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Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. Doughy, soft, and fluffy peanut butter layer, topped with sweet, fudgy chocolate. All made with simple ingredients: almond flour, maple syrup, peanut butter, eggs, and rich dark chocolate. These peanut butter chocolate bars are sweet, salty, made with just the right amount of peanut butter, extra chocolatey, gluten-free, and butter-free. Every last bite is truly delicious, they really are quite magical!
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There’s nothing my family loves more than chocolate and peanut butter paired together. It has always been the family “vice”. Universally, it’s a flavor we all love and could easily enjoy weekly – and sometimes we do!
With the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day both on the horizon, I have two focuses for the month when it comes to desserts…recipes for a crowd, and all things chocolate.
If they happen to be easy, and even somewhat wholesome, that’s just an added bonus!
Excitedly, these peanut bars, have all of the above. They’ll feed a crowd, chocolate is involved, and they don’t require a lot of effort. They’re low in sugar and even gluten-free! The perfect dessert.
So you see, these really are kind of like a magic chocolate peanut butter bar. I’ve made probably six batches in the last few weeks and we haven’t tired of the recipe yet. I’m even looking forward to sharing these on Super Bowl Sunday, they’re the perfect game-day dessert.
The peanut butter bar details
Nothing fancy here, just mix the wet ingredients with the dry and simply bake the bars in a baking dish. One bowl – nothing complicated. As mentioned, I used almond flour for these bars, so they’re naturally gluten-free.
And then, I used maple syrup as the sweetener, which I really love. Sweet dessert bars are, of course, delicious, but I hate the “sugar” headache you can get when they’re overly sweet. Don’t worry though, these peanutty bars are still plenty sweet!
The glazes
The glaze, or glazes, I should say, make these bars, and both are so simple. Just chocolate chips and either oil or milk.
Using milk gives us a really creamy, dark, and rich glaze that stays softer on the bars. It’s delicious and will leave you with chocolatey fingers.
Using oil gives us a more stiff glaze that really sets up and hardens after some rest time.
Both are equally delicious, it’s more of a texture thing. The chocolate + milk glaze is creamy and fudgy. While the chocolate + oil glaze is more firm, like milk chocolate. Using both gives you the best of both, so you don’t have to pick one.
And we love that! Each bite is filled with sweet, fluffy, almost cake-like peanut bars and extra fudgy chocolate glaze. Yummmy! You will want to keep these stored in the refrigerator.
Looking for easy old-school-style desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Giant Salted Espresso Hot Fudge Cookies
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make these Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/3 cup whole milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a bowl, stir together the coconut oil and peanut butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt.3. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool completely.4. Meanwhile, make the glaze.Glaze 1: Microwave 1 cup chocolate chips and oil on 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.Glaze 2: Microwave 1 cup chocolate chips and milk on 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.5. Spread glaze 2 over the cooled bars, let sit 15-20 minutes, then drizzle over glaze 1, using a butter knife to swirl the 2 glazes together (note the order you add the glazes does not matter). Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour until set. Slice into bars and enjoy! Keep stored in a cold place or in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Is there a way to make this and replace the maple syrup with sugar.
Hi Mattie,
I’m so sorry, I have not tested this recipe with sugar. You could certainly give it a try! xx
Can I use regular flour and vegetable oil?
Hi Mattie,
Yes, that will be just fine for you to do, but I would reduce the flour to 2 1/2 cups. I hope you love this recipe!
Delicious!
The perfect blend of Chocolate and peanut butter!
Hey Beth,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad it turned out well for you:)
Base rather dry and undercooked by 5 minutes
Hi there,
Sorry to hear your base was dry. Did you finish the recipe? Was there anything you adjusted? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Is there anything I can replace Avocado oil for the recipe fudge chocolate peanut butter bars?
Hi there! You can use melted butter or vegetable oil! xT
I have an allergy to Avocados. Is there another oil I can use ?
I found these to be gritty and without a strong peanut butter flavor. I’m not sure if I did something wrong.
I left these out over night are they still ok to eat? Our house runs on temp of 69 degrees
I completely forgot to chill them for an hour also
Hi Natalie,
Yes, that should be just fine:) I would pop them in the fridge when you can though! Thanks for trying this recipe! xT
Amazing! We ate the entire pan in a day or two. I also appreciate how easy it was to make.
I did only one layer of ganache and it was fitting for us. The peanut butter flavor is subtle and the chocolate can over power it. I put a swirl of peanut butter on top of the ganache to give it a little more peanut butter flavor. I suggest making it a day before and letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight. It’s moist and there were no crumbs! I think others are cutting into the bars too soon that’s why the bars are “crumbly or dry”. I’m telling you it’s worth the wait to let them sit overnight. I will be making these frequently and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Hey Samantha,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!
What can i substitute for the avocado oil? I have sesame on hand? or should I do purchase some avocado? Thanks. Love all your recipes!
Hi Annette,
I would not recommend sesame oil, but something like coconut oil would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These are absolutely delicious ! I love that the ingredients are healthier too with the almond flour, natural peanut butter and maple syrup instead of sugar ! I used ChocZero chocolate baking chips and those are a delicious low sugar option. These make a great afternoon snack for my boys, and me of course ! Thanks so much Tieghan !
Hey Shannon,
Love it!!🍪🍦 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review!! xx
fave!!! So chewy and yummy
Hey Geraldine,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it:) xT
Hello,
I’m looking for a clarification with this recipe. When you say “1/2 cup melted coconut oil” do you mean, 1/2 cup of solid coconut oil that has been melted, or 1/2 cups worth of melted coconut oil? I guess I’m trying to figure out, am I measuring the coconut oil as a solid or as a liquid? Or another way of asking would be, should I have 1/2 cup of solid coconut oil, or 1/2 of melted coconut oil?
I hope I’m making sense! Thank you 🙂
Hi Alice,
You will want to use 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil, so it will be 1/2 cup in its melted state:) I hope this helps! xx
Hi!! Really want to try these but have a tree nut allergy – can you use regular flour and will the recipe need to change at all?
Hey Madi,
I would try using a gluten free flour blend for best results in this recipe:) Please let me know if you give this a try, I hope you love it! xx
Delicious!! Absolute hit, and very easy to make!
Hi Brittney,
Happy Sunday!!🍀 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your comment! xT
My base was way too crumbly, didn’t stay together at all. Flavor was okay tho.
Hey Jasmin,
So sorry to hear that you had some issues with the base! Next time, I would try using more coconut oil. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can help with! xx