No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars
Whether you are Team Chocolate or Team Peanut Butter, you are going to love these decadent and delectable No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars! In a few easy steps, you can have these mouth-watering dessert bars ready without ever turning on the oven.
A Decadent No-Bake Dessert
I live in a house full of devoted peanut-butter-and-chocolate fans. It’s the one thing everyone in my home can agree on and if there’s any dessert that makes my husband the happiest, it would be one that includes this combination of flavors. Guess what? That’s exactly what these chocolate peanut butter pie bars do.
This recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars is incredibly easy to make and sure to please the chocolate and peanut butter lovers in your life. I’ve been topping these bars with halved milk chocolate peanut butter cups lately, but thinking that I really should consider digging into my stash of dark chocolate cups the next go ’round. Anybody want to back me on that idea?!
These pie bars include not only an Oreo crust and cheesecake-like filling, they’re topping with peanut butter cups AND Oreos…seriously, who is not going to LOVE that?
This recipe makes 24 good-sized bars, or 36 smaller ones, which is perfect for bringing to any gatherings. Just prepared to NOT have any leftovers to take home!
What You’ll Need
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars are made in 3 parts – the super simple chocolate crust, the peanut butter filling, and a decadent (but optional) topping. Here’s what you’ll need for each part!
For the Chocolate Crust
- Oreos – The base of this easy chocolate crust!
- Unsalted Butter – Salted butter will make the crust too salty instead of sweet.
For the Peanut Butter Filling
- Peanut Butter – Creamy works best for a smooth filling.
- Cream cheese – Allow it to come to room temperature before beginning.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the filling.
- Pure vanilla extract – For flavor.
- Kosher salt – Just a pinch.
- Whipped topping – I usually use Cool whip
Optional Toppings:
- Chocolate chips – The most chocolate, the better!
- Peanut butter – Extra peanut butter for the peanut butter lovers!
- Whipping cream – Turns the chocolate and peanut butter into a decadent drizzle.
- Oreo cookies -I quarter them but you can also crush them.
- Mini peanut butter cups – Cut in half for more chocolate-peanut butter flavor in every bite!
How to Make No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars
These no bake pie bars are super easy to make! The hands-on time is just 15 minutes or so, and the hardest part is waiting for them to set and chill.
- Make the crust. Pulse the entire Oreos until finely ground in a food processor. Add butter and blitz to combine. Press into the pan lined with foil and freeze for 10 minutes while preparing the filling.
- Make the peanut butter filling. Beat peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add in remaining ingredients, except whipped topping, and beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping, then spread filling on top of the chocolate crust. Chill for several hours or overnight.
- Prepare the toppings. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a heat-proof bowl. Bring heavy cream to a simmer and pour over chocolate chips and peanut butter. Whisk until completely smooth. Once cooled to just warm, drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Add a piece of Oreo cookie and mini peanut butter cups on top.
Tips for Success
Ready to make some absolutely addictive chocolate peanut butter pie bars?! Just keep these few things in mind.
- Be sure to line the pan. Always line your pan with foil before pressing the crust down, to ensure you can easily remove them from the pan without sticking.
- Use softened cream cheese. Cold cream cheese will result in lumps in your filling, instead of being smooth and creamy.
- Allow to chill overnight. While I recommend a minimum of 5 hours, these no bake peanut butter bars are best when prepared the night before.
- Get creative with the toppings and flavors. While my goal was to add as much milk chocolate and peanut butter flavor to these bars as possible, you can definitely get creative with the toppings and flavors. My first swap would be using dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate!
Serving Suggestions
The chocolate peanut butter pie bars could be served plain and unadorned, or with a big dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Or the bars can be fancied up a bit, which happens to be the preference in our house. I shouldn’t be surprised.
The chocolate glaze is easy to make, with only chocolate chips, a bit of peanut butter, and some warmed heavy cream. It’s such a beautiful glaze, especially when you consider it only uses three ingredients. Depending on how fussy you want to get, the glaze can be drizzled with a spoon or using a plastic baggie with a corner snipped off. Then all that’s left is to add some pieces of Oreo and peanut butter cups. While these final details aren’t necessary, they do add an extra level of fun to this chocolate peanut butter dessert. I don’t recommend skipping them.
How to Store Leftovers
Any leftover no bake bars should be stored in the refrigerator. They will keep very well for 3-4 days, as long as you keep them covered or in an airtight container.
Take care not to leave the bars out at room temperature for any longer than necessary, as they’ll soften and spoil.
Can I Freeze These?
These chocolate peanut butter pie bars freeze well, thanks to the cheesecake-like filling. The most important thing is to allow them to set and chill in the fridge BEFORE freezing them.
You can either wrap the batch or individual slices in plastic wrap then foil or place them in an airtight container with parchment paper between each one. They’ll last in the fridge for up to 3 months.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Crust
- 30 Regular Oreo Cookies
- 5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter melted
For the Peanut Butter Filling
- 2 c. Creamy Peanut Butter
- 16 oz. weight Cream Cheese Softened And At Room Temperature
- 2 c. Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ tsp. Kosher Salt
- 12 oz. weight Whipped Topping Such As Cool Whip, Thawed
Toppings (Optional)
- 1 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter
- ½ c. Heavy Whipping Cream
- Oreo Cookies Quartered
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups Halved
Instructions
For the Chocolate Crust:
- Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the two long pan sides. In a food processor, pulse Oreos (whole, do not remove the filling) until finely ground. Drizzle in melted butter and blitz a few more times to evenly combine. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Place pan in freezer for 10 minutes while preparing the filling.
For the Peanut Butter Filling:
- In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in whipped topping until completely combined. Spread filling evenly onto the top of the chilled chocolate crust. Chill for at least a couple hours or overnight.
For the Toppings (Optional):
- Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a small to medium-sized heat-proof bowl. In a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, bring cream to a rolling simmer. Pour cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter and let sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk until mixture is completely smooth. Let cool until mixture is just warm, but still nicely fluid.
- Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over individual bars or add chocolate to a plastic baggie, snip off a small piece of the baggie’s corner, and "pipe" chocolate over the bars. Finish by adding a piece of Oreo cookie and a few halved mini peanut butter cups to the top.
- This dessert keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days and can easily be made a day before serving. This is a very sweet dessert. The recipe yields 24 large bars, sized for those with bigger sweet tooths, or 35 smaller bars.
well this looks absolutely amazing! seriously though, you really can’t go wrong with the chocolate peanut butter mix!
What’s not to love about these beauties? Stunning.
I’m having a serious craving for this, looks amazing!