "melty" quickly at room temp. Perfect for my friend with Celiac disease.
So easy and delicious! Very much like Reese's cups. I followed the recipe exactly and pressed into a pan lined with parchment paper. After the bars had cooled a bit, I refrigerated them overnight. They pulled out of the pan easily with the parchment paper, making cutting easier. (Warning: they did not cut into perfect little rectangles - this didn't change the taste :)
I made this because they were gluten free. I followed the recipe as specified. They were OK. My son loved them. I expected more based on the reviews.
i use 2-3 tablespoons butter when melting chocolate,1/2 milk and 1/2 regular chips
The chocolate had to be put in the refridgerator to set up. The filling was gritty with little peanut butter taste.
YUM! This is crazy easy and super delicious. I've taken it to two pot lucks and both times they disappeared. I'll be making it again, for sure!
Super fast and easy to make! So delicious! Also, I was attending at party where the hostess needed gluten-free fare (of which I am generally unfamiliar) and this was a huge hit with everyone.
Fabulous dessert! I followed the recipe as exact as I could, though I used only about 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar since that is all that I had. I used creamy peanut butter with 1 cup of each semi & milk chocolate chips (just because I prefer more of a milk chocolate flavor). I did use a jelly roll pan and am glad that I did...anything thicker would have been too much and way to sweet. Once pouring the peanut butter mixture in the pan, I put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes, I then added the chocolate on top. Once that started to harden (about 8-10 min), I scored it. I had perfect bars with no cracks or crumbles. Very easy recipe!
I'm giving this three stars, not cause it tastes bad or the recipe is bad but just because, its AWFULLY sweet, it could do with a good reduction in the amount of sugar added...i think 1cup of confectioners should suffice along with the brown sugar... But otherwise, these bars were very well received and were blissfully easy to make and cut :D
These were good-tasted like Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I used the Hershey chocolate chips. But, they turned out crunchy from the brown sugar. I think next time I will melt the brown sugar in the butter. I put them in the fridge and they cut easier.
WOW! These were delicious! Just like one of the other reviewers, this reminds me of my favoirte elementary treat and around 30 years ago too! I did add the graham crackers, 1/2 a cup finely crushed to the peanut butter mix and I think it really did help. I made these for my friends husband who is a peanut butter/chocolate fanatic and he thought they were outstanding! I will be making these again, no doubt!!
Delish. I didnt put as much of the icing sugar in though...and I used chunky peanut butter cause I like the texture of it. But it was definetly family approved and Ive got more in the freezer (first batch didnt last long in this house!) right now which will be put in tins for christmas baked goods for family and friends
This recipe is good. If you use Skippy peanut butter this recipe is fine, but if you get cheaper stuff (i.e. the generic stuff) you won't want to use as much crispy rice since the cheap stuff is drier than the rest same thing if you use crunchy (which you can do, it just mixes harder). If you're going to make these though, I say go ahead and splurge on the more expensive stuff.
so I read the reviews first and decided to address the issue of a "soft" bottom by making a cookie bar. I lined an 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper. Bought a box of chocolate chip cookie mix and followed the directions on the box, added in a few drops of water to loosen it a bit. Spread the cookie dough on the bottom and baked it for about 15 minutes til golden brown. I then reduced Daw's recipe by half. Cooled the cookie base til solid but still warm, spread on the peanut butter mixture and smoothed it out. Let it cool until it was set, melted Milk chocolate chips and spread it on top. Popped em in the freezer to set and then cut into small bars and enjoyed. Everyone enjoyed them.
Over 40 years ago, this was the treat of choice for junior high pot lucks. Easy to make! Great for any occasion.
Seriously the BEST peanut butter bars I've ever made. So yummy! So much better than those made with graham crackers. These are rich and smooth. I left them at room temperature.
Super quick and easy to make, and the fact that they're gluten free is a big bonus. I'll definitely be adding these to my recipe box
Perfection! I replaced the brown sugar with powdered, and used part semi-sweet chocolate chips and used an extra-dark bar for the rest. I added a touch of butter to the melted chocolate to make it easy to spread. Even straight from the fridge, these cut well, with no cracking.
This is good, but it's so sweet you can only eat a couple of small pieces at a time. They would probably be better with some crushed rice cereal. I cut them, layered them in waxed paper in a Tupperware dish, and put them in the freezer.
After we put them in the refrigerator for a while,they were a little easier to cut.Delicious,the more you let it cool the better it tastes.
I used a ready made graham ready crust for the bottom of this dessert. Very easy, cheap, and yummy! Great to take to a covered dish affair or to make with the kids!
These are rich and wonderful. Very much like a peanut butter cup. My kids are gluten free and casein free so the desserts we can make are limited. This is nice because it uses mainstream ingredients (I use Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips) and comes together quickly.
These are amazing and taste EXACTLY like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but i only had a little less than half the peanutbutter the recipe called for and only had milk chocolate chips so i estimated half of all the ingredients so maybe it was luck that they turned out so darn good but i dont care they are impossible to stop eating.
Easy to make. I halved everything and stuck it in the freezer for half an hour to set. The peanute butter was still a bit too gooey.
