These may be the best no-bake bar I’ve ever made. And I’m the queen of bars, so that’s quite a statement.
They’re like a homemade peanut buttery Crunch Bar topped with Kit Kats, and they’re worth every empty calorie.
No-bake Cereal Bars are a real specialty of mine. Some people can make macarons in their sleep or pipe flowers onto 4-tiered fondant-covered cakes.
Me, I’ve got a real knack for combining peanut butter, sugar, cereal, and chocolate in the microwave, with some candy bars tossed in to complete the classy ensemble.
And I’ve done it in more combinations and permutations than should be legal.
So when I can get excited about a new bar, given all the dozens (hundreds) that have come before it, I do a little happy dance. These bars are the new top dog to beat in no-bake cereal bar adventures.
They’re vegan and gluten-free up until they’re topped with Kit Kats. If you top them with peanut butter cups instead, they’re vegan and gluten-free since since Kit Kats are the only thing that’s not vegan/GF in the recipe. Simple swap.
Ironically, there’s no butter or buttery spreads used in these very buttery and rich bars.
They’re fast and easy to make, with less than 15 minutes of active work.
They combine two favorite recipes. The base is a duplication of Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars, which are adapted from my Grandma’s Special K Bar recipe. I love that recipe so much that I included it in my cookbook.
The base is made by combining sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in the microwave to make a bastardized 2-minute caramel sauce. It serves as the glue to hold together Rice Krispies cereal that’s stirred in.
I’m a huge fan of any version of Rice Krispies Treats. These use peanut butter rather than marshmallows as the glue. Can’t go wrong either way.
They’re firm enough so they’re not a gooey mess, and the texture is chewy and dense, yet soft.
They have a pronounced pop of peanut butter flavor, with caramel and vanilla notes. The flavor is exceedingly buttery-tasting, despite no butter being used.
The top layer is an adaptation of the topping of Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars. I don’t know why I haven’t repurposed the topping until now, but I’m so glad I did.
It’s chocolaty with just a hint of peanut butter, and has the most amazing texture after it sets up. Dense, firm, crispy and crunchy, and reminds me of a Nestle Crunch bar, with a little more airiness and less snap.
It’s made by melting chocolate chips with a little peanut butter, and just enough cereal is stirred in to soak up some of the melted, saucy mixture.
Last but not least, I chopped Kit Kats for the top.
When I pushed them down onto the still warm chocolate layer, they melted just enough to become embedded.
I’ve always loved the flaky,crunchy layers of Kit Kats and they paired perfectly with the crunchy-yet-softened cereal in both the base and topping layers. Their sweeter milk chocolate complemented the semi-sweet chocolate in the topping.
They’re definitely the new bar to beat.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Chocolate Peanut Butter Kit Kat Crunch Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter
- ½ cup light corn syrup, light-colored, not lite
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Chocolate Topping
- 1 heaping cup diced Kit Kat pieces, I used three 1.50-ounce bars, diced
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter
- 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal, or similar crispy rice cereal that’s vegan/GF, if necessary
Instructions
- Base – Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 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.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in 3 cups cereal.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top; set pan aside.
- Chocolate Topping – Dice the Kit Kats; set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.
- Stop to stir. Chips may not be completely melted. Return bowl to microwave and heat in 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth, 15 seconds is likely all they’ll need.
- Stir in 1 cup cereal.
- Pour chocolate mixture over base, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top.
- Place the Kit Kats in about 10 evenly and tightly spaced rows over the surface, with about 1/4-inch space between each piece (does not have to be perfect). By the time you get all the pieces on and in rows, the pieces you placed on first will likely have started to melt at the base. Push them down lightly so they embed into the chocolate-crispy layer. Go back over and push on all the pieces with your finger to ensure they’re all embedded and will stick as the bars cool and set up.
- Cover pan with a sheet of foil (to prevent fridge smells), and place pan in fridge to set up for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight, or until chocolate layer is completely set before lifting out with foil overhang, slicing, and serving.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Related Recipes
Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars (vegan, GF)
Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars
No-Bake Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cereal Bars (GF)
Biscoff Marshmallow Chocolate Bars (no-bake)
No-Bake Nutter Butter Special K Bars
Special K Bars (no-bake)
Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars (almost no-bake)
Peanut Chewy Payday Bars (almost no-bake)
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (no-bake, vegan, GF)
Double Chocolate Caramel Corn & Cocoa Rice Krispies Candy Bars (GF)
Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats (GF) – The best RKTs I have ever had. Double the butter and it’s browned, for great flavor and soft, buttery, chewy bars
This post is being linked to Roxana’s Chocolate Party!
