This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.

Sweet and Salty No Bake Peanut Bars are made with a layer of crushed pretzel sticks and creamy peanut butter and topped with melted Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ghirardelli®.

If you caught my post yesterday for No Bake Cranberry Cheesecakes, you’re probably asking yourself why I’m posting yet another no bake recipe. Well, that’s simple – it’s the holiday season, and I think we all need to arm ourselves with a few delicious no bake recipes. Whether you’re faced with a work potluck or impromptu holiday entertaining, I’ve got you covered with the help of Ghirardelli®.

I’ve become obsessed with Ghirardelli®’s chocolate chips over the years. Their mini semi-sweet chips make it into my mouth by the handful when I have a chocolate craving more than I’d care to admit publicly. They have some of the best white chocolate chips around, in my opinion, and the new melting wafers? Incredible. Their 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips are one of my favorites to use in delicious recipes like these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars on My Baking AddictionThese deliciously sweet and perfectly salty No Bake Peanut Butter Bars are pretty much over the top, if I do say so myself. It’s like a bite of peanut butter cup, but a thousand times better. Crunchy pretzels take these little bars from ‘pretty good’ to ‘I better give these away before I eat the whole pan’. Not that I did that or anything. *cough*

You might also be looking at these photos and saying to yourself, “Jamie, those are round, not rectangular. Can we really call them bars?”, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say, yes, yes we can. Using a small biscuit cutter to cut out the bars makes for a visual pop on the dessert table. The circular shape also takes an incredibly simple recipe and makes it just little more fancy-schmancy! Who can resist a poppable bite like that?

Topped with melted Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips and a little peanut butter, I’m telling you, you won’t be able to eat just one. Nor will anyone else, so if you feel like doubling the recipe, I won’t blame you. Being no bake, they’re utterly easy, and should be a go-to for the dessert table from now until January 1st, trust me.

Peanut Butter Bars on My Baking AddictionIf you’re looking for more scrumptious and festive holiday recipes, be sure to head over to Ghirardelli’s website and check out their Small Bites recipe selection. Emily (Jelly Toast) and I teamed up to create and photograph a variety of incredible recipes like this Autumn Spice Caramel Corn just in time for the holidays! Stay tuned to MBA over the month or so for more chocolate, holiday inspired desserts.

And now on to some pretty exciting (also nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing), news, guys!

On November 15 at 11am ET, I’ll be co-hosting the Ghirardelli® Holiday Prep Kitchen live-streamed event alongside Bon Appétit Magazine’s Executive Chef Mary Nolan and Emily from Jelly Toast! I’ll show you how to prepare bite-size Ghirardelli chocolate recipes like this one, share baking and entertaining tips and answer your baking questions. Let me know if you have any questions you’d like us to answer using the hashtag #ICanBake. Tune in HERE for the event. You can also join the event group HERE on Facebook.

Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and get it sent to your inbox!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

By: Jamie
4.46 from 11 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 12
Sweet and Salty No Bake Peanut Bars are made with a layer of crushed pretzel sticks and creamy peanut butter and topped with melted Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces pretzel sticks crushed (about 1 cup of crumbs)
  • cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
  • ¾ cup Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips
  • 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Instructions 

  • Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together butter and vanilla extract. With an electric mixer on low speed, add in the pretzel crumbs, 2/3 cup peanut butter, and confectioners’ sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Press mixture into prepared pan to form an even crust layer. Chill for 10 minutes.
  • In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips and peanut butter. Microwave on medium power (50 percent) for 1 minute. Remove and stir. If chocolate is not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring every 30 seconds to avoid scorching. Stir until smooth.
  • Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate mixture over the prepared crust layer.
  • Refrigerate bars for at least one hour before cutting into squares or sticks.

