Julie Clark
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Peanut Butter Squares
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Peanut Butter Squares are the classic school lunchroom treat from your childhood. This no-bake dessert has a thick layer of peanut butter topped with a layer of chocolate. 🍫
Today I have a no bake peanut butter bars recipe for you that was one of my mom’s favorite childhood treats. She says Peanut Butter Squares were served in the lunchroom cafeteria several times a week, and she absolutely loved them. Sometimes instead of buying a lunch, she’d use her lunch money to just buy these peanut butter bars instead.
She’d never let me get away with that!
My grandma taught kindergarten at that same school so every now and then she got some to take home to my mom. And then…my grandma got the lunch ladies to give her the recipe. That’s the no bake chocolate peanut butter bars we’re sharing with you today.
About this Peanut Butter Squares Recipe:
- Flavor: If you love peanut butter balls (AKA Buckeyes), then you’ll go crazy for these peanut butter squares. With creamy sweetened peanut butter with chocolate on top, they taste similar to a reese’s peanut butter cup!
- Texture: The peanut butter layer is creamy, but not as smooth as buckeye candies. This recipe calls for a touch of brown sugar in the bars which deepens the flavor, but also adds just a little bit of texture to the peanut butter layer. The chocolate on top is just a very light layer, adding a little bit of a light “crust” to the bars.
Are these peanut butter bars easy to make?
When I first tried these lunch lady peanut butter bars, they reminded me of the peanut butter balls that my family makes every Christmas season. Peanut butter balls require careful and tedious work, dipping each separate ball into a pool of melted chocolate.
The result is a sugary peanut butter ball coated with milk chocolate that melts in your hand if you hold it too long. It amazed me how easy it was to make these Peanut Butter Squares. They are similar to the peanut butter balls that I love so much and are so much easier to make.
How to Make Peanut Butter Squares
This recipe is easy, but let me give you a few hints to help things go smoothly. And I’ll warn you…they may be a little messy, but they are 100% worth it.
- Mix the peanut butter, butter, sugars and vanilla in a stand mixer until nice and creamy, medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Note that the peanut butter “batter” is very soft. These do not have a firm texture like a brownie bar. The bottom layer is meant to be soft. If you’d like to make the bars firmer, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Put parchment paper in the bottom of an square 8-inch pan or 9″ square baking pan. By using parchment paper, these bars are super easy to remove and cut neatly. Plus, your pan stays clean.
- Spread out the peanut butter mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
- Then you simply spread melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter layer. I used Ghirardelli melting wafers so that the chocolate would melt easily and smoothly. Semi-sweet chocolate chips or a high quality chocolate bar work well, too. You can put on more chocolate if you’d like a thicker layer, but I only put on enough to hold it together. The peanut butter is the most important part for me.
- Let the chocolate set slightly by letting the bars rest for about 20 minutes. Then pull up on the parchment paper to remove the bars.
How to easily cut the bars
By letting the chocolate set only for a short time, you’ll get a nice clean cut on the peanut butter squares. If the chocolate completely hardens, you might end up with some broken chocolate. This is still completely edible, but just not quite as perfectly pretty.
Lock these peanut butter squares up somewhere safe. I’m telling you….they’re addictive. And I’d love to hear if you have a favorite school lunchroom food that you remember enjoying!
Storage Instructions
Store the peanut butter squares in an airtight container at room temperature, or if it is warm in your home, chill them in the fridge.
You can also freeze the bars, but it may affect the quality of the chocolate.
Peanut Butter Squares
Peanut Butter Squares are the classic school lunchroom treat from your childhood. This no-bake dessert has a thick layer of peanut butter topped with a layer of chocolate.
Servings 16 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter* 520 grams
- 1/2 cup salted butter** room temperature 4 ounces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1/3 cup brown sugar 76 grams
- 3 cups powdered sugar 341 grams
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate I use Ghirardelli melting wafers
- 1 tablespoon salted butter*** optional
Instructions
- Mix peanut butter, butter, sugars and vanilla in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. The peanut butter will be very soft. If you feel it is too sticky, feel free to add a little more powdered sugar for a firmer bar. 2 cups creamy peanut butter*, ½ cup salted butter**, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ⅓ cup brown sugar, 3 cups powdered sugar
- Place parchment paper in the bottom and up the sides of an 8×8" or 9×9" baking pan. Press the peanut butter mixture down in the bottom of the pan evenly.
