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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 can be made with rice krispies or corn flakes.
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 3/3/13 – notes and photos updated 3/29/23}
i have not made them yet but am going o do so soon
Perfect…..bars…makem all da time
I’m glad you like them, Dav!
I love these, I use a little less coconut oil and more peanut butter just so they dont melt too fast. I also mix up the nuts with what I have. They are sooooo great.
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying them, Carolyn!
Hi!
The No Bake Peanut Butter Coconut Bites recipe looks delicious! Is there anything I can sub for the oats? I know my husband would love these , but he’s allergic to oats.
Hi Debbie! Cornflakes work nicely as a substitute for oats in this recipe.
Am I the only one who doesn’t understand the :amounts: listed for ingredients ? ( what is 0.42 cups of oatmeal ) ????
Hi JoAnn, the recipe is written with 2 cups of oats. It sounds like you may have accidentally adjusted the number of servings. (there’s a slider for that in the recipe card if you hover over the number of servings.) Doing that will change the amounts to unusual portions.
What could I substitute for the honey. Could I maybe use light corn syrup in the same amount?
That will work nicely, Debbie.
Sounds and looks easy to make
I hope that you love them as much as we do, Debbie!
Wondering what the nutrition counts are on these?
I added them to the recipe card, Jennifer. Enjoy!
Can coconut oil be substituted for something else
Butter will also work, Barbara.
Oh my goodiness!!! I made these today and they are sooo good. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I love to cook and love cookbooks. I’ll look yours up.
I hope you love the cookbooks too!
I forgot to say…..easy and soo good. My kind of recipe!
I’m so glad that you like it, Janet!
Where do you buy unrefined coconut oil please?
You should be able to buy it at any grocery store, Luisa. It’s usually next to the refined coconut oil.
Trader Joes also has unrefined coconut oil and its only $4.99
This is very yummy with great flavours. And it is easy to make …
We can’t stop keep eating it!!
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it, Barb.
My family loves these. The flavors compliment each other well. Will definitely be making these again
I’m so glad that you love them, Heather!
Amazing flavor and SO simple!!
Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear that you love it, Dianne.
These are awesome!! They are the perfect summer treat – no oven required and served chilled. I love that there is no refined sugar added, and most importantly they are so tasty! I used a glass dish, and had a hard time getting them out, so would grease the pan or line it with parchment paper next time. Thank you!!
very good! Do they freeze well?
Yes, these will freeze nicely, Carol.
These turned out so delicious and I even snuck some riced cauliflower in without anyone noticing! Nothing wrong with adding a little something healthy as long as flavor isn’t affected 😁
I’m thrilled you liked them, Holly. I never would’ve thought to try cauliflower!
I have made these several time and think they are wonderful!!
I am trying to reduce sugars and am wondering if it is possible to omit the honey and increase the peanut butter by an equal amount?
I’ve never tried that, Michele.
Mine is more of a question…unrefined coconut??? Do you mean buying a coconut and grating it yourself??? Or can unrefined coconut be purchased???
Thanx…these sound delicious!!!
Penny – Unrefined refers to the coconut oil, not the coconut flakes. You should be able to find the unrefined oil with the other oils at your local grocery store.