Notes

  • If desired, you can use a small biscuit cutter to create circular shapes.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ghirardelli®; however, the views and opinions expressed on My Baking Addiction are my own, and based upon my experiences with Ghirardelli® products. Thank you for supporting Ghirardelli® and the brands that continue to make My Baking Addiction possible.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

76 Comments

  1. Leslie Burnett says:

    I’ve made these with graham crackers for decades. I’ve also substituted Rice Krispies to make it gluten free. I’ll try the pretzel sticks to see how it tastes. Try the Demarle at Home flexipans to have them to pop right out of the mold (from the makers of Silpat).

    1. Jamie says:

      Leslie-
      Thanks for the tips and I appreciate you stopping by.

      -Jamie

  2. Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says:

    I love little circular desserts. And no-bake. These look awesome!

    1. Jamie says:

      Brenda-
      Thanks so much for visiting!

      -Jamie

  3. Wendy says:

    just made these tonight. Fun and easy recipe to make. I’m on a Diet so I don’t get to try them but my boys absolutely love them!

    1. Jamie says:

      Wendy-
      I’m so glad your boys enjoyed them. Thanks for visiting.

      -Jamie

  4. Tracy says:

    Hate pretzels, so do you think Ritz crackers could work?

    1. Jamie says:

      Tracy-
      You could use Ritz Crackers but it will give a bit of a different possibly less crunchy texture. I hope this helps.

      -Jamie

    2. Tracy says:

      Thanks for the quick response! Love your page on FB! Think I’m going to give them a try to see. If not, then I will know that it was meant for pretzels!

    3. Jamie says:

      Thanks Tracy! I would love to know how it turns out.

      -Jamie

    4. Tracy says:

      I made these yesterday using the Ritz crackers and my children and I thought they were awesome! My husband on the other hand said he liked them but would probably like the pretzel version better.

    5. Jamie says:

      Such a great idea, Tracy! Now I much try this your version – thanks so much for stopping by!
      -Jamie

  5. Mollie says:

    Looks amazing. .can you cut after the frig. …but before the chocolate for nice edges? Thanks

    1. Jamie says:

      Mollie-
      I think that would work great. Thanks for stopping by.

      -Jamie

  6. 3petitsprinces says:

    forgive me if I missed this in the info above…can natural peanut butter be used?
    These look so delicious, I want to make them as soon as possible! I have everything on hand but only natural peanut butter.
    Thanks!

    1. Jamie says:

      I haven’t tried it with natural peanut butter so I’m not sure. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

      -Jamie

  7. Kara says:

    I made these tonight. First off let me say they are delicious. For those looking to make these, when she says use parchment, she means it, if you skip this step (like I did because the parchment went missing at my house again) the bars stick something fierce. I also found that the pretzels were a might bit tough to measure out. It seems like I didn’t end up using enough pretzels even though I used roughly half of a 10 oz. box. They are super quick and easy to make. I think the longest part of the process was sifting the powdered sugar. If someone needs a quick easy and relatively cheap something to take to a last minute potluck or dinner this recipe is a must to have in your recipe stash. They are sort of addictive, one says one more which says one more… ad infinitum.

    1. Jamie says:

      Kara-
      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience with the recipe.

      -Jamie

  8. Glory/ Glorious Treats says:

    Ooh, these look incredible and they sound pretty easy to make too, so that’s a win-win!

    1. Jamie says:

      Glory-
      Thanks so much for stopping by!
      -Jamie

  9. shannon says:

    These look delicious, and I love the presentation in circles! Are there any tricks to cutting them with the biscuit cutter so that the chocolate doesn’t smudge into the PB part? Or maybe it wasn’t an issue?
    Can’t wait to make these!

    1. Jamie says:

      Shannon-
      Hello! They honestly don’t smudge all that much if they are really cold when you cut them :) I hope this helps.
      -Jamie

  10. Cindy says:

    Can this b doubled and put into a 9 x 13 pan. With a combination of chocolate and peanut butter I need a big batch! Thanks

    1. Jamie says:

      Cindy-
      I haven’t tried that, but I think it would work just fine. Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.
      -Jamie