These No-Bake Cookies Bars are a delicious combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and oats. Only six wholesome ingredients and a few minutes of prep time! You won’t be able to stop at one!
If you’ve been around this site for a number of years, you may have encountered my classic 6-Ingredient No-Bake Cookies.
A beautiful celebration of oats, chocolate, and peanut butter (or almond butter), they are a something for everyone treat!
I’ve made the original recipe so many times throughout the years, I’ve lost count. It’s so delicious, disappears in a FLASH, and requires just a handful of ingredients.
Well, we’re revisiting the topic but in bar form, keeping the same classic flavors and textures intact.
Plus, I have added all sorts of ways you can customize this no-bake dessert recipe to make it your own favorite treat.
I mentioned this in my recipe for Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookie Bars but I’m all about cookies in any form they need to take, including the standard cookie shape or bar form. I find some people have specific preferences, so I like catering to both tastes.
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients needed to make no-bake cookie bars. The best part is the full ingredients list can be found at any grocery store.
Ingredient for No-Bake Cookie Bars:
Unsweetened Peanut Butter or Almond Butter: Pick your favorite well-stirred nut or seed butter to act as the glue that holds it all together!
Be sure you enjoy the flavor of whatever you choose. My favorite is unsweetened creamy natural peanut butter or almond butter, but sunflower seed butter works too.
Pure Maple Syrup or Honey: Used to sweeten the cookie bars, we need a natural liquid sweetener like pure maple syrup or honey.
I like the flavor of pure maple syrup slightly more, but I enjoy the health benefits of honey.
Coconut Oil or Unsalted Butter: To add richness and provide a solid backing to help hold all of the ingredients together, we need either coconut oil or unsalted butter.
I have a slight preference for the flavor of butter in this application. Stick with the coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder serves both as chocolate flavor and as a sort of flour to help bind the ingredients together for no bake bars. Don’t skip it!
I like using raw cocoa powder because it has a creamier flavor than say Dutch process cocoa powder, which tends to be fairly bitter.
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to the dessert to make it taste even more enticing.
Quick Oats: Replacing flour, we use quick oats to act as a solid binding agent so that the peanut butter bars have some substance.
Rolled oats or old fashioned oats work here too although they require more chewing so my preference is quick oats or instant oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt enhances all of the individual flavors so that the bars have a pronounced chocolate and nut butter taste.
Looking for ways you can change up this recipe to fit your palate? Here are some ideas.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Replace the quick oats with 2 cups of finely chopped raw nuts such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, or any combination thereof for a grain-free option. I don’t recommend using almond flour as a replacement because it will result in a grainy texture.
- Use crispy rice cereal instead of oats for a rice krispies treat!
- Add in ½ cup of dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, or dried blueberries.
- Mix in ½ cup to ⅔ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for even more decadent chocolate flavor. Peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips and sugar-free chocolate chips all work in this application.
- Toss in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts for a little crunch.
- Happen to have mini marshmallows on hand? Add in 2/3 cup for a little bit of a fun twist.
- Melt chocolate chips to create a chocolate drizzle or chocolate layer for the no bake peanut butter bars
- Now that we’re familiar with the wholesome ingredients for this easy no-bake dessert recipe, let’s make it!
How to Make No-Bake Cookie Bars:
The first step of this easy no bake chocolate peanut butter bars recipe is to gather up all your ingredients and a medium-sized thick bottomed pot.
Heat the peanut butter (or almond butter), pure maple syrup (or honey), and coconut oil (or butter) in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until the ingredients are melted together.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder and stir well until dissolved.
Add in the quick oats and sea salt and stir well until all of the ingredients are well-combined.
Because there is no raw egg or raw flour in this great recipe, feel free to taste test the mixture for flavor so you can add additional goodies if you’d like.
Line a 8” x 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or spray it liberally with cooking spray.
Pour the cookie dough into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the mixture is set up.
Pull the whole batch of bars out of the dish by pulling on the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board.
Use a sharp knife to cut 12 to 16 individual bars.
How to Store Cookie Bars:
Store cookie bars in an airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator. The bars will stay stable at room temperature as long as your house isn’t too warm.
The bars will begin to soften then melt in warmer weather, so it is best to store the bars in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the oatmeal cookie bars for up to 3 months.
If you’re entertaining guests this summer or you’re looking for an easy treat to keep on hand to enjoy throughout the week, this simple recipe for no-bake cookie bars is for you!
I love it as an after dinner treat whenever that craving for something sweet strikes. For me, a couple of bites satisfies my sweet tooth so I often don’t find the urge to even finish a full bar.
You can probably guess that I often freeze these bars and go to them for a quick bite of joy as needed.
So the next time you’re craving a lovely treat and it’s too hot for baking, whip up these no bake treats!
If you enjoy no-bake desserts, also try out these reader favorites!
More No-Bake Dessert Recipes:
- No-Bake Nutty Cookies (Without Oats)
- Vegan No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cups
- Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake
- No-Bake Paleo Lemon Bars
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
No baking, but a whole lotta fun!
No-Bake Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256g) unsweetened peanut butter or almond butter, well stirred (crunchy or creamy works)
- ½ cup (170g) pure maple syrup or honey
- ½ cup (112g) coconut oil or butter
- 6 Tbsp (50g) cocoa powder
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (180g) quick oats
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the peanut butter (or almond butter), pure maple syrup (or honey), and coconut oil (or butter) in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until the ingredients are melted together.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder and stir well until dissolved.
- Add in the quick oats and sea salt and stir well until all of the ingredients are well-combined. Because there is no raw egg or raw flour in this great recipe, feel free to taste test the mixture for flavor so you can add additional goodies if you’d like.
- Line a 8” x 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or spray it liberally with cooking spray.
- Pour the cookie dough into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the mixture is set up.
- Pull the whole batch of bars out of the dish by pulling on the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to cut 12 to 16 individual bars.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can Tahini substitute the nut butter?
Hi Ellen! As long as you enjoy the flavor of tahini, it should work as a replacement 🙂 If you notice your tahini is very runny, I would use 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. In my limited experience with tahini, it can be either very runny or very thick. If yours is runnier than regular peanut butter, I’d cut down on it – otherwise, it should be fine!