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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.
I started making these late one night and had to leave them in the freezer overnight after the peanut butter layer. No biggie but I feel like it really hardened the bottom layer and they just never came back from their “frozen” state because my bottom layer is pretty hard. Lol. Regardless they are still totally delicious!
Also you need to watch how quickly the chocolate hardens when melted with the coconut oil. I didn’t have much time to try to swirl in the peanut butter before it started to get solid.
Thank you so much for your recipes Tieghan! I’m so glad my boss said to me “Wait – you don’t follow Half Baked Harvest?!” 🙂
Hey Beverly,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Thanks for your kind message!! ? xx
These were so easy and so good. Love them. Will be a regular recipe for me. Thank you!
Hey Steph,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
OMG These are sooo goooooddd. My second peanut butter layer didn’t set, it seeped through but no complaints here. These taste almost like a scotaroo which I love. So happy to find something a bit “healthier” Now..watch me eat this entire pan. 5 stars from this family!
Hi Ashley,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Holy smokes! These are incredible! The combination of flavors and textures is perfect. Everyone raved about them in my family. I used a mix of natural peanut butter and Costco’s Mixed Nut Butter with Seeds and it was delicious. I love that there aren’t any refined sugars added and the brown rice krispies are healthier than the usual ones. This is a new family favorite recipe. Thank you Tieghan!
Hi Jennifer,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
Just starting to try to eat a little cleaner. Family has sweet tooth and these looked great! They came out beautifully. However, I kinda taste the coconut oil as an after taste in the chocolate. Is it because I’m not used to it or because I used too much or did something wrong? When measuring coconut oil is it measured as a solid or liquid: does it matter?
Hi Barbara,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. For this recipe the coconut oil is measured when solid, otherwise it would be noted as melted. You can use butter in place of the coconut oil if you like. Have the best week:)) xT
Delicious! Everyone I shared them with loved 🙂
Hi Stacey,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
Would that work with reconstituted PB2 powder instead of regular peanut butter?
Hi Kasia,
Sorry, I would not recommend that for this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
Easy to make and very delicious. I mixed the chocolate topping since I had both dark chocolate and milk chocolate available. I added a melted swirl of butterscotch chips on top. Will for sure make again – such a good treat!
Hi Sasha,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
Delicious! However my bottom Krispies layer fell apart on me. Not sure why? Still tasted great though even if they were a bit messy to eat.
Hey Julie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Sorry about the Rice Krispies, my guess is that they were not packed well enough into the pan. Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
Curious if anyone has tried almond butter, almonds and salt only?
Hi Rachelle,
That should work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing!! xx
Um. I wished I halved this recipe after reading the other reviews because I ate an 8×13 pan of these mofo’s. So good and worth having to buy a bigger size in my jeans. I had to buy gluten free rice crispies in Canada because ppl are doomsday prepping similar to the TP crisis of 2019 and I told myself they were healthy thanks to the lack of gluten. Make these immediately…Tieghan is a genius.
Hey Leslie,
LOL wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
Hi there! I can’t seem to find good quality Rice Krispies that aren’t really expensive. Is there anything else I could use instead? Puffed rice? Oats?
Thanks!
I haven’t made these yet, but there are the off brands at Kroger and Walmart that you can use. They come in bags instead of boxes and they’re just as good, maybe better.
Hi Eliza,
If you want to use oats I would try this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-oatmeal-bars/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Has anyone tried freezing these? Thanks,
Nancy B in DENVER
Hi Nan,
Yes, you can totally freeze these! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
What can I use instead of peanut butter?
Hi Susan,
Another nut butter of your choice will work well for you. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
These are delicious and easy to make. My son did 2/3 of the steps. Would love to know more about how you made the decorative look to the top.
Hi Gwen,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I just used a toothpick to swirl in some peanut butter. xT
So for the swirl, did you plop additional peanut butter on top of the chocolate layer? Or is the peanut butter swirl from the peanut butter layer below?
I just use a small amount of peanut butter to swirl in:)