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Super simple, extra delicious, and perfectly sweet Chocolate Peanut Butter Millionaire Bars. Easy shortbread, made with nutty brown butter and flavorful brown sugar, baked and layered with sweetened peanut butter. Each sweet bar is covered in chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Similar to a classic Millionaire Bar…but with a sweet, creamy peanut filling that makes them even more delectable. A fun addition to your Christmas table or Christmas Cookie Box.
I shared a sneak preview of these over the weekend when I shared my Christmas Cookie Box. I can’t believe how many of you have messaged me since asking for the recipe! Of course, that got me very excited to share these simple but fun chocolate peanut butter bars.
As crazy as it is, this is my first Christmas dessert using peanut butter. I thought about doing peanut cookies, but in end, I landed on these delicious bars that my family is excitedly waiting to try.
It’s no secret that everyone in our family enjoys a chocolate peanut butter treat!
Which honestly is what inspired me to make these. Knowing how much everyone enjoys a peanut butter dessert, I figured these would be amazing handheld treats we could all enjoy and even have fun baking together.
Actually back before we started the site, I used to take holiday cookie cutters, pour chocolate on the bottom, and then do a layer of peanut butter on top. The idea was to create holiday-shaped peanut butter cups, but they never quite worked out that well.
These are similar, but with the addition of buttery brown sugar shortbread that creates an even yummier Christmas treat. Like a Millionaire bar but with sweetened peanut butter.
And if you’re looking for a peanut-free Millionaire Bar, I already have a recipe for those. You can find them here! They’re yummy too, but we like this peanut butter adaption even more.
Here are the details
Start with the shortbread. I kept it simple, but I browned the butter, which is really key to adding delicious flavor to an otherwise flavorless base. Don’t skip! The nutty browned butter pairs so nicely with the flavors of the brown sugar and vanilla.
While the shortbread bakes, make the peanut caramel layer, which really could not be simpler. I didn’t want to make it too sweet because I just didn’t feel it was necessary. So I opted out of using sweetened condensed milk and instead used maple syrup.
Bring the mixture to a very gentle boil, then pour it over the shortbread and spread it in an even layer. At this point, chill the bars to help the peanut butter set up. Then cut the bars into cute little rectangles or squares and cover them entirely in chocolate.
Yummy! Oslo is going to be obsessed with these.
And my mom is really looking forward to trying these as well. She tries to avoid sugar, so I know she will enjoy the fact that these are not too sweet!
These would be a great addition to your holiday dessert tables or cookie boxes, something fun for people to snack on that isn’t a cookie!
Plus, I just love that they look like mini presents!
Tip for Success
Make sure the bars are thoroughly chilled before dipping them into chocolate. This is probably my biggest tip. If the bars are frozen, the chocolate will quickly set up and be easier to work with. Trust me, freeze the bars, then dip them through the melted chocolate.
This tip works well for any chocolate covered dessert!
Looking for other holiday dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Asher’s 5 Minute Vanilla Bean Hot Cocoa
Salted Caramel and Milk Chocolate Brownies
Salted Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Blondies
Slice n’ Bake Bourbon Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Millionaire Bars
Servings: 24 squares
Calories Per Serving: 298 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) salted butter at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 24 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Add 1 stick butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer.2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 3. In a bowl, beat together the remaining stick of butter, the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and mix until fully combined. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake 20-22 minutes, until lightly golden and toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.4. To make the peanut caramel. In a medium pot, mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour over the shortbread. Freeze until firm, 30-60 minutes. 5. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave. Stir eveery 30 seconds until melted. 6. Cut the bars into 24 rectangle bars or 48 square bars. Freeze another 10-30 minutes to make dipping easier, then cover/dip each bar in chocolate. Let the chocolate set slightly, then sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until set. Keep stored in a cool dry place or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Whenever I try to dip things in chocolate, they come out messy. How do you dip them so they’re so smooth? Any dipping tips? I’d love for mine to be half as pretty as yours!
Hi Jennifer,
Are you using a good quality chocolate and adding coconut oil? That really helps to get the smooth, shiny look. I hope this helps! xx
In the video a 9×9 pan is used but recipe says 9×13. Did I miss something?