Fan of Kit Kats? Chocolate and peanut butter? Favorite no-bake bar?
i seriously love how peanut butter is one of your food groups — your blog is a love letter to my pb-loving self!
xx
Yes my cookbook is all about PB, too! 100 recipes and I never get sick of the stuff! :)
O. M. G. Can you please stop crawling into my brain, discovering my cravings du jour, and then tempting me with them each and every day in the form of gorgeous, perfectly shaped bars, and irresistible recipes? I mean, seriously: UNCLE! I’m making these for friends tomorrow and I’ll be surprised if said friends actually get any. SWOOOOOOOON.
Omg you HAVE to tell me what you think and what your friends think! They’re seriously one of the best bars ever (in my opinion!). How could anyone not like PB + chocolate + all that texture though!
Averie, I’m dying for that stack of bars there! And the best part is that I just bought a halloween size bag of kit kat bars for Jason, except I’m going to use them all in this recipe! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and so glad you’re swiping those Kit Kats and making these!
No-bake AND Kit Kats on top? I gotta have these!! Pinning!
Thanks for the pin and what better way to use all that HWeen candy, right!
Heavenly marriage!!! Kit Kats are my favorite… PB is my next favorite… once again, I don’t think I would share these bars. I want the entire pan. :-D
Thanks for the pin and if you love Kit Kats, you have to make these! :)
OMG Averie!! I am never disappointed when I visit your blog!!! These look fabulous and must be made immediately! and yes, you ARE the queen of no-bake bars!! love it!
May as well stick with what I know works, right :)
These crunch bars just made my life feel complete. They are incredible!
My jaw is on the floor. You are an evil bar-making genius. Pinned!
Thanks for the pin and LOL to your comment :)
These are so unique!! I love the kit kats on top. Yum!!
Please, give me a break from all these decadent bar recipes. I’m growing a second butt just reading your post.
Lol
Why do you think I run every day! I have to or I’d grow a 4th one :)
Averie, these just might be the best looking bars I’ve ever seen! I certainly wish that were my bite!
I was just on your site last night looking at the Biscoff and Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups! I had seen a pin and clicked over – they look delish!
Oh my goodness, I love the little KitKat pieces on top of these bars! In fact, I love everything about these bars! Yet another winning combo :)
Thanks, Colleen! They’re so easy and fast, too :)
These look incredible! And if you say they may be the best no-bake bars, they’re a must-try!!
I’m super picky after all the hundreds I’ve made and tried and these are the ones to beat!
I think you combined two of childhood fave chocolates into one! I love the crunch chocolate bar and kit kats as a kid. My mum used to pack me either one of thees in lunch box everyday when I went to school. I do not know why pb is not a kitkat flavour, it would be so popular!
I want to be one of yours kids if you making this for dessert. They would be so lucky.
Crunch chocolate bar and kit kats are faves of mine, too. And in the US, I think I’ve seen seasonal PB-Kitkats. There is (or was?) a candy bar that was like a KitKat but with PB. Maybe Snickers tried one that’s similar? Honestly there is so much candy and so many new flavors and versions all the time, that I lost track but pretty sure I’ve seen it!
I love the look of the kit kats on top–they melted just enough to contrast a little with the dark topping. PB cups would be great too! Made the PB banana bread with PB cups from your cookbook. I had a couple of really ripe bananas at that perfect stage for baking. I did sub coconut oil (because I’m out of butter) and put it in an 8×8 pan to cut down on the baking time a little. It was perfect with a good movie Sun. night!!
Pb Cups would be great too (but I had all these KitKats to use that were in my pantry – and b/c I have done so many PB Cup recipes I thought I’d mix it up) but yeah, they would be delish.
Glad to hear the banana bread with pb cups from my book worked out well for you. Good call on subbing with coc oil. When I wrote the book, I had to write it with the ‘average’ cook in mind and most (many?) people don’t keep coconut oil around so I didnt call for it with the exception of a couple recipes. And that was one of the first recipes I made for the book – to the point I probably baked that bread closing in now on 20-24 months ago given the huge lag time in publishing and as my baking has progressed, I would definitely not hesitate to call for it more. I remember that photo shoot so well. My hands were shaking b/c the bread was SO PERFECT in person and I don’t think I ever got the images to convey how good it really was, but I tried but I remember that photo shoot like it was yesterday, and I’ve probably done 400 or more since that one :)
oh wow, i haven’t had a kit kat in years & now i’m staring at your blog over breakfast and totally drooling! these look AMAZING, i’m so impressed with how you keep coming up with these things :) well done!
thanks Holly!