No-Bake Buckeye Bars

These Buckeye Bars are the perfect no bake, make-ahead dessert recipe, and they will disappear quickly! Indulgent and creamy, they have a crunchy peanut butter and graham cracker crust, topped with smooth chocolate. Easier and faster to make than classic buckeyes, these might be your new favorite dessert!

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No Bake Buckeye Bars Recipe

Whenever I need a quick dessert that I can pull off before any event, I pull out this recipe for No Bake Buckeye Bars. They're great for holiday cookie plates, too! They're based on a traditional peanut butter and chocolate truffle from the Midwest, called Buckeyes, which are made to look like acorns common in Ohio.

But Buckeyes can be time-consuming to make because you have to roll them and dip each one in chocolate, so these peanut butter chocolate bars are much simpler with the same great taste.

These Buckeye Bars are no-bake and they can be prepped in less than 30 minutes. They only need to be refrigerated or placed in the freezer for 30 minutes until they are solid. When you take a bite, you'll experience the magic of these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars and you'll fall in love with this easy no-bake dessert. 

Whether it's a Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter Overnight Oats or M&M Cookie Bars (with peanut M&M's), I am here for all the peanut butter and chocolate desserts.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Growing up, my closest friends had a funny nickname for me. Instead of being called Mad, like some friends call me now (and the name of this blog!), some of my closest friends liked to call me "Reese's Cup" because my maiden name is "Ries" (pronounced like the candy).

Maybe that's why the combination of chocolate and peanut butter has always been a temptation of mine. These bars are so "me" - but I think you're going to love them too!

• When you're serving food for a group, it's always hard to know exactly what people will enjoy, but it's hard to go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate!
• They are easier to make than classic Buckeyes.
• They are the perfect dessert for holiday cookie boxes, parties and more.

If you love peanut butter, like I do, you'll also love these Peanut Butter Blondies!

Ingredients

To make these Buckeye Bars, you will need graham cracker crumbs, butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter and semisweet chocolate chips.

It's important to buy creamy peanut butter, such as Jif or Peter Pan. Natural peanut butter will not work as well, but if you do try it, make sure you stir it up well because it tends to settle. I have not tried this recipe with almond butter or other non-peanut butters, but if you try it, let me know how it goes!

I've made these bars with crunchy peanut butter before, but I personally prefer creamy. Even with creamy peanut butter, you'll still get a crunchy texture in the crust because of the graham cracker bits. 

Semisweet chocolate chips are what I recommend for the chocolate layer. You can use dark chocolate though if you want a richer treat, but milk chocolate chips would probably be too sweet. If you want, you can add a splash of vanilla extract.

You could also top them with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips or even flaky sea salt. Add them while the chocolate is cooled but still kinda melty!

How to Make Buckeye Bars

Here's how to make these easy peanut butter bars:

1. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Pulse graham crackers, using a food processor, until crumbly.
3. In a large bowl, mix graham crackers, melted butter, powered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended.
4. Press crust into prepared pan.
5. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter until melted (microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between). Spread over top of peanut butter layer.
6. Refrigerate bars in fridge for at least 1 hour.
7. Remove parchment paper (with bars on top) from pan and use a sharp knife to cut into bars or squares.
8. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips for Success

Crust: People always ask me what makes the crust of these bars crunchy and buttery! I use a food processor to pulse the graham crackers so that there is a good mix of sizes of the pieces for the bars. They are mostly finely pulsed, but there are some random chunks in there that make the crust crunchy! 

Make-ahead tips: Because these bars are no bake, they are super easy to make ahead of time! You just need enough time for the bars to solidify, which will vary depending on the time of year and where you live. If I'm in a rush for time, I'll pop them in the freezer instead of the fridge and that usually gets them to solidify in about 20 minutes. 

To cut the bars: Take them out of the fridge and let them sit out for 5-10 minutes before using a sharp knife to cut them into even sized bars. 

More no-bake recipes

• Stained Glass Window No Bake Cookies
• No Bake Banana Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
• No Bake Whipped Cream Pies