No-Bake Chocolate & Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
This no-bake oatmeal bar recipe is quick to pull together, requires zero baking, and is full of creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate.
The love I have for these peanut butter and chocolate filled oat bars is limitless. Not only is there absolutely no baking required – major plus! – but they’re also loaded with nostalgia.
There is nothing better than the warm and fuzzies brought on by reminiscing over childhood memories while you are indulging, don’t you think?
I grew up in a semi-quiet (except for us kids running around) oval shaped neighborhood. Once upon a time, a new girl showed up and everyone wanted to be her friend.
In a small town like ours, the allure of a new person is so great. Lucky for me, we became fast friends. We’d spend evenings after school racing our bikes from her house to mine and playing in the backyard.
While we played, her mom would be tinkering in the kitchen.
As our friendship grew, her mom introduced me to new desserts and some fantastic foods. And of all her creations, these chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal bars have got to me my absolute favorite.
Sometimes my cravings tell me that I am ten years old and I want (read need) these bars.
Now, if you’re willing, I invite you to really jump down the nostalgia rabbit hole with me and whip up some baked macaroni and cheese along with these no-bake bars. Prepare to be transported way way back!
Now, without further ado, I present to you a fantastic childhood memory: No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oat Bars.
I’m curious, do you have a specific food that is deeply rooted in your childhood?
WHY WON’T MY NO-BAKE OATMEAL BARS HARDEN?
When I say “refrigerate the bars for at least 3 hours,” I mean it. It may seem too long to wait to cram one of these tasty treats into your face, but it’s worth the wait. Allowing the bars to set up completely will make them easier to cut.
HOW DO I STORE NO-BAKE OATMEAL BARS?
Once the bars have been frozen and cut, they can be stored in an airtight container, either in the fridge or at room temperature. In the warmer months, you may want to keep them in the fridge, because they melt quickly.
CAN I USE WAX PAPER INSTEAD OF PARCHMENT?
Wax paper will work for this recipe. Be sure the waxy side goes up though to avoid sticking.
CAN THESE BE MADE WITH GLUTEN-FREE OATS?
Gluten-free oats can be used, but the finished product will be a little different. The lack of gluten will change the chewiness and moisture content.
CAN I USE CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER?
Sure you can! I think you might be on to something great here actually. If you try this, let me know how it turns out.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS OATMEAL BARS RECIPE:
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Quick Cooking Oats
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Baking Pantry Staples: Salt
MORE COMFORT FOOD RECIPES!
- Mom’s Sauce Recipe
- Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Grandma’s Chili
- Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies
No-Bake Chocolate & Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These are the perfect no bake treat to help deal with Summer heat. Beware, they melt fast!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.
- Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the saucepan.
- Add in the quick cooking oats and stir. Cook the oat mixture over medium low heat for 4 minutes.
- While the oat mixture is cooking, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave for approximately 30-60 seconds in a microwavable safe bowl. Stir together and set aside.
- Line a 8 by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper if desired.
- Press 3/4 of the oat mixture in the bottom of the pan. Pour the melted chocolate and peanut butter over the oats.
- Spread the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter layer.
- Refrigerate the bars for at least 3 hours. Then cut into squares and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 484Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 5gSugar: 22gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. You may want to spot check this information.
They look messy but very yummy! Might have to give these a go soon! I love foods that remind me of my childhood! š
My heartfelt thanks for posting this recipe. My husband and I used to buy these from a cafe when we first started dating and I just made a batch and they are in the fridge cooling. Can’t wait until he gets home! I’ve also linked this to my KeepRecipes.com account for my friends and family.
That is SO SWEET!!!! Let me know if they turned out like the ones you use to buy from the cafe, very interested to know.
Wow…looks fantastic! Too bad I’m off sugar right now…(sniff).
Chocolate! peanut butter! oatmeal! These are a few of my favorite things… š They look great!
oh my… these look GREAT!
Hi again, just curious…. do you think this would taste alright if it were to be made with Nutella instead of peanut butter? Perhaps reduce the sugar by quite a bit. What do you think??
I think I saw a recipe out there that replaced the peanut butter with biscoff spread which is just as sweet as nutella. They used the same amount of sugar but you could try it with 1/3 or 1/4 of a cup? let me know, it sounds great with nutella!
Love the addition of oats to this! Classic. š
I’m a fan of healthy snack which is why I made granola bars a while back, looking at your bars made me rethink about that they look delicious
Wow! My husband would love these!! I mean, me too, but I’m sure he would eat 95% before I got a chance!! Haha.
These bars look amazingly delicious. Oh, my yumminess. I cannot wait to make them for my littles. Like, maybe this afternoon. š Have a great weekend!
I just made these and they are cooling in the refrigerator. I have a question though…When I added the oatmeal to the butter/ sugar mixture it absorbed in pretty quickly and was like a crumble topping. It was not soupy at all…so I cooked it on the stove for about 4 minutes while I melted the peanut butter and chips. I’m thinking that as everything cools and hardens, the butter and chips, it will set. Anyone have problems? I’ll keep you posted. Thanks
Hi Lisa, It wasn’t suppose to be “soupy” so I think you did everything correctly. Let me know how they turned out??? I Hope they were okay!
I just had to let you know that I made these last night, and they were delicious. I might have even had one for breakfast with a cup of tea this morning. Just do not tell my littles. š
I’m so glad you liked them! I won’t tell anyone š
I made these the other day – delicious! and not messy at all. All ingredients were already in my pantry. I was very unsure of the crumble topping setting up, but it did and it was excellent (also, I didn’t realize until afterward that I’d used regular oats rather than quick-cooking). Thanks so much for a wonderful, easy treat!
Hi Samantha, I just wanted to let you know that I found this post on Pinterest over the weekend and made a vegan version of the bars the next day! Thank you so much – they are DELICIOUS! I posted about it (with full credit to yourself and Gingerbread Bagels, of course) on my blog: http://livinglongingly.com/post/19282054151/recipe-chocolate-and-peanut-butter-oatmeal-bars
Just came to your site! How did you know ~ My favorite combination is chocolate and peanut butter! Will have to try these!!
Do you keep these in the fridge after they cool or can they stay out?
They can stay out! š
You must have read my mind, I love this recipe!
I made these the other day and they were great…they’re better than Reese’s. =)
Made these. Delicious! Was perplexed about the crumbly oatmeal, butter and brown sugar mixture. Can’t really cook it for 4 minutes-too dry. I did increase the butter by another 1/4 it helped some. I wonder if the addition of another liquid might help.
Made these for dessert this evening and they turned out great. Due to a Gluten allergy, I used Gluten Free rolled oats. I also used organic products for all the other ingredients.
They are a bit rich and the oats were a bit chewy (due to having to use the normal GF kind I’m sure!), but overall they were a big hit and super easy to make! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
So very good…It’s amazing how good. Doesn’t last long in this house, and so very easy to make. Thanks so much for sharing.
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What is the nutria all value on these? It looks very good š thanks for sharing
I just calculated it via myfitnesspal.com and it was roughly 450 calories per bar. (about 9 bars in a batch) 49g carbs. 30g fat. 7g protein. Hope this helps. š
Nutritional ^^
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