Next Post
Baked Gruyère Tomato Bruschetta.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Chewy no-bake Cookie Dough Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars – the yummiest! A crisp, chewy, sweet, and peanutty cereal base topped with my homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, then a thick layer of salted chocolate. All made with simple, wholesome ingredients: organic cornflakes, honey, pure maple syrup, natural peanut butter, and dark chocolate. Cashew butter is the key to the cookie dough, chewy, salty-sweet, and just delicious.
And the cookie dough returns! I told you when I shared my cookie dough ice cream cake that I had more cookie dough recipes coming and I really did mean it. I’m having a moment with homemade chunks of cookie dough, it’s like I’m a kid again!
And you all, this recipe is dynamite. Each bar is chewy, salty-sweet, peanutty, and topped with a thick layer of chocolate chip cookie dough. I love them so much and the best part is that they’re totally no-bake and really easy to make.
The chewy peanut butter base is my mom’s special K-bars, also known as chocolate peanut butter bars. Then, I topped her famous bars with a layer of my homemade cookie dough. The combination together is addicting.
Now the details
Step 1: make the chewy peanut butter base
This is a mix of cornflakes, brown rice crispies, peanut butter, honey, and maple. Mix the peanut butter and honey together, then microwave until warmed through and easily pourable. Toss with both kinds of cereal, then press the cereal mix into a square baking dish.
Make sure to pack it into the pan.
Step 2: thicken the maple
Pour the maple syrup into a small pot and boil it until it turns to an even thicker syrup. This will help “glue” our chewy bars together. Drizzle the maple over the peanut bars, then set the pan aside while you make the cookie dough.
You’ll want to thicken the maple syrup by boiling it first. Then drizzle the maple over the peanut bar base. The maple is my secret to holding these bars together.
Step 3: the chocolate
Now pour over the chocolate and let the bars set up. I like to cut these into 16 bars. I also like to do a very light sprinkle of sea salt, YUMMY.
Each bar is chewy with crisp cereal and that sweet cookie dough sandwiched between peanut butter and chocolate – absolutely delicious! A fun, summertime treat that’s totally no-bake and takes only minutes to prepare. We certainly love that!
Looking for more sweet summer recipes? Here are a few to try:
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake
Strawberry Pretzel Ice Cream Cake
No Churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Salty Pretzel Banana Pudding Ice Cream Cake
Coffee and Fudge Ice Cream Cake
Swirled Berry Ice Cream Butter Cake
Triple Layer Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Cake
Nonnie’s 6 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
Lastly, if you make this Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake, 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!
Cookie Dough Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars:
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 403 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
K-bars
- 2 cups organic corn flakes
- 1 cup brown rice krispies
- 2/3 cup, plus 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- sea salt (optional)
Cookie Dough
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, combine 2/2 cup peanut butter and the honey. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute, until warmed. Add the cornflakes, brown rice krispies, and toss well to fully coat. Spread the mixture out into the prepared pan, packing it in tightly. 3. In a small pot, bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium heat. Cook 4-5 minutes, until thickened and gooey. Evenly drizzle the maple over the bars. Chill.4. To make the cookie dough. Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a bowl or in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water. Stir in the chocolate chips. Grab the peanut bars from the fridge. Press the cookie dough over the peanut bars. 5. Melt together the chocolate and 1/4 cup peanut butter in the microwave. Spread the chocolate over the cookie dough. Chill until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Cut into bars. Keep stored in the fridge.
Can I use coconut or almond flour instead of oat flour for the cookie dough?
Hi Emily,
Sure, either of those would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Just wanted to let you know I noticed a type-o on the instructions # 2. The amount of peanut butter to add is 2/2?
This looks scrumptious and I am planning to make these this weekend.
Thanks so much Margaret!! That should read “2/3 cup”. I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xT
Can you make these ahead and freeze them?
Hi Donna,
I wouldn’t freeze these, but you can certainly make them ahead of time and keep in the fridge:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Is there any reason I couldn’t use regular corn flakes and regular Rice Krispies if I already have those on hand?
Hi Allie,
Nope, those would be just fine for you to use! Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xT
Question about the cookie dough portion instructions. Step 4 says mix all ingredients “except” chocolate chips. Then next sentence says “mix in chocolate chips” Do the chocolate chips get mixed into the cookie dough??? Or do the chocolate chips just get melted w/peanut butter for the final coating of chocolate. Wanted to clarify. Thanks much!