Hey Lynna,
You can follow the recipe as written and use a 9×13 pan. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Chocolate Peanut Butter Millionaire Bars. There is a picture of chocolate chopped up it has heart shape logo on it. What kind is it that you used. It looks so good. If I miss the answer so where I’m sorry. Thank you it look so good your recipes
Hi Kathy,
Those are Chocolove bars. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Fairly easy to make. Absolutely delicious! My only problem is when you eat one, the chocolate melts on your fingers. Don’t know how to prevent that? Maybe if it is not completely dipped in chocolate but it won’t look as nice. Any suggestions appreciated
Hey Liz,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Lol, sorry there’s no way to prevent that, your fingers are warm, causing the chocolate to melt:) xx
Looks so yummy! Quick question, the recipe says to use a 9×13 pan but in the step by step videos you posted to instagram it looked like you used a square 8×8 or 9×9 pan. What do you recommend? Thanks!
Hey Morgan,
You can follow the recipe as written and use a 9×13 pan for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
After dipping the bar, do you put it on parchment paper? Doesn’t the bottom stick or not have chocolate on it?
Not sure what Tieghan does but I’d recommend putting the dipped squares on a cooling rack with parchment under it so excess chocolate can drip off.
Hi Anna,
Try using a wire rack, that usually works well for me! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Tiegan….sorry for the dumb question….but when you say 1/4 c. Melted coconut oil, do you mean 1 /4 cup of oil…or 1/4 c solid – then you melt that?
Hey Susan,
Not dumb at all, you will want to measure the oil in the melted state:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Looks delicious! What brand of chocolate do you use? Cannot wait to try 😉
Thanks so mich Michelle! I like using Chocolove chocolate. xx
That seems like a lot of liquid between the oil and the maple syrup. How does it set up on the shortbread? Does it ooze out at room temperature?
Hi Susan,
That’s why you are freezing in step 4 and storing these in the fridge:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Can I substitute almond butter for the peanut butter? My daughter is allergic to peanuts.
Hey Fran,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know how you like this recipe, I hope it’s delish! xT
Is there a substitute you recommend instead of the coconut oil? I’m sadly allergic to coconut but would love to recreate either millionaire bar!
Alyssa, I just looked this up and you could you can use a neutral oil like sunflower as a substitute or possibly the same weight in butter or vegan butter. Hope that is helpful.
Here’s the thing, though. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature. That means it acts as a solidifier for the peanut butter and maple syrup. Subbing in another oil like sunflower will result in a runnier consistency. If that’s not a problem for you, go for it. If it is, you need to think through the science (baking is chemistry and subject to its rules). You could use butter (look for a European one with less water), vegetable shortening, or even lard. If you want further thickening, sub the maple syrup for brown sugar and maple extract. *Sorry for the detailed explanation. I was a research and development baker and sometimes I just can’t help myself. 👩🍳
Whoops, forgot to say that adding powdered sugar in place of the maple syrup will also help thicken the peanut butter layer. You can also add some crushed cookies. This gave me an idea though. Going to give it a shot and will report back!
Also, powdered milk.
I would replace the coconut oil with melted butter!
Hey Alyssa,
You can use butter or another neutral oil in place of the coconut oil. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
Could you use a different oil instead of coconut oil? If yes, which oil would work best as a substitute? These look delicious!
Emily, any neutral oil like grape seed or sunflower oil would work or the same amount of butter. Hope that helps.
Hey Emily,
You can just butter or another neutral oil! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
This sounds and looks absolutely delicious. However I don’t use coconut oil. Is there anything else I can use?
🙂
Hi Judy,
You can use an equal amount of butter or another neutral oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Does it matter if you use a natural runny peanut butter?
Thank you
Hey Sarah,
You can use any peanut butter that you like:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi Tieghan, is there a substitute for the maple syrup? TIA!
Hey Becky,
You can use an equal amount of honey or brown sugar in place of the maple syrup. I hope this helps! xT
Is there a way to do just a peanut butter filling without caramel?
Hey Sarah,
Totally, you would just spread your peanut butter over the shortbread. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx