The Pioneer Woman’s “Shockingly Delicious” No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Taste Even Better Than a Reese’s Cup

Peanut butter and chocolate are the way to my heart. It started with the classic peanut butter cup and transformed into a love for chocolate peanut butter ice cream, chocolate peanut butter cake, and chocolate peanut butter pie. In my opinion, it’s the perfect flavor combination, and nothing has ever been able to top it for me. So when I heard that Ree Drummond has a no-bake chocolate peanut butter bar recipe, I just had to try it. With a combination of crunchy and creamy peanut butter, melted chocolate, and salty peanuts, it was already bound to be a favorite. But just to make sure, I tested this recipe at home to see if it was worth the hype. And, I was not disappointed.

Get the recipe: Ree Drummond’s No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

In a stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and the crunchy peanut butter. Once fluffy, add powdered sugar one cup at a time.

Dump a box of vanilla wafers into a food processor or blender, and crush them up. Add the crushed wafers and mini chocolate chips to the peanut butter mixture, then beat until everything is combined.

Grease a 9×13” casserole dish with butter. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the casserole dish until the bottom is sufficiently covered.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips with creamy peanut butter. Once smooth, pour over the top of the prepared bars in the pan and spread the chocolate until even. Add peanuts on top then refrigerator for at least an hour before cutting them up.

Obviously it’s clear that if you love peanut butter and chocolate, then these bars are for you. They’re salty and sweet and just the kind of dessert that I enjoy when I’m craving a sweet treat. The saltiness from the peanut butter and peanuts help to cut the sweetness from all of that sugar and chocolate, making a really nice balanced bar.

I think the other thing I particularly love about this bar is the texture. The chocolate hardens like a shell of a peanut cup, while the inside still remains soft enough to also feel like the inside of a peanut butter cup. Honestly, it almost tastes like eating a spoonful of raw peanut butter cookie dough without the threat of salmonella. The added crunch gives it a delightfully unique texture, and it was impossible to not gobble it up in a few bites. I will absolutely be making this one again.

• Use large chocolate chips: While the recipe calls for mini chocolate chips within the bar, I ended up using big chips and enjoyed it a lot better. I almost think that the bar didn’t need the extra chocolate chips at all, so if you’re more of a peanut butter person than a chocolate person, you could even skip the chocolate chips in the bar and just leave it on the melted top. The crunch from the vanilla wafer and the crunchy peanut butter will still give it that texture you want.
• Play around with the toppings: While I do love peanuts, I think you could play around with the toppings on this bar. M&M’s? More crushed vanilla wafers (or Oreos)? Other nuts like pecans or walnuts? Maybe even dried coconut? Go for it.

Get the recipe: Ree Drummond’s No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: The Pioneer Woman’s “Shockingly Delicious” No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars Taste Even Better Than a Reese’s Cup