No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars. Old-fashioned oats, chocolate cookie crumbs, powdered sugar, and fine sea salt tossed with a mix of melted butter and peanut butter. Pressed into baking dish and chilled until firm. Ready to serve or top with ganache or frosting.
Chocolate wafers are ground into fine crumbs. I used a batch of my mocha chocolate chip cookies for this recipe. I’ve used the cookie from my chocolate cookie sandwiches for no-bake cookie crumbs, as well as for producing chocolate tart crusts. Any good chocolate cookie wafer blitzed into crumbs will work just fine.
The cookie crumbs are tossed together with old-fashioned oats, powdered sugar and fine sea salt. Butter is melted and combined with creamy and crunchy style peanut butters. The dry and wet ingredients are mixed together and pressed into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper should extend up the sides of the baking pan providing “handles”, and an easy way to remove the bars from the pan after they’ve chilled.
The baking pan is covered and chilled until firm, at least 2 hours. The bars can be eaten plain, or topped. Today I made two frostings, one peanut butter, and one chocolate. I topped the frostings peanut butter and chocolate drizzles.
These no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars make a great party dessert. They have nice visual appeal and the peanut butter chocolate combo is loved by many. A little goes a long way, so slice them small.
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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- 250 grams chocolate cookie wafers (2 cups OR 9 ounces), finely ground
- 120 grams old-fashioned oats (1-1/2 cups)
- 160 grams confectioners’ sugar (1-1/4 cups)
- 2 grams fine sea salt (1/4 teaspoon)
- 140 grams unsalted butter (5 ounces OR 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) , cut into small pieces
- 240 grams chunky peanut butter (1 cup)
- 180 grams smooth peanut butter (3/4 cup)
- 280 grams semisweet chocolate (10 ounces), melted
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 56 grams peanut butter (1/4 cup OR 4 tablespoons), room temperature
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 15 to 30 grams heavy cream or milk (1 to 2 tablespoons)
Chocolate Frosting
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 30 grams cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 4 tablespoons), room temperature
- 5 grams vanilla bean paste (1 teaspoon)
- 15 to 30 grams heavy cream or milk (1 to 2 tablespoons)
Drizzles
- 42 grams semisweet or dark chocolate (1-1/2 ounces)
- 60 grams creamy peanut butter (1/4 cup)
Instructions
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, with enough extra to create a 2-inch overhang on the long ends.
- Add the chocolate cookie wafers, old-fashioned oats, powdered sugar, and fine sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Add unsalted butter to small saucepan. Heat over low heat until melted. Add chunky peanut butter and creamy peanut butter to saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Add peanut butter mixture to cookie mixture. Stir to combine. Transfer cookie mixture to prepared baking pan. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Refrigerate dessert bars for at least 1 hour.
- Frost 1/2 dessert bars with peanut butter frosting. Frost 1/2 dessert bars with chocolate frosting.
- Drizzle with melted peanut butter and melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate dessert bars for at least 1 hour.
- Run a sharp knife along long sides of bars to loosen edges. Use handles on parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Cut into small squares. Serve slightly chilled.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- Add creamy peanut butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 5 minutes. Scrape sides, if necessary. If too thick, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat on low to combine.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 5 minutes. Add sugar mixture, and vanilla bean paste to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 5 minutes. If too thick, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat on low to combine.
Drizzles
- Add peanut butter to small bowl. Heat in microwave until melted and smooth. Drizzle over frosted dessert bars.
- Add chocolate to small bowl. Heat in microwave until melted and smooth. Drizzle over frosted dessert bars.
