I’ve got the perfect cold treat for you that’s super easy to make on a hot summer day (no oven required!). I saw a similar recipe in a magazine and loved how easy it looked, thinking about how it would be good for when we occasionally break our rules and enjoy a sugary homemade treat.
The only problem though was that the recipe called for WAY too much sugar in my opinion – an entire cup of powdered sugar. Eeek. That would be so sweet I would barely be able to taste the flavors of the other yummy ingredients. So I pared down the sugar quite a bit and tweaked the other ingredients until it was to our liking. I hope you enjoy these No-Bake Peanut Butter Dessert Bars just as much as we do. This one is definitely a keeper!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Dessert Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, can sub almond butter
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Chocolate Layer
- 1 cup chocolate chips, I like Enjoy Life brand
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Line a 9" X 5" loaf pan with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar, cream cheese, and warm melted butter until well combined. Drop it by the spoonful (in chunks) onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In a small pot, melt together the chocolate and cream on low heat. Stir until smooth, then pour on top of the peanut butter chunks and spread into one even layer.
- Cover and freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until the chocolate is set. Store the leftovers in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Green Goddess Dressing
Can you tell me if this recipe works with natural peanut butter (the kind that has to be stirred)? Or does it need to made with something like Skippy?
Thanks!
Hi. We use an organic natural peanut butter.
Can you give me nutritional info on this? Fat? Calories? Thanks
Hi there. That is not information that we provide. This post helps put that into perspective: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
I would love the nutritional info as well please. :)
I made these and substituted full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream. So delicious!
Very yummy and easy to make. I even thought it was a little too sweet, considering the chocolate chips also have sugar in them. I’m going to try it next time with only 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar instead of 6. Also, I used coconut oil instead of butter and it worked and tasted great!
My daughter has a severe peanut allergy. Do you think sunbutter would work as a substitute?
Yes, we’ve not tried but I think it should work fine.
Hi Linda, thank you for the recipe.
I was wondering which peanut butter you use?
I really like to avoid the bad fats.
I make peanut butter balls at every Christmas and use a smooth style. It is a treat, so I save the recipe for the holidays and wrap them in little candy papers and freeze them. thanks!
Hi. We look for an organic peanut butter without added ingredients. Just peanuts and maybe a little salt.
so sorry I wrote Linda not Lisa.
Judy
What brand of peanut butter did you use ?
Hi Kendell. We look for an organic peanut butter without added ingredients. Just peanuts and maybe a little salt.
Do you mean a loaf pan or a square pan like the kind you use for brownies?
A loaf pan is used for bread.
Hi. Lisa used a 9×5 loaf pan.
Delicious! The peanut butter layer still stayed fairly soft for me so it doesn’t hold its shape very long after being cut but still tastes great!
What can I use in place of powder sugar. Brown sugar or sweetened condensed milk
Hi Roy. We’ve not tried a sub in this recipe. I would stick with a dry ingredient.
You can use coconut milk in the can. Make sure it says full fat on it.
Would a milk like almond or coconut work as well as heavy cream? That’s not something that I use often enough to justify the waste…
I made these using full fat coconut milk (the kind in a can) instead of heavy cream and they turned out great! I never use heavy cream because I don’t really like the taste of it.
Use your leftovers for something else. It’s delish on oatmeal. Or I have this amazing potato recipe. Spray a baking dish, pile I sliced peeled potatoes, add cream almost to cover, sprinkle with salt, pepper and if have any parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in a 450 for about 25-40 mins.
Delicious!
SOOOOO GOOD!!!
Thanks for a yummy no bake recipe. I used 4 TBSP organic powdered sugar, and subbed 2% milk for the cream since I didn’t have any on hand. I put them in mini muffin tins with paper liners and they were the perfect size.
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! It’s a great sweet treat without going way overboard. A small square is plenty to satisfy you! I love this. Thank you for sharing.
I’m wondering about using chunky peanut butter for this recipe. Do you think it will work? I never have creamy peanut butter in the house.
Hi Jen. I think chunky should work just fine.
Would like to make these for my son who lives out of state. Do you think I could ship them or do they need to stay refrigerated?
Hi Dolly. There is a lot of dairy in this recipe. I would keep it refrigerated.
Loved these but my thoughts are, if we’re trying to eliminate fake sugar, these definitely don’t need as much as 6 tablespoons. I’m going to try for 4 next time I make these because they were very good and a great treat when you don’t want to fire up your oven on a hot day. Maybe just a bit too sweet– which is saying a lot for me. Great recipe though!
Can I sub something for the cream cheese? I can’t stand the taste of if.
You won’t taste it, it’s covered in peanut butter and sugar.
Hi Christy. We’ve not tried substitutions in this recipe.