Better than a Peanut Butter cup! After reading the reviews, I decided to add 1 cup of cracker crumbs to the peanut butter base to cut the sweetness. I used Breton crackers, but I am sure saltines would work out well too. It added some texture and without them, this dessert would probably be too sweet. Oh, I also just used the powdered sugar (omitted the brown sugar).
I make these for every event, and people always love them! The only change I make is doubling the chocolate. If I have time, I put them into individual mini cupcake liners - cute and delicious!
Fabulous! I didn't have to change a thing in this recipe!! My son and husband loved these. I will defiantly make them again!!
Delicious and very similar to Reese's. I followed the hints of using butter with the melted chocolate, lining the pan with tin foil, and scoring the bars before they were fully chilled to make it easier to cut. All suggestions seemed to pay off! Also, many people seemed to say they found them very rich. I used all natural peanut butter, made from just peanuts and it was just the right amount of sweetness. I also used milk chocolate for the top.
Easy and yummy..... All my Family and friends love this!!!! Great for Christmas party Thank you....
Make sure you add the graham cracker crumbs, it helps absorb some of the moisture. It is also very sweet, it is offset by the semi-sweet chocolate. I would use less sugar next time. Considering our oven is out of commission this was a great dessert recipe.
well this sounded good, i have a similar recipe called "Impostors" which are like Reeses bar:):):) they rock...I am not new to baking or cooking and I consider myself a pretty good cook but for some reason this flopped for me.....I think it was the brown sugar they turned out grainy!
These were okay - I had higher expectations, though, and was hoping for something a little less dry. My husband liked them, but I could tell they weren't his favorite either.
This was absolutely awesome!! Thank you So So much for sharing. I rarely leave a review so that's how good these are. As many others have stated as well - I added the 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs, definitely put them in the fridge to harden. I also did the 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips. Most importantly - cut them into SMALLER portions. My friends at my bday party said they were glad I cut them up because they are so rich! But wonderful! I suggest about 1X1 inches or slightly larger! Serve them individually in little candy/muffin tins! Thank you so much for sharing!
Very popular with my family. They loved it! I will be making this again. It is too easy not to. :)
Oh. My. Gosh. I used my favorite ultra-smooth peanut butter, and dark chocolate and I can't stop nibbling on these! They are so good! I also skipped the vanilla, and I will omit the granulated sugar next time, too. Totally yum!
These are just like the ones I had in elementary school. If you like Reese Cups, you will LOVE this. So easy and good. Didn't change the recipe at all!
Super easy and quick and it makes enough for a crowd. Cut them small because they're rich. Put a little butter (or you could use coconut oil) into the chocolate to make it a little softer and easier to cut.
Excellent! I loved this recipe. I did however make a shortbread crust to offset some of the sweetness of the recipe and it turned out great. Also, due to one of the reviewers having a problem with the chocolate cracking, I did add about 1 1/2 tsp of shortening to make it smoother and less likely to crack. It turned out great!
Like a huge Reese's PB cup! I never have any left when I take these anywhere! I do, however, use less powdered sugar than called for.
Very tasty and rather messy eating! Halved recipe and put in 8x8 dish. Added 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs as suggested by another reviewer. Delicious! Will be making again.
These are incredible! I made them exactly by the recipe and the only issue that I had was that the chocolate layer on top was difficult to cut without breaking and so the bars/pieces were not the prettiest. Next time, I will add some vegetable oil to the chocolate to keep it soft enough to cut.
OK, can we say amazing? I expected something like a no-bake cookie, but the end result is definitely a candy -- creamy yumminess with a wonderful chocolate coating on top. It helps to line the pan with foil first for easy removal and slicing. Best refrigerated, IMO.
I made these exactly as written. To clarify, the peanut butter I used was the smooth (or creamy) kind. I don't think I've ever had these before, let alone made them. They tasted great! Even though the recipe is easy, I was a little worried, since I'd never made anything quite like it, and it was a bit messy to prepare. I did have one minor quibble with my results: the peanut butter layer had a slightly grainy taste (due to the brown sugar), but this was most likely my particular problem, since my brown sugar was slightly dried out, and perhaps I didn't mix the peanut butter mixture long enough (I sure thought I had!) But the combination of flavors was great, pretty close to a "peanut butter cup". I kept the results refrigerated, which indeed made it a little hard to cut neatly into servings, and to get them out of the pan. They were pretty sweet and rich, so I'm glad I made 12 servings last me about 9 days or so. I guess there are a lot of recipes like this, but this first-time experience is close to being an awesome, 5-star recipe. Thanks!
I give this 5 starts this is mine and my bestfriends favortie thing to make and we make it like once a week... Kinda addicted to them
These peanut butter bars are easy to prepare and they taste great. Definatly a favorite in my household.
I was looking for something quick and easy to feed a mega chocolate-peanut butter pregnancy craving... Found it! I had everything I needed in the house already which is such a plus 8:30pm Sunday night. These were really easy, fast and definitely really rich! Milk chocolate might be good to try instead of semi-sweet. But then again I would probably eat the whole tray that way...