Hi Christine,
You are only going to stir in the chocolate chips to the cookie dough, you don’t want to put them in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients because they will just get chopped up. I hope this helps! xx
Thank you that makes sense I completely misread. But I do have one other question. Can I use regular Rice Krispies or do they need to be brown Rice Krispies?? I am having a hard time finding the brown. (Other than online at an outrageous price) Thanks again & I love your recipes!
Yes, that will be just fine for you to use:)
So yummy! Perfect treat to make when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
Hey Tanya,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your review!🍓🍑 xT
Would be nice to have serving portion & nutrition listed. 403 calories is a lot for I’m assuming 1 serving/1 cookie.
Looks delish!!
Hi Malinda,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
You list 2/3 c peanut butter & 1/4 c peanut butter. In the instructions you say to add 1 cup of peanut butter ….. also, 1/4c peanut butter should be listed below with the chocolate chips to avoid confusion
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for pointing that out, I fixed the recipe, it’s 2/3 cup in step 2 and then 1/4 cup in step 5. I hope this makes more sense! xx
Hi- for the cookie dough part- can pb or almond butter be used instead of cashew butter? I’m so excited to make these!
Thank you!
Hi Laura,
Totally, either of those would work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
More figs recipes for summer please, maybe some fig tart… Please 🙏🏼💜
Thanks for the recommendation Julia!!
Yes I’d love to make this for family coming this weekend… pls edit and update so ingredients and instructions are clear. They sound amazing!
Hi Staci,
I fixed the recipe, hopefully everything is more clear now:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Recipe ingredients say 2/3 plus 1/4 c peanut butter but instructions say a cup of peanut butter. And I guess it’s the 1/4 c that gets melted for the topping?
Hi. The top paragraph section is also missing the cookie dough steps. It goes from 1. Special K bars to 2. Maple Syrup to 3. Chocolate. …also there’s duplicate wording in the maple syrup section, and as previously mentioned the special K bar paragraph says to include rice crispies but the actual recipe omits them. …also how long to chill the maple syrup layer before adding the cookie dough one?
Hi Deb,
I edited the recipe, step 2 is going to be the special k base, step 3 is the maple syrup, step 4 is the cookie dough, and step 5 is the chocolate layer. Please let me know if there is anything else that I still need to clarify! xx
Question on the last step. How much chocolate? I did not see it in the ingredient list either.
Also in the description you mention rice crispy cereal, but not in the ingredients.
Might want to make a few updates to this one.
Hi there,
You will want to use 12 ounces of chocolate and 1 cup of brown Rice Krispies. Please let me know if there is anything else you need help with! xT
These are amazingly delicious. Add sea salt or salt flakes when pour on the hot chocolate if desired. Recipe says “optional” but didn’t say when to add.
Thanks so much Emilie!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! xT
Is it safe to eat raw oat flour in your cookie dough?
Thanks!
Hi Ginger,
Yes, it is:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Looks yummy! Can’t afford cashew butter, going to try with peanut butter or maybe almond butter if I get to Aldi. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Donna,
Sounds great!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
I think someone needs to re-read and edit this post. The narrative mentions Kristi rice cereal, but it’s not in the ingredients list or in the written recipe. At the end there’s a reference to an ice cream cake. There’s duplicate information, and it’s all a bit confusing.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Melinda!! You will want to use 1 cup of brown Rice Krispies:) Please let me know if there is anything else! xx
Totally agree. Needs to be reread and edited.
Your description mentions a combo of corn flakes and Rice Krispies for the bottom layer, however I don’t see the rice cereal listed as ingredient.
Please clarify.
Thank you!
I’d guess 2 cups Rice Krispies for that amount of liquids. Anyone else notice a change in her recipes lately or is it just me? More quick cooking?
Hi Connie,
It’s going to be 2 cups corn flakes and 1 cup of brown Rice Krispies. Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
She probably has someone else doing the grunt work.
Weird comment. Like who?
Hi Kathleen,
You are going to use 2 cups corn flakes and 1 cup of brown Rice Krispies. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Is there another type of flour you can substitute? Is regular flour OK?
Hi Jessica,
Sorry, you cannot use regular flour, the cookie dough is not baked, oat flour is the best option here:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx