No-bake cookies have met their match with these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars. It doesn’t get much easier than just stirring everything together and pouring it into a pan.
Before I tell you more about these amazing homemade candy bars, I’d better confess that no-bake cookies and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
I love how easy no bake cookies are to make; I hate how unattractive they tend to be. I love how rich the chocolate and peanut flavors can be; I hate the raw oatmeal that frequently overwhelms the cookies.
(That whole raw oatmeal situation is balanced with the addition of coconut in these no bake chocolate coconut cookies or bars or bites… whatever you call them, the coconut changes the texture (and improves it!) in the best way possible.)
When I ran across these no-bake bars, (a.k.a. “the best recipe I’ve ever messed up“) I couldn’t believe I’d never thought to try making the cookies into bars. At least they would look better, right?
I’m going to be flat-out honest here and tell you my thinking when I started making these treats. (My friend Donna can attest to it because we were talking on the phone at the time.)
I thought, “I’ll make these because the kids will love having a dessert over the weekend and I won’t be tempted to eat more than one.”
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Bars
That is seriously funny in hindsight. I almost licked the saucepan clean as I was waiting for the bars to harden in the refrigerator.
The additional coconut, honey, and nuts in these bars take them far out of the league of traditional no-bake treats.
That oatmeal that I dislike in other cookies? It is providing structure and just a bit of flavor, instead of being the dominant ingredient.
No Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies
There are plenty of options with these bars. If you prefer a completely unprocessed ingredient list, use pure dark chocolate, natural peanut butter, and unsweetened coconut.
No-bake cookies and bars benefit greatly from the addition of coconut. The texture and the flavor can’t be beaten. If you are like me and have no plans to give up your refined sugars (and are too impatient to make a special trip to the store), use whatever ingredients happen to be in the house.
I found that a 1″ square piece of these bars satisfied my chocolate craving. (One square at a time, that is. I can’t even describe how much I enjoyed these treats!)
As I was enjoying one of these with my husband late last night, we both agreed that they put store-bought candy bars to shame.
These no bake chocolate peanut butter bars are a naturally gluten free treat too! Check out all of our gluten free dessert recipes here.
For more no-bake desserts, try these Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies, Monster Cookie Dough Bites, and the Chocolate Zebra Cake.
Kitchen Tip: I use these bowls, this spatula, and this pan to make this recipe.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- peanut butter
- honey
- coconut oil
- rolled oats
- shredded coconut
- chopped pecans
- dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- vanilla extract
To make the chocolate coconut bars, melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently as the mixture melts.
When it has melted, remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth.
Add the oats, coconut, and pecans. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into an 8×8 pan. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, at least 3-4 hours.
Slice into 1″-2″ square pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To make this in the microwave, combine the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and chocolate chips in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave 90 seconds at high power. Stir and return to microwave. Heat for an additional 90 seconds, only until the chocolate has almost melted. Stir until smooth.
No Bake Cereal Bars
Rice Krispies Treats are the original no-bake cereal bar and I know very few people who can resist them. Want to know how to make gooey, soft, and chewy Rice Krispie Treats?
Chocolate-drizzled peanut butter cup rice crispy treats, coconut lover’s rice crispy treats, even chocolate-covered pretzel rice crispy treats – I love them all.
No bake cereal bars like these no bake crunch bars and these crispy chocolate bars can made with rice krispies or corn flakes. And for the ultimate treat for any peanut butter lover, no bake peanut butter bars can be made in mere minutes.
Those chewy, slightly crunchy, peanut butter cereal bars are loaded with pockets of gooey marshmallows and they are a huge hit every time we make them.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1¼ cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats (not instant oats)
- 1 cup coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Melt the peanut butter, honey and coconut oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently as the mixture melts.
- When it has melted, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until completely smooth. Add the oats, coconut, and pecans. Stir to mix well.
- Pour into an 8×8 pan. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, at least 3-4 hours. Slice into 1″-2″ square pieces. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 3/3/13 – notes and photos updated 3/29/23}
Anonymous says
These look awesome.I always cut out recipies from the back of cake mix box's.I love to try new things.My grand-kids love my homemade peanut butter cups and other sweets I have made.My husband bought me a cake decorating kit,i have made a lot of new things.I make a xmas canister of different sweets for each family member every year.They all seem love and enjoy the things I make them.That is what it is all about making my family happy.I have even made icecream cakes and decorated with my kit my hubby bought me.Thank you so much ,I now have a new recipie for my book to try.From fan of yours in Newfoundland.
Anonymous says
These look very tasty. I make something for a group function at least twice a month and the standard no bake cookies are cheaper to make. I have a recipe that dumps those into a 9/13 pan to harden which saves a lot of time and space. When I first made them I had wax paper all over my kitchen and some in the living room with bloops of chocolate hardening. It was a mess.
