These no-bake peanut butter bars have a thick layer of sweet oatmeal and a rich and fudgy chocolate peanut butter center. They’re very similar to your favorite no-bake cookie recipe, but they’re in bar form!
Well, how was it?
Did you enjoy your Mother’s Day with lots of extra pampering and breakfast in bed?
My kiddos snuck a humongous card into my room in the middle of the night so that I would see it first thing this morning. In the card they wrote, “Love you mom. You’re irreplaceable and so is our love for you.” Aaaaaand, then I cried, because how do I have such adorable children?
Later my daughter made me a second card and put a $20 bill in it as a gift. Ha. That girl cracks me up, but I didn’t keep her money. She’s normally a stingy little thing, so I was pretty honored that she’d offer her limited supply of cash up, though.
We hosted Mother’s Day dinner at our new house. We’ve only been here a week and we had 23 people over for dinner. Things went pretty smoothly and I’m calling our first round of entertaining in the dream home a major success!
I hope you guys all enjoyed your day too. I know it can be a tough day for a lot of you, but I hope it was the best it could be and you were surrounded by loved ones.
We had quite a bit of dessert yesterday, of course. Any excuse for extra dessert! One of the treats I made was these No Bake Bars! They’re super similar to your standard no bake cookies, but I mixed the recipe up a bit by turning them into bars. There is an oatmeal layer, topped with a fudgy chocolate peanut butter layer, and then another layer of oatmeal. I think these are best straight from the fridge, but they hold up well at room temperature too. I love how quick they are to whip up.
I originally shared this recipe on the blog back in 2009 and it was one of my most popular recipes for a long time. The photos aren’t that great, though, so I thought I’d bring them up from the archives and give them a little makeover.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and oats. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Press half of mixture in to the bottom of a buttered 8 x 8 dish.
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and blended. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter, pressing gently to form a crust.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting and serving.
Candace says
Made these for a BBQ – major hit! They were delicious. I wasn’t sure it was coming together, but it worked perfectly.
Karly says
I’m so glad they were a hit!
Holly N. @ SpendWithPennies.com says
We made these this weekend for a party. Not only were they quick and easy but they were one of the most delicious things at our whole party. Everyone raved about them and they’ll be a regular on our dessert trays! Thanks for a great recipe!
Karly says
I’m so happy to hear this, Holly! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Julie says
I made these yesterday. I like that they were simple and quick to make. The ingredients are ones you have on hand. They were really good! I didn’t have quick cooking oats so used regular oats and it was fine. I will definitely make these again! Thank you for the recipe!
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed them, Julie!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
I have NEVER seen bars like these-and I love ’em!! so unique and tasty!
Joanne says
I’m so glad to hear you had such a fabulous mother’s day!! These no bake bars would absolutely make my day…anything for peanut butter and chocolate!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
Sounds like a great Mother’s Day! These bars look great!
marcie says
These are some of the best looking no-bake bars I’ve ever seen, and I love everything in them! 🙂
jessica knott (Swanky Recipes) says
Simple yet gorgeous, this recipe wouldn’t last in my house! Looks delish!
Malinda @countrysidecravings says
These look killer! I love how you made them into bar form! Glad you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!!!
Kari says
Gluten free!
Diane F says
This looks like one that you cannot screw up, I don’t do much desserts. I think I can handle this one Thanks
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
These look amazing, Karly! I love the idea of making bars instead of cookies. I’m all about saving time.
So glad your kids made you feel so special on Mother’s Day.
Thanks again for the recipe. Pinning!
Carol at Wild Goose Mam says
I can see why this was one of your most popular recipes. We all love no bake. It truly is amazing how good they can be. But YOURS look like fudge. So you have a visual advantage with this rccipe1
Stephanie says
MMMM These look SO good- I love no bake recipes in the summer! UM, your kids?! ADORABLE!!! I would die. (And I’d keep the $20 too… HA)
Nicole - Coking for Keeps says
Talk about the perfect snack! And so easy to throw together!