Adapted from Great Aunt Kate’s Recipe Collection
This quick and easy recipe is a classic for a reason — what’s not to love about a no-bake treat that tastes just like a peanut butter cup?
We have Great Aunt Kate to thank for this delicious no-bake peanut butter bar that tastes just like your favorite peanut butter cup!
While many of Great Aunt Kate’s recipes date back to the 1930’s and 40’s, this particular recipe feels a bit more contemporary.
This recipe calls for a full pound of powdered sugar, so I made a few adjustments to help control the sweetness. I used a crunchy, natural peanut butter instead of a peanut butter with added sugar, and dark chocolate instead of the traditional semi-sweet chocolate. I also added a sprinkling of sea salt at the end which helped balance out the sweetness of the bar.
These cookies come together very quickly. You just mix the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. You then pat the mixture into a pan pop it into the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes. In the meantime, melt chocolate chips, and then spread them onto the chilled base.
Then it’s back in the fridge until the chocolate sets, then they’re ready to be sliced and served.
The bars are rich and dense and the graham crackers and crunchy peanut butter add some nice texture.
Note that these are very rich and decadent, so feel free to slice these into smaller portions – you’ll also feed more people this way.
I brought these to a get-together over the summer and they were a big hit. A friend asked me where they came from and I said “me”, and she was super impressed. Impress your friends and make this for your next get-together!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 5 oz graham crackers (about 1 sleeve plus 1 extra cracker)
- ½ pound salted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, no added sugar)
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
Topping
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips
Optional Garnish
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line a 13×9-inch pan with parchment paper for easy removal, or lightly butter the pan.
- In a food processor, pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs.
- Melt butter and stir together with graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl.
- Add peanut butter and mix until smooth.
- Stir in confectioners’ sugar until fully combined – this takes a little effort and the mixture will be thick.
- Press mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover with parchment and smooth the surface. Refrigerate or freeze while you melt the chocolate.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in 20–30 second microwave bursts, stirring until smooth. Spread evenly over the peanut butter layer.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Chill for about 1 hour, or until chocolate is set.
- Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before slicing into bars.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Yield: About 20 (2-inch) bars
- These bars can be rich and can be cut into smaller squares, of course!
