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Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, the bars that everyone LOVES! Think crisp, chewy, sweet, peanut krispie treat base, layered with creamy peanut butter, and topped with sweet salted chocolate. All made with simple, wholesome ingredients: brown rice krispies, honey, pure maple syrup, natural peanut butter, and dark chocolate. These bars are heavy on the peanut butter and chocolate, sweet, salty, gluten-free, vegan, and, geez…they’re even no-bake! Every last bite is truly delicious.
Happy darn Friday everyone! I felt as though this week especially needed a sweet and easy chocolate peanut butter recipe. I don’t know why exactly, but it just seemed like we could all use these delicious bars this weekend.
So here we are. Yet another chocolate peanut butter treat that I’m way too excited to share. This one was certainly a hit over here.
Inspiration
Honestly, how these came to be I couldn’t tell you. It all started with a scotcheroo recipe. Then turned into a combination of homemade scotcheroos and homemade peanut butter Twix bars.
To put it simply, I wanted to make scotcheroos but I didn’t want to use butterscotch chips. I wanted to avoid overly processed sweets. Because of that, I kept thinking about what else I could do. What flavor could replicate the butterscotch?
And then, it hit me. What if I did a combination of scotcheroos and peanutty Twix. I tested a few things and at first, I struggled. But then I got it right. And well, now my dad’s declaring these his new favorite. And I guess everyone else up at my parent’s house is too.
More than anything they love the way these taste. The textures, the chewiness, the generous amount of peanut butter, and, of course, the thick layer of chocolate on top. But they also love knowing there are no processed sugars, funny ingredients, or artificial anything involved.
Details – chewy peanut krispies
I love to use brown rice krispies for a better-for-you option. You don’t even taste the difference! The “stickiness” that holds the krispie layer together is a basic mix of honey, maple syrup, and then a little bit of peanut butter and coconut oil.
The key is to use a mix of honey and maple syrup. The honey is thicker and stickier than the maple. And when boiled down it really is the glue that holds these treats together.
If you are strictly vegan, you can definitely use all maple syrup. The bars will still be sticky and great. Just slightly less chewy than if you were to use a mix of honey and maple.
The peanutty/carmel like filling
Essentially, this is the same gooey mix as above, just different ratios and no honey.
Peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil boiled together to thicken the mix. The secret to making this layer really delicious is to use a natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and/or sugar. This will give you the best flavor and texture.
Pour the peanut butter layer over the chewy krispie treats, then freeze the bars. You only need them to freeze them for 30 minutes to an hour or so. This helps the peanut butter set up quickly so you can continue on with the chocolate.
When the peanut butter is chilled and stiff, pour some melted chocolate over top to finish the layers up. I like to slice the bars before the chocolatey top becomes too hard. This will make the bars much easier to cut and prevents the peanutty filling from getting squished out.
And then you’re done. And trust me, you might want to double the batch because these disappear fast. Everyone from my dad to Asher, to random friends who stopped in have devoured these. They really are a favorite.
It’s the chewy, salty, sweet, chocolate, peanut butter combination – it’s magic!
Looking for easy party desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake
Lastly, if you make these Chewy 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!
Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 259 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chewy Peanut Krispies
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 6 cups brown rice krispies
Creamy Peanutty/Caramel Goodness
- 1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- sea salt
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. To make the chewy layer. Add the brown rice krispies to a large bowl.3. In a medium pot, combine the honey, maple syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and pour the mix over the brown rice krispies. Stir well to combine. Spread the mix out onto the prepared pan, packing it in tightly. Place in the freezer. 4. To make the peanut layer. In a medium pot, mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, and 1/4 cup coconut oil. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour over the krispies layer. Freeze 30 minutes, until firm.5. Melt together the chocolate and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in the microwave. Let cool 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mix layer. Return to the fridge to set, about 10 minutes, then slice. The chocolate will not be totally set, but slicing is easier this way. Keep in the fridge.
Notes
If Strictly Vegan: use additional maple syrup in place of the honey.
Tip: Try to use a natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and/or sugar.