- Melt the melting wafers or chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each interval. Be careful to melt the chocolate slowly…chocolate will burn quickly if it gets too hot. 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Spread the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Allow the bars to set for about 20 minutes. You can place in the fridge if needed, but don't forget about them and don't let the chocolate fully set or they will be hard to cut.
- Pull up on the sides of the parchment paper and place the bars on a flat surface.
- Cut into 16 bars (or cut smaller) and allow the chocolate to set completely.
- Store the bars in an airtight container. They are great stored in the refrigerator and eaten cold.
Video
Notes
*Firmer peanut butters work best for this. I used Meijer store brand peanut butter and it was a newly opened jar. If the peanut butter is oily, it can make the bottom layer softer and hard to cut.
**Don’t melt the butter at all. You just want it at room temperature. If the butter is melted, it will give the bars a weird texture.
***Adding a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil to the melted chocolate can keep the chocolate softer, making it easier to cut. I usually don’t do this, but it is an option.
Please note: The peanut butter layer is very soft. These do not have a firm texture like a brownie bar. The bottom layer is meant to be soft. If you’d like to make the bars firmer, add a little more powdered sugar. Some peanut butter bars recipes use crushed graham cracker crumbs. Since our school recipe did not have this listed, we do not use them.
You can store these in the fridge, freezer, or just in an airtight container at room temperature. Any way you store them, they are delicious!
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe being cut into 16 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 peanut butter square. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Serving: 74g | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
That dessert looks amazing in those pictures!!! I just love chocolate and peanut butter !!! Definitely going to try making it. Thanks for sharing:)
I tried this recipe today and followed it to the tee. My peanut butter layer was not setting up at all. It was super soft and when you cut into the bars the peanut butter stucked to the foil and oozed out under the chocolate layer. It was a mess. Do you have any suggestions on how to remedy the problem? I used creamy peanut butter and real butter. Thanks for your time!
my granddaughter make these all the time but she use sugar not brown sugar. she put more peanut butter for better taste plus she roll them into balls instead.
I made these today (just half a batch in an 8x8in pan), and wow!!! They are amazing!! I used natural peanut butter and am not a fan of super sweet things, so I left out 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. The pb layer is super soft, which could be because of a lesser amount of powdered sugar, but they firm up perfectly in the refrigerator. I used sea salted dark chcocolate for the top layer (Lindt, of course!). They are absolutely delicious, I just want to eat the while pan in one go!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!… Read more »
I tried to make these. They never would set enough to be a bar. In fact, they had to be spooned off the foil. I was bummed because I made too batches with the same results. Any thoughts?
These are pretty sticky when they come out of the mixer, so I used a sheet of plastic wrap to get them in the pan. I stuck the pan in the frig and when they were cooler, I was able to use an offset spatula to smooth them right out. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips to top then dough and it worked out really well. Now, if I can just keep them hidden from the boys…
Can you use the “natural” stirring required to use Peanut butter?
These were my favorite in school as well. I’ve played with different recipes….and they’ve never quite turned out the same, but I’ve gotten close. I’ll have to try your recipe! Thanks
Wow, Our lunch ladies made the choc oatmeal no bake cookies. I wish I went to your school.
I love peanut butter & chocolate together. I know that these would be faster to make then some other recipes. Thanks for sharing with us the recipe.
I just copied off 10 of your awesome recipes from this one email I got from you and the last one I copied was the Peanut Butter Squares. These look yummy! I can’t wait to try these Peanut Butter Squares along with the other recipes I copied! I love your recipes! and I love the fact that you make the recipes so easy to print. I’ve seen some websites where a person can’t print the recipes. Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes! 🙂 Blessings to you! 🙂
Wow. To think I began by clicking on grilled food recipes, which led me to your quesadilla burger and the Pico de Gallo recipe which I just printed out and now my 2 favorite sweets chocolate and peanut butter together! I am downloading this recipe too! I appreciate how you list the helpful hints for following your recipes. Thanks I look forward to reviewing and trying other recipes.
I’m 53 yo & still remember how yummy these cafeteria treats were. I don’t have a stand mixer, can I get by with a hand one?
These look so delicious, and if it’s no bake that’s even better.
All of your food on blog looks soooo good. This is definitely going to my favorites.
Jeannie
Love this no bake recipe! I usually have all the ingredients for this on hand too. Thank you for sharing.