Have you ever craved a luscious, indulgent dessert that perfectly captures the essence of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but without any of the fuss of baking? That glorious blend of salty, creamy peanut butter with rich, sweet milk chocolate is a beloved classic for very good reason. Well, we’re thrilled to tell you that your dessert fantasies are about to become a reality. We are here to walk you through crafting the most sensational Reeses Peanut Butter No Bake Bars you have ever had, all from the comfort of your own kitchen.

This isn’t just a set of instructions; it’s your gateway to pure, delicious nostalgia. It serves as the ideal treat for an impromptu get-together, a fun weekend activity with the children, or simply a method to quell a powerful chocolate and peanut butter craving. Put aside any thoughts of complex baking procedures or extensive ingredient lists. We have refined a simple approach that achieves the authentic Reese’s flavour, featuring a wonderfully soft, slightly crumbly peanut butter foundation and a decadent, glossy chocolate top. Let’s begin crafting this simple, yet utterly magnificent, treat.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Completely No-Bake: We adore this recipe as it is ideal for any season. It helps keep your kitchen cool during the summer months and frees up precious oven space over the busy holiday period. It is truly a ‘set and forget’ style of dessert.
• Incredibly Quick & Easy: With very little preparation time, you can have these bars chilling in the refrigerator in less than 20 minutes. It’s an easy Reese’s recipe that even the most inexperienced home cook can master with total confidence.
• Simple, Everyday Ingredients: It’s highly likely you already have most, if not all, of the necessary ingredients sitting in your cupboards. There’s no need to make a special journey to the supermarket!
• A Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser: From the youngest to the oldest, almost everyone loves the timeless pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. These bars are a certified success at parties, bake sales, and family functions.
• Perfectly Customisable: We are going to share some exciting variations, but this recipe serves as a brilliant foundation for your own imaginative touches. Feel free to add different toppings, experiment with the base, or change the type of chocolate!

Ingredients

• 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 500g (2 cups) smooth peanut butter, divided
• 250g (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted
• 200g (approx. 14 biscuits) digestive biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 350g (2 cups) good-quality milk chocolate chips
• a finely chopped chocolate bar

Mastering the Method: Step-by-Step Instructions

Putting together these heavenly bars is a remarkably straightforward affair. We have broken down the entire process into manageable steps to make sure your chocolate peanut butter bars come out perfectly each and every time. Although these bars are wonderfully simple, we always find no-bake treats to be a delightful departure from more involved recipes like our much-loved Lemon Oatmeal Crumble Bars, which do need the oven.

Step 1: Prepare Your Baking Tin

To begin, let’s get our equipment in order. Take a 9×13 inch (or 23×33 cm) baking tin and line it with baking parchment. We suggest leaving a little extra paper hanging over the two longer sides. This creates a handy ‘sling,’ which makes lifting the whole chilled slab from the tin later on a breeze, ensuring neat and tidy slicing. Set this prepared tin aside for now.

Step 2: Create the Peanut Butter Base

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, 450g (which is just under 2 cups) of your smooth peanut butter, the sifted icing sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Use an electric hand mixer or a robust wooden spoon to mix everything together until it becomes smooth and thoroughly incorporated. The mixture will be quite thick and smell absolutely divine.

After that, gently fold in the crushed digestive biscuits. Continue to stir until the crumbs are spread evenly throughout the peanut butter mixture. These crumbs give the base a fantastic texture and structure, stopping it from becoming overly soft.

Step 3: Press the Base into the Tin

Transfer the peanut butter mixture into your lined baking tin. With the back of a spoon or a spatula, press it down firmly to create an even layer across the bottom of the tin. We have found that using the flat base of a glass works exceptionally well for achieving a perfectly level and compact surface. A solid base is crucial for getting clean cuts later.

Step 4: Melt the Chocolate Topping

Now it is time for the magnificent chocolate layer! We have two straightforward methods you can use for melting the chocolate:

1. The Microwave Method: Put the milk chocolate chips and the last 50g (around 3 tablespoons) of peanut butter into a microwaveable bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring thoroughly after each one, until the chocolate is nearly all melted. The remaining heat will dissolve any last little bits. Stir until it is glossy and smooth. Adding peanut butter to the chocolate not only boosts the flavour but also helps keep the topping a little softer, making it easier to slice.
2. The Double Boiler Method: If you’d rather, you can place the chocolate and peanut butter in a heat-resistant bowl positioned over a saucepan of simmering water (just ensure the bowl’s base does not touch the water). Stir gently until it has all melted into a beautifully smooth consistency.

