
INGREDIENTS
For the bottom Oreo crust:
- 13 ounce package of whole Oreos about 21 Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter
For the middle peanut butter filling:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1.5 cups crunchy peanut butter about 12 ounces
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
For the top chocolate topping:
- 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the Oreo crust: Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with foil and butter the sides and bottom. Add Oreos to a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. Using a large mixing bowl, melt butter in a microwave. Add crushed Oreos and mix well. Distribute over the baking dish, pressing it flat over the bottom of the baking dish. Place in the freezer while you work on the next step.
- Make the peanut butter filling: Using a large mixing bowl, melt butter in a microwave. Add peanut butter and sugar. Mix well. Distribute the mixture over the crust. Place in the freezer again while you work on the next step.
- Make the chocolate topping: Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl that is heatproof (like glass). Place heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer. Then pour the cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Mix until completely smooth. Pour this chocolate mix over the filling in the baking dish, spreading evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours.
- Serving: Lift up the sides of the foil to remove from the baking dish. Cut into 16 squares.
I don’t make desserts often, but when I do, there’s a good chance that I’m making these no-bake Oreo peanut butter bars. They have been a favorite of Mr. Savory Tooth’s ever since I first started making them a few years ago, and it’s not hard to see why he’s constantly requesting them.
These bars have three rich layers: an Oreo bottom crust, a thick and creamy peanut butter middle layer, and a rich chocolate frosting top layer. Peanut butter is the star of this show, for sure; there’s an entire pound of peanut butter used in this recipe. Both the chocolate and peanut butter layers are thick and smooth, and the Oreo crust is crumbly but holds together.
There are so many reasons why I love this Oreo peanut butter bars recipe, and here are my top three:
- No-bake. No oven needed for this recipe, so it’s perfect for those hot days when you don’t feel like heating up your kitchen. All you need to do is assemble and mix ingredients for the three layers of this dessert, and you are done.
- Only six ingredients. You only need a total of six ingredients to whip up this fabulous dessert. Most of the ingredients are probably things you already have at home.
- No cream cheese. That’s right, you don’t need any cream cheese to make this dish. It’s one less thing to put on your grocery shopping list.
When I’m not making these Oreo peanut butter bars for Mr. Savory Tooth, I’m making them for a summer party get-together. Everyone loves this dessert and it’s always a huge hit. Since they’re cut into handy bars, people can easily grab one or two from a tray. You can make these bars the day before and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Along with these Oreo peanut butter bars, on really hot days I also love making these other no-cook dishes: Greek salad with avocado dressing, Southwest couscous salad, and broccoli salad with bacon and cranberries. Check out this comprehensive list for more ideas.
Can you use creamy peanut butter do you think?
Yes, that should be fine. I definitely prefer this with crunchy, but creamy will also work 🙂
Where have these been all my life?! I made them last week and they were perfect! Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh my GOSH these look beyond amazing!
Thanks so much for the recipe! These are insanely rich and I’d definitely make them again. My top layer of chocolate didn’t set quite as nicely as yours and made it hard to cut because it was pretty liquid-y (kind of the consistency of custard?). Not sure why it ended up so different. When I make it again, will probably add more chocolate chips to the heavy cream.
You can try leaving it in the freezer longer before adding the top chocolate layer (at least 15 minutes), to make sure everything has hardened before adding the top layer. After adding the top layer, you can leave it in the refrigerator longer so that it has time to set before you cut into it (I recommend 1 hour in the recipe but you could try a few hours). Make sure you’re using heavy whipping cream and not a substitute. Hope that helps!
They already look delicious to me
These looks so yummy!
I don’t think I’ve every seen a no-bake something that looks this stinking beautiful. I cannot wait to try this out!
Love these, they look so delicious!