These no bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars are so quick and easy! If you love buckeye candies, you have to try these easy Buckeye Bars! All the flavor with half the work! Love peanut butter and chocolate together? Try these Peanut Butter Cookie Bars and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (Buckeye Bars)
Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic combination that was destined to go together. The two flavors combine to create taste bud heaven as you can also see with my Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Filling or my Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge.
Now I have another delicious (and easy!) peanut butter and chocolate recipe for you. Have you ever tried eating a buckeye? Those little chocolate-covered peanut butter balls are addictively delicious and basically taste just like Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. But they take SO much time to roll out!
I decided it was time to take inspiration from the popular holiday Buckeye treats to create an easy, no-bake recipe that will satisfy your chocolate and peanut butter craving! Only they had to be easier to make. That’s where these Buckeye Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars came from.
They’re everything you love about buckeye candies, only better: decadent layers of fudgy chocolate with smooth creamy peanut butter goodness that will melt in your mouth! Best of all, these buckeye bars come together quickly to make a large batch.
If you love a good buckeye but just don’t have the time to dedicate to making them, these no bake peanut butter bars will deliver all the flavor with much less time and work.
More Delicious Dessert Bars
Love dessert bars? Me too! They take less time to make than most desserts are so good! Here are a few more of my favorites…
- S’mores Bars
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
- Cranberry White Chocolate Bars
- Almond Joy Bars
- Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients Needed
I always advocate using high-quality ingredients in your recipes because that’s how you’ll get the best results. With this in mind, let’s briefly chat about ingredients for this recipe.
- Butter – I recommend using salted butter in this recipe. Soften it before adding it to the recipe.
- Creamy peanut butter – Using natural peanut butter won’t work for this recipe because it won’t set like it needs to. I always use Skippy, but you can use any (non-natural) brand you prefer.
- Pure vanilla extract – flavor enhancer that perfectly complements both the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Powdered sugar – adds the perfect level of sweetness while also achieving the right consistency.
- Chocolate chips – I used dark chocolate chips for a deeper color and chocolate flavor but semi sweet or milk chocolate chips will work if you prefer that flavor.
- Coconut oil – The coconut oil will help the chocolate keep the right consistency and shine. Use refined coconut oil if you don’t want a slight coconut flavor. You can also use vegetable oil or shortening if you don’t have coconut oil on hand.
The coconut oil gives the chocolate a lovely sheen and helps with consistency.
How to Make This Peanut Butter Bars Recipe
Here’s the process for making no bake chocolate peanut butter bars. You can find a full printer-friendly recipe at the end of this post.
- Grease and line a square 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper pressing the parchment into the corners well.
- Combine the butter and peanut butter in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed!
- Mix in the vanilla extract and then slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on low speed. Continue mixing until the mixture comes together in a ball.
- Press the peanut butter mixture evenly into the prepared pan making sure to press into the corners and edges. Set aside.
- Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave safe bowl and heat in 15 second increments at 50% power, stirring in between, until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the peanut butter layer and use a spoon or offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
- Transfer the bars to the fridge and chill for about 2 hours, or until the chocolate has fully set up.
- Slice the buckeye bars and top with flaky sea salt, if desired.
Variations To Try
If you’re looking for more peanut butter treats, I recommend trying these Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars or my Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies!
These bars are so good, that I promise you won’t be able to eat just one! However, if you find yourself wanting to add a little variety to the recipe, here are some ideas you can try.
- To make a nut-free version, replace the peanut butter sunflower butter. Or another option would be to use Biscoff cookie butter (make sure to reduce the powdered sugar to one cup).
- If you want to add some crunch to the recipe, you could use crunchy peanut butter or add a graham cracker crust or top this candy with some crushed pretzels.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars FAQs
Here are a few answers to common questions I get about this recipe.
You can store these buckeye bars for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will be too soft if you store them at room temperature.
Yes! They can be frozen for several months. Thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes before eating (although they taste amazing frozen).
Absolutely! If you plan to double the recipe, use a 9×13 baking dish.
More Amazing Peanut Butter Recipes
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Filling
- Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
How To Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (Buckeye Bars)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1 cup peanut butter creamy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips dark, semi-sweet, or milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil optional, vegetable oil or shortening also work
Instructions
- Grease and line a square 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper pressing the parchment into the corners well.
- Combine the butter and peanut butter in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed!
- Mix in the vanilla extract and then slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on low speed. Continue mixing until the mixture comes together in a ball.
- Press the peanut butter mixture evenly into the prepared pan making sure to press into the corners and edges. Set aside.
- Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave safe bowl and heat in 15 second increments at 50% power, stirring in between, until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.
- Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture over the peanut butter layer and use a spoon or offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
- Transfer the bars to the fridge and chill for about 2 hours, or until the chocolate has fully set up.
- Cut into bars and top with flaky sea salt if desired.
Wow, these bars look delicious. I would love to try this soon. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.