Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars — 🍫🥜😋 These peanut butter candy bars are no-bake, easy, loaded with bold peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate. An easy dessert, they’re super soft, very dense, and chewy!
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No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
These peanut butter candy bars are no-bake, easy, loaded with bold peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate. There’s both a layer of melted chocolate and assorted candy bar pieces adorn the top.
If you need a way to use up that random assortment of Halloween (or Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, etc.) candy that you have on hand, these peanut butter chocolate bars are perfect. Snickers, Milky Way, Payday, you name it, use it up.
The bars are super soft, very dense, and chewy, and they’re total comfort food for me. Caramely, peanut buttery, brown sugary goodness. Trust me when I say I prefer a cereal bar like a Rice Krispies Treat or a Special K Bar over a fancy cupcake and I couldn’t stop eating these. Make them in advance for parties, afternoon snacks, or desserts, and they’re sure to be an instant hit!
Love no-bake cereal bars?
My no-bake peanut butter marshmallow cereal bars are rich, buttery, dense, and wonderfully soft with plenty of chewiness you can really sink your teeth into!
And my chewy peanut butter and chocolate cereal bars are soft, extra chewy, rich, dense, peanut buttery, and smothered in chocolate with more peanut butter swirled in, making for the perfect bar.
What’s in Peanut Butter Candy Bars?
To make these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars, you’ll need a handful of simple ingredients including:
- Creamy peanut butter – Although I love making homemade peanut butter, I don’t recommend using it in these no-bake peanut butter bars. You’ll need to use creamy peanut butter from a brand like Jif, Skippy, or similar. Crunchy peanut butter will not work
- Corn syrup – This is my secret to the perfect chewy texture. Make sure to use light-colored corn syrup, not the dark stuff, or the bars will be far too dark
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Special K cereal – Some people prefer to use graham crackers, using a rolling pin to smash them into pieces, but the bars won’t be nearly as thick or crunchy
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Bite-sized candy bar pieces – Feel free to use any candy pieces you like best such as Resse’s peanut butter cups, Kit Kats, Snickers, etc.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Peanut Butter Candy Bars
You won’t believe how easy these bars are to make! With no need to turn the oven on, you just mix, layer, and enjoy. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Melt peanut butter, corn syrup, and both sugars in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring to combine. Then, stir in the vanilla followed by the cereal.
- Turn the mixture out into a square 8 x 8-inch pan lined with aluminum foil and greased with cooking spray, spreading it out evenly, and packing it down firmly.
- Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a second bowl in 30-second increments, stirring to combine. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the peanut butter layer, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the candy pieces evenly on top.
- Cover the pan, and allow the bars to cool and set at room temperature.
Speed up the cooling process
I don’t like to chill these bars in the fridge, because the chocolate topping and the candy bars can sometimes turn color (bloom) or experience condensation droplets when brought back to room temp. However, these are purely cosmetic issues, won’t affect taste, and will speed up the cooling process if you’re in a hurry.
Recipe FAQs
If needed, you can swap the peanut butter with any other creamy nut or seed butter you like best. Just keep in mind that the taste and texture of the bars will change slightly depending on what you use.
I’ve had European readers report success using golden syrup, but to my knowledge, there are no other substitutes you can use. Honey and maple syrup don’t have the same binding properties as corn syrup and won’t work in this recipe.
Once set, you can transfer leftover no-bake cookies or bars to an airtight container. They will keep fresh at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Yes! Once set, you can freeze these chocolate peanut butter candy bars for up to 6 months. I recommend wrapping each bar with plastic wrap and transferring them to a sealable bag to prevent them from clumping together.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars
Equipment
- 2 Microwave-Safe Bowls
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter
- ½ cup light-colored corn syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups Special K Cereal
Topping
- 1 ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- about 1 cup bite-sized candy bar pieces, I used Rolo, Reese’s Pieces, mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Butterfinger Cups; substitute with your favorite candy as desired
Instructions
Make the Bars
- Line an 8×8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add 1 heaping cup peanut butter, corn syrup, sugars, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.
- Stop to stir. Mixture will be on the granular side, this is okay.
Return bowl to microwave and heat for 1 more minute on high power. Stop to stir. - Return bowl to microwave and heat for 30 more seconds on high power. Stop to stir. (That was 2 1/2 minutes total microwave time)
- Stir in the vanilla. (1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, use less if you prefer less vanilla flavor)
- Stir in the cereal.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top; set pan aside.
For the Topping
- To a medium microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and heat on high power for 30 seconds. Stop to stir. Heat in increments of 20 to 30 seconds, stopping to stir after each 20 to 30 second increment until chocolate has melted and can be stirred smooth. It will probably take 1 1/2 to 2 minutes total.
- Evenly pour chocolate mixture over Special K layer, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly place the candy pieces over the top. Add as many as you like (I’m generous) and use your favorite candy including Snickers, Turtles, Milky Way, 3 Muskateers, Payday, etc.
- Cover pan with foil and allow bars to cool at room temp until chocolate has set, likely 4+ hours. I don’t like to refrigerate them because the chocolate topping and the candy bars can sometimes turn color (bloom) or experience condensation droplets when brought back to room temp however these are purely cosmetic issues, won’t effect taste, and will speed up the cooling process if you’re in a hurry.
Notes
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Adapted from my Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
ohhh my wprd! These look INSAAAANE
hey girl this looks amazing! Yummy!
Oh these sound dangerous!!! What’s not to love about everything that goes into these bars?! Definitely need to make these ASAP!
I know you aren’t into it, but there’s this new truvia syrup that is the consistency of corn syrup. With the holiday baking coming up, I’m really tempted to try it! These bars would be PERFECT for a test run!
I worry that even though it has the consistency of corn syrup that it may not have the same binding properties like C.S. has. For example, honey and C.S. aren’t interchangeable in this recipe which is why I wouldn’t take the chance (just putting that out here for other readers!) but LMK if you try it!
Here in Holland I can’t find corn syrup, so I used plain golden syrup (stroop as we call it). It worked out just great. It gives the cereal al nice caramell structure. I love these bars, thanks!
Tieneke
I am familiar with golden syrup and I am glad it worked out well in these bars!
My kiddos will love these bars! Yay for fall baking! :D
Fall un-baking, even better :)
I’m glad you got back to your roots ;) These bars look fantastic!
I loved your dessert today…WANT!
Isn’t it funny how that works? You do a ton then you stop? I have lots of those kinds of things too. These look so good!
I think for me it’s because THIS is my kind of dessert way more than a fussy cupcake or pie. Like just give me a cereal bar any day of the week :)
These bars looks amazing!!!
I frequently get requests to make your PB bars with the cornflakes in them. :) You already said it … but what a great way to use up extra Halloween candy!
I love hearing that you get requests to make those cereal bars of mine! And yes to using up that candy :)
PB in the bars and topping–yum! You do have a great collection of cereal bar recipes. I like a good rice krispie treat but love the flavor and texture of cereal bars with brown sugar and corn syrup–they are a little more dense and chewy.
Yes to the dense and chewy part! I loved that about these!