Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars feature sweet and salty peanut butter with crisp rice cereal, topped with a fudgy peanut butter chocolate layer.
My kids and I both have a huge weakness for sweets containing a peanut butter and chocolate combination (Mr. Dreamboat can take them or leave them). Both of my kids will often choose any variety of Reese’s products when offered the option to choose candy.
Luckily for our candy budget, I cracked the code to getting a Reese’s-like peanut butter filling a while back, and it contains 3 main components:
- Natural peanut butter. This gives just the right texture with tiny bits of peanuts without having to grind peanuts yourself.
- A generous portion of salt. The biggest thing I notice when I try non-Reese’s peanut butter candies is that they’re sweeter/not as salty. I like the saltiness in Reese’s, but some may not.
- Water. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out how to get a stable, non-melting peanut butter filling without adding too much powdered sugar, and hence making the filling too sweet. The key is just a little bit of cold water, which reacts with the fat in the peanut butter, turning it into a stiff, dough-like texture.
You can use these components to make your own peanut butter cups, bars, or other types of candy, but this time, I’m making Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
To make these easy, no-bake squares, start by prepping your pan. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
Next up, the peanut butter filling. While you can certainly use a hand mixer if you like, it’s easy enough to mix it by hand using a wooden/silicone spoon or sturdy spatula. Stir together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth.
Add the cold water and continue mixing. You will notice that it will immediately start to seize and thicken. Keep mixing until the water is completely incorporated. Add the rice cereal, and stir in gently but completely to avoid crushing the cereal.
Transfer the peanut butter filling to the prepared baking pan. Spread the mixture evenly into the pan, gently pressing it into the edges and corners. Smooth the top of the mixture as much as possible.
To make the chocolate topping, add the milk chocolate and creamy peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high in 30-second intervals until the chocolate and peanut butter are completely melted together. Make sure to stir the mixture after each heating interval to ensure even heating.
Once melted, stir the mixture together until evenly mixed. Pour the chocolate mixture over the smoothed peanut butter filling layer, and spread evenly with an offset spatula or butter knife. Rap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to remove any bubbles.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes. Once the chocolate layer has set, remove the bars from the pan by lifting the parchment. Carefully peel the parchment paper from the bars, then cut into squares.
Store leftovers in the fridge to avoid melting, especially if it’s warm.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars Ingredients
- Natural peanut butter or creamy peanut butter. I find that using natural peanut butter (with tiny but noticeable bits of peanuts) will result in a peanut butter filling layer that is most similar to Reese’s. However, if you prefer your peanut butter layer to be as smooth and creamy as possible, feel free to substitute creamy peanut butter.
- Powdered sugar – Using powdered sugar adds sweetness to the peanut butter layer without making it gritty.
- Kosher salt – I prefer adding a generous amount of salt to my peanut butter treats, but if you’re using table salt instead of kosher salt, you should reduce the amount to ½ to ¾ teaspoons.
- Cold water – Believe it or not, adding a small amount of cold water to nut or seed butters actually causes it to thicken to a paste- or dough-like consistency. However, it’s possible to overdo it, so make sure you stick to the amount in the recipe, and make sure the water is fully incorporated before adding the cereal.
- Crisp rice cereal – Not all rice cereal is gluten-free, so make sure to check the label if you need these bars to be gluten-free
- Milk chocolate – You can use either a milk chocolate bar (they are often just the right size) or milk chocolate chips or chunks. Feel free to substitute dark chocolate if you prefer that. If you need your bars to be dairy-free and/or vegan, use your favorite dairy-free chocolate.
- Creamy peanut butter – While I prefer natural peanut butter for the base of these bars, I strongly recommend creamy peanut butter for the topping. This will ensure that your chocolate layer is smooth and fudgy, not gritty.
Want more chocolate peanut butter recipes?
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one square if you cut your recipe into 16 pieces. If you cut fewer (larger) squares, or more (smaller) squares, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
To make these bars gluten-free, make sure to check the label of your crisp rice cereal, as not all are gluten-free (regular Rice Krispies are not gluten-free).
To make your bars dairy-free and/or vegan, use your favorite dairy-free chocolate.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare an 8×8" baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set it aside for now.
- Add 1 cup natural peanut butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to mix the ingredients together (or mix by hand with a wooden/silicone spoon or spatula). Add 1 teaspoon cold water and repeat the mixing. You will notice that it quickly solidifies to a dough-like texture. Make sure that there is no free water or wet spots remaining.
- Add 2 cups crisp rice cereal to the peanut butter mixture, and gently fold it in without crushing the cereal. When the cereal is evenly distributed, transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press the mixture into the pan firmly but gently, again ensuring that you're not crushing the cereal. Smooth the top of the mixture as much as you can.
- Add 100 grams milk chocolate (break or cut it into pieces first if you're using a solid chocolate bar) and 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter to a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir together until the chocolate is completely melted (you can microwave for up to 30 seconds more, if needed, to further melt the chocolate) and smooth.
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the prepared crunchy peanut butter and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it evenly. Once the chocolate peanut butter layer completely covers the peanut butter crunch layer, rap the pan firmly on the counter a few times to remove any bubbles. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a lid and transfer the pan to the fridge to chill for at least 30-60 minutes.
- Remove the squares from the pan by lifting out the parchment. Carefully peel the parchment off, then cut into squares. Store any leftovers in the fridge to avoid melting, especially in warm weather.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Please Consider Leaving a Review!