I will be the first to admit that I am a total weirdo. Why, you might ask? Well, there are many reasons, but one of the big ones is that I don’t really care for summer. It just doesn’t do it for me (I’m much more of a fall girl!), and while I may not love this season, I know that most people do, and I have recently started to discover my own reasons to love these hot summer months – one of them being that I get to watch my 9 month old son experience the great outdoors, and another being that I get to try some awesome no bake desserts (because who wants to crank up the oven on a hot summer’s day?) – most of which usually involve peanut butter and chocolate (one of the world’s best combinations!)
These No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a triple win – not only are they easy and don’t require an oven, but they are super tasty, and best of all – you probably have most (if not all) of the ingredients already on hand! So let’s get baking! Whoops – I mean microwaving!
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
(Recipe Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything)
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter, divided
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups rice crispy cereal
Instructions
Line an 9×13 pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray
In a large mixing bowl (or by hand with a spoon), beat together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, and salt. Spread into the pan. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes to firm up
In a microwave safe bowl melt together the chocolate chips and remaining 1 cup peanut butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal. Spread on top of the chilled peanut butter layer
Refrigerate until chocolate is firm before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge
I love the textures in this – the chocolate peanut butter layer has those crunchy pieces of cereal in it, and the peanut butter/graham cracker layer is nice and gritty (which sounds weird but it is actually perfect ha!)
They are pretty rich, as desserts go, so I recommend cutting into at least 24 or 32 pieces – as one is probably enough for anyone!
I will definitely make these again, and hopefully on your next hot day you’ll whip these up and enjoy them as much as we did!
Another fun variation on this recipe are these Chocolate peanut butter pretzel ritz bars – where there’s a nice crunch and saltiness thanks to the pretzels and crackers, or if you’re in the mood for that chocolate peanut butter combo but not crazy about bars, then maybe you should try this No Bake peanut butter pie/ No matter which you choose, you’re getting to beat the heat and enjoy a delicious treat too – and if that’s not a win then I don’t know what is!
Modern Day Betty Crocker 