Anonymous says
Could you share your recipe for the 9 by 13 pan?Thanks
Anonymous says
Do they freeze well?
Mary says
I haven't frozen them, but I'm sure they will do fine. Wrap them tightly and they should keep that way for a while without any problem.
Anonymous says
I'm from the uk and have no idea how much a cup of peanut butter would be in terms of quantity needed. Can anyone help with that? These look absolutely delish and want to try to make a batch as soon as i can. Thanks for the recipe.
Mary says
There are 8 ounces in a cup of peanut butter. Enjoy!
Cinder Melons says
Brits don't know what ounces are either. One cup is about 236 ml.
Anonymous says
Chunky or creamy PB?
Mary says
Either one should work fine. I used creamy.
Anonymous says
i have never bought coconut oil, i went to this store, was sold , coconut oil, in a pint jar, it says on label coconut oil, however, when i opened it, was no flavor, was like thick wax, did i buy the wrong thing
Mary says
You did buy the right thing. Coconut Oil is thick and very wax like. It should liquefy around 80 degrees. However, if it does not smell strongly of coconut, you likely bought refined )vs unrefined) coconut oil. It will still work, but it won't have the additional coconut flavor. I use both oils in my cooking and baking..
mttwinmom says
These are in my fridge right now and i'm dying to try them! i'm already thinking about how i can eliminate the PB and make a minty chocolately bar. any suggestions on replacing the PB or can i just omit?
Honeyds21 says
I love your idea for a minty chocolatey bar.
I just made these and cant wait for them to cool!!
Anonymous says
You could use mint flavored chocolate chips for the recipe. Usually they have them around holiday time or Guiardelli's (not sure of spelling) has mint chips also. Hope this hellps
Kate says
I just made these and they are AMAZING!!! I love your recipes, and each one I try is better than the next. Keep up the great work. And you're right they are better than store bought candy bars 🙂
Jill King says
These look absolutely incredible! I can't wait to try them….
keri says
Can I use 1/2 cup sugar instead of honey?
Anonymous says
OMG!! Can not wait to try these. Sounds dangerous yet delicious.
Lorelei S. says
I make these every year in cookie form. Never once did I think to do them as a bar. Thank you for a great time saving idea!
Anonymous says
Okay I have a couple of questions. Hubby hates coconut so I was thinking of trying using the butter rather than the coconut oil but will it be okay to leave the 1 cup of coconut out do you think? Also it says 2 cups rolled oats not instant. Will quick oats work? (not instant-takes one minute to cook rather than 5 like the rolled oats) I have always used those in the regular no bake version with no problem.
Anonymous says
I haven't tried this but you could maybe try subbing the coconut for crushed cornflakes and or wheatgerm? I guess you could use whatever flavoured cereal you enjoy. I may try goldensyrup instead of honey sometime too 🙂 I make another recipe that has golden syrup and cornflakes and coconut in….those flavours all go together to make yumminess! 🙂
Anonymous says
I haven't tried these, but I too don't like coconut, so for the regular no-bake cookies I substitute additional oats or chopped nuts for the coconut. I have assumed that the main thing is the ratio of dry to wet ingredients in the cookie.
Anonymous says
Sorry for the sily question but why coconut oil? Why not melted butter like the original no bake cookies? Thanks
Mary says
I tend to use coconut oil when melting chocolate most of the time, so it's just my go-to oil. They will work fine with butter as well.
sugarstuff says
Made these today and they are delicious ! SO much easier cutting them into bars too.
Ashleigh Jackson says
Is there something I could substitute for the pecans that isn't a tree nut? My daughter is allergic and these sound amazing!
Mary says
Chopped roasted peanuts would work great in this. Enjoy!
Shannen says
Just wanted to say I made the no bake chocolate peanut butter bites and they were a huge hit in my house! I used butter in place of the coconut oil and oats in place of the coconut because no one in my house is really a big fan of coconut, but they were excellent! I look forward to trying many more of your recipes! Thank you for sharing all of them!
Anonymous says
I have made these a few times, they are awesome, and I love the fact that they have minimal sugar and still taste great, Would love to see more of these!!!!
Anonymous says
Can you use cocoa powder or do you need the melted chocolate chips to help this set up?
Mary says
You do need the chocolate chips for this recipe. I don't think it will set up with just cocoa. Enjoy!
Shin Chan says
My mom made this for us growing up & I still make it & her recipe calls for cocoa(1/2 cup). (Her recipe also has milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, peanut butter & oats.) With her recipe you boil like someone mentioned a few replies down, & put in pie plate & chill or freeze til hardened. I also found by accident one time if you add 3 cups oatmeal it makes them a little more crumbly(which I like) or if you use 2 cups oatmeal they're a
little more sticky. Hope this might help someone!
I definitely want to try to this recipe too b/c I'm intrigued by the variation & sounds a bit "healthier" 😉
Anonymous says
looks yummy something im goin 2 have 2 try…