Step 5: Assemble and Chill Your Reeses Peanut Butter No Bake Bars

Pour the melted chocolate concoction over the peanut butter base in the tin. Take a spatula and spread it into an even, luscious layer, ensuring it covers the base from corner to corner. You can give the tin a gentle tap or shake to help the topping settle and form a flat surface.

And now for the most difficult step: the wait! Pop the tin into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or until the chocolate topping has become completely solid. Patience is a virtue, and we promise the reward will be well worth it.

Step 6: Slice and Serve

When the bars have fully firmed up, use the parchment paper ‘sling’ to lift the entire block out of the tin and place it on a chopping board. For the most precise cuts, we suggest using a large, sharp knife. Run the blade under hot water and wipe it dry before each slice. This simple trick allows the knife to glide through the chocolate topping without causing it to crack. Cut the block into squares or rectangles of your preferred size. Your homemade no-bake peanut butter dessert is now ready to be enjoyed!

Tips, Tricks, and Variations for Perfection

We want your bars to be the absolute best they can be. Here are some of our top tips and inventive ideas to elevate this recipe to a new level.

Choosing Your Ingredients

• Peanut Butter: We advise using a conventional smooth peanut butter like Sun-Pat or Skippy instead of an all-natural variety. The latter can be quite oily and might cause the base to separate. However, if you’re a fan of texture, by all means, use a crunchy peanut butter!
• Biscuits: Digestive biscuits lend a wonderful, slightly wheaty flavour. Alternatively, you could use Graham crackers, Rich Tea biscuits, or even shortbread for a more buttery base.
• Chocolate: While milk chocolate provides the most authentic Reese’s flavour, we encourage you to experiment! A semi-sweet or dark chocolate topping provides a superb contrast to the sweetness of the base. A blend of the two is also delicious.

Fun Variations to Try

• Salty & Sweet: For a fantastic salty crunch, consider swapping the digestive biscuits for crushed pretzels. This combination is truly sensational, much like in our Pretzel Bottom Caramel Brownies. You could also sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt over the chocolate topping just before you chill it.
• Add Some Texture: For a light, crispy element, try mixing a cup of Rice Krispies into the peanut butter base.
• Go Fancy: Create a beautiful marbled effect by swirling a little melted white chocolate or some extra peanut butter into the milk chocolate topping before it sets.

FAQ

Your New Favourite No-Bake Treat

So there you have it—a straightforward, foolproof recipe for the most decadent and delightful Reeses Peanut Butter No Bake Bars. This recipe is proof that you don’t have to be a baking connoisseur or spend countless hours in the kitchen to produce a truly impressive dessert. It is the ultimate solution for satisfying those powerful cravings for something sweet, salty, and wonderfully comforting.

We are confident that these bars will quickly become a go-to in your dessert repertoire. They are wonderful for sharing, but we certainly won’t judge if you decide to keep the entire batch for yourself! So, go on, give this recipe a go and rediscover the simple pleasure of the world’s greatest flavour combination.

We would be delighted to see your results! If you make these bars, please do tag us on social media or drop a comment below to let us know how they came out. Happy (no) baking!

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Prep: 20 mins
Chill Time: 2-3 hours
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 500g (2 cups) smooth peanut butter, divided
• 250g (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted
• 200g (approx. 14 biscuits) digestive biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 350g (2 cups) good-quality milk chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Line a 9×13 inch baking tin with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to act as a ‘sling’.
2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, 450g of peanut butter, icing sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Then, fold in the crushed biscuits.
3. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the base of the prepared tin. Using the flat bottom of a glass helps create a compact layer.
4. Melt the milk chocolate chips with the remaining 50g of peanut butter until smooth, using either a microwave (in 30-second intervals) or a double boiler.
5. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the peanut butter base and spread evenly.
6. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, or until the chocolate is completely firm.
7. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab from the tin. For clean cuts, slice with a large, sharp knife warmed under hot water. Serve and enjoy!