These look delicious. Reminds me of a similar recipe from your mom in one of your cookbooks. Can you recommend a brand of peanut butter that would be good in this recipe? All of the “natural” types I see in the store must be stirred and are very stiff to use.
Hi Kelly,
I like Whole Foods brand! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xx
Couldn’t find brown rice crispies, forgot the vanilla and salt for the filling and they were still wonderful!
Hi Tina,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
These are incredible! Our family is not a fan of anything coconut so I use refined coconut oil as there is no smell or taste of coconut! I literally had to stop myself from eating the entire pan- kept telling myself they were sort of healthy so I kept going… I will definitely make this a regular treat.
Hi Sophia,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
These were amazing! I brought them in for my coworkers to try and they were a big hit. Every day we talk about what we are making next from HBH and this was a winner.
Hi Mya,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
I doubled the recipe so I could share with my coworkers. I’m not sure they will make it to my coworkers because I could eat every last one of them. These are delicious
Hi Darlene,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
Ah…mazing! Made this yesterday! Had to change a few things based on availability and food sensitivities, but EVERYONE is loving them! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I ised vegan butter instead of coconut oil (I am sensitive to coconut) and I used cocoa brown crispies because that is what my husband brought home lol, and I used unsalted peanut butter (added a little myself to adjust) and semi-sweet chocolate because that is what we had on-hand. Omg…amazing recipe!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
Once made, can I freeze these
Hi Marie,
Yes, that will work well for you. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xxTieghan
I need help! I made these and the middle peanut/caramel layer just soaked into the crispy treat layer underneath. It ended duo being only two layers, the crispy bar and chocolate on top. How do I avoid this?
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Did you allow the crispy layer to cool and was it really packed well? Let me know how I can help!! xx
I did cool it but maybe I didn’t pack it in enough. Thanks for responding! I’ll try again.
Another total winner. Thank you for a healthier “adult” version of scotcheroos! Everything was super easy and so flavorful… this will definitely be added to my permanent recipe collection. The only issue was trying to melt the natural pb for the swirling… mine only burned, it did not melt at all in the microwave. Not being too concerned about eating desserts that are healthy, but loving things that are beautiful, I might try melting a few Reese’s pb chips to swirl on the top next time!
Hey there,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! So sorry to hear about the peanut butter, you do have to watch it carefully. Have a great week:) xx
Soooo good! I halved the recipe in an 8×8 pan and it came out perfectly. I also couldn’t find brown or regular Rice Krispies so I used cocoa krispies. And there’s my reason for having to make them again, as soon as I find some regular krispies (as if I needed a reason :). Seriously in love with the peanut butter maple caramelly stuff. Well done again, Tieghan. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Betsy,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
Easy to make, delicious, and will make again.
Hi Katie,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
Can you talk about how you made the lovely design on the chocolate top layer?
Hi Susan,
I just use a tooth pick to swirl some peanut butter in. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
So delicious! I halved the recipe to fit in an 8×8 and they still turned out amazing! This one will definitely be added to our regular rotation.
Hi Lindsay,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I just started following you last week and already tried a few of your recipes and loving them!
A question about this recipe, my daughter has peanut allergy so do you think that Wowbutter would work? I did read somewhere that it doesn’t really give the same results as PB when used as a PB substitute. What are your thoughts or do you know any brand that would have the PB flavor but not use actual PB? I would really like to try this recipe.
Thanks!
Hi Winnie,
Thanks so much for your kind message and follow along!! I would actually try sunflower butter, almond butter, or even cashew butter. All of those would be great options. Let me know if you give the recipe a try!! xTieghan
My son has a nut allergy too. The sunflower butter works great instead of peanut butter! I substitute that for peanut butter all of the time! (It tastes much better than soy butter)
Thanks so much for sharing Debbie!!
Absolutely delicious! Added the PB and some flaky salt once cooled.
Hi Allison,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out!! xTieghan
They were sooooo good I’ve been asked to keep them on rotation! The peanut butter swirl looked so fancy once they cooled. My boys had them gone so fast! Saturday has become a “bake something from half baked harvest day” 🙂
Hi Allison,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Awe, I love to hear this!! xx