Made them for my hubby to take to a meeting. He said they were devoured in no time.
TERRIFIC! So quick/easy/delicious. I 1/2ed the recipe...the first time I made it...(hehehe...we're all watching our weight, in my household...and I *knew* these would be too tempting!)...and I did notice that the bottom peanut butter layer [even after chilling] was a bit crumbly and when I 'tried' to cut it into perfect squares---it was difficult. NO MATTER *grins*...they tasted DELICIOUS...and even my husband (who is NOT a sweets eater) and has worked in a candy factory...said they were "SO GOOD-D-D!". Will definitely make these (and eat these!) again!
These are ridiculously good! I use crunchy peanut butter to add a little texture, but I have no doubt that creamy would taste delicious too. They are extremely rich so I usually cut them into smaller pieces, which has worked well for bite-size dessert at small gatherings. I line the pan with parchment paper as recommended by another reviewer; this makes removing the bars from the pan a lot easier. I also score the chocolate when it's just starting to harden (about 15 minutes after I put them in the freezer), which makes cutting easier later on when they're thoroughly cooled.
I didn't have the chocolate chips, so I used cocoa powder instead, I'm sure if I had used chips it would've tasted better, so I'll rate the filling because I had all the ingredients. It was VERY sweet, but it still had a good flavor, since my topping was nearly sugarless, it made a good match to have these two together. I had a hard time mixing it completely, so I just used my hands to mix it, and then froze the whole thing, and it turned out great! Very good when I have spur of the moment sweet cravings! Thanks!
These are awesome. My 10 yr old daughter made these all by her self. She didn't add the ingredients quick enough to the melted butter so she had to add a little more butter and heat back up and stirring until smooth. very easy!
Love this no bake recipe! Quick, simple, and yummy!!! I add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the chocolate when melting to give it a more liquified texture. It makes the chocolate easier to smooth over the top of the peanut butter mixture.
A*W*E*S*O*M*E thats all I can say. I didn't have the chocolate to do the topping, i just sprinkled chocolate shavings on top while it was still warm, oh so good. I can't wait to try it with the chocolate!
Love these peanut butter bars, very yummy and easy to make. Only problem is the chocolate hardens to where its hard to cut,so I tried using 1 cup chocolate chips instead of two and that seemed to help.
So good! And gluten free! My husband loves Reese's, and these are very similar to that. They are very rich and are best cold. Yummy!
This recipe is delicious! I only used about 1 cup of chocolate chips so the chocolate layer would be very thin. They turned out perfect and taste like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Very easy recipe - I'll definitely make this again!
Much like a slightly firmer peanut butter cup. These bars blend chocolate and peanut butter quite well without being over poweringly sweet. Even better the next day!
Better than reeses peanut butter cups. I also used wax paper and put it out on a cutting board to cut into squares. I also cooled and stored in the fridge cause it was taking awhile to set. Turned out great and very rich/sweet.
Lazy man's way to make peanut butter Buckeyes. I halved the recipe but not sure that I should have halved the chocolate. They will still disappear even though they are not the original buckeye and not as chocolately.
I made this because my wife and I were craving chocolate and peanut butter, and this looked like an easy recipe. We were not disappointed! I cut the recipe in half and used an 8x8 pan, and that turned out great. I used the microwave to melt the butter and the chocolate chips, so no hot stove or oven at all. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool! It came out just like we both wanted it to, a perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate flavors, and it held together pretty well. Incidentally, because what we had was chunky peanut butter, that's what I used, and the peanuts weren't very noticeable, so it will work well with chunky as well as creamy.
The flavor was good. The peanut butter layer was too soft and didn't stand up to being removed from the pan without smooshing or mis-shaping from the spatula. The top layer cracked rather than cut. I did not make adaptations, followed the recipe exactly.
These were much richer than I had hoped, like eating a reeses pb cup..I was looking for a lighter pb taste, so I will keep looking through the other recipes.
I cut bars immediately after frosting , then refridgerate, this saves alot of headaches later.
I have made these bars a few times and they are always a hit. Simple to make and they taste great. Thanks for sharing
YUMMMM!!! This is so rich and peanut-buttery!! It is smooth and creamy with a melt in your mouth texture! 1 tip for storage: Store this in the fridge for best results, but let warm up slightly before cutting so the chocolate doesn't crack. Overall, this was AMAZING!! Better than REESE's peanut butter cups!
Excellent! I used powdered stevia instead of the sugar but did use the brown sugar as well. I also used chunky peanut butter and made chocolate frosting out of coconut oil, honey and cocoa powder. Will be making this again!
I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could. These are so good. Have made them several times now and they are always a hit! I do add a couple of tablespoons of shortening to the chocolate to make it smooth. They are so easy to make and just delicious! Update: I have been using 1/2 smooth, 1/2 crunchy PB for some added texture. Since this dries that layer out some, I add 2 tablespoonfuls more butter and they are perfectly smooth. Also, for the cracking problem on the chocolate layer, try adding a few tablespoons of PB to that layer as well. YUM!
