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Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

These simple, no-bake gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars taste like peanut butter cups and are super easy to make. They can also be made dairy free and vegan.

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A stack of gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars on a white plate.

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

These gluten free bars are one of my husband’s favorite things that I’ve ever made.

I always ask him to rate my recipes on a scale of 1-10. For him, desserts and savory dishes have a different rating system. I haven’t cracked the savory scale yet, as I’m not 100% sure what it takes to get that perfect 10.

He can be picky, although he doesn’t actually think he is. But he’s definitely great for critiquing because he has no problem giving a recipe a 6, which pisses me off lol.

The effort I put into something is worth more than a 6! But honesty is the best policy (gag me) so it does actually help me figure out how to tweak a recipe to make it gold.

Recipes that never need tweaking? Desserts with chocolate and peanut butter.

The dessert scale is a scale in itself. For Adam, a recipe can ONLY start at a 10 if it has chocolate and peanut butter. So if I make a dessert like my gluten free strawberry shortcake or blueberry crumb bars, they start out at an 8.

You guys, I’m not even joking. I’m dead serious.

3 gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars stacked on a white plate.

If there’s chocolate, it starts at a 9. If there’s peanut butter, it starts at a 9. If there’s BOTH chocolate AND peanut butter, it has a start value of 10. Asking him to rate a recipe is like asking him to judge gymnastics.

Wanna know what these gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars got?

A 12. TWELVE.

Usually, a recipe starts at a 10 (or 8…) and only loses points (too dry, too crumbly, too “I just don’t feel like eating this so I’ll just give it a 7”, etc.). People, these went up in points it was that good

So run, don’t walk, to the kitchen and whip yourself up a batch of these gluten free bars ASAP!

PS my mom used to call these E.T. Bars when she made them for us as kids. We don’t know why 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

PIN THIS RECIPE TO YOUR GLUTEN FREE DESSERTS BOARD

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter bars on the counter with bite taken out

If you want a delicious version that is vegan, paleo AND dairy free, check out these amazing No Bake Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Bars made by my good friend Demeter at Beaming Baker. She’s the queen of easy no-bake dessert recipes!

Another great no-bake dessert option would be this No Bake Peanut Butter Pie. Just use a gluten free graham cracker crust to make it gluten free!

Or for more chocolate peanut butter recipes, check out my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Smoothies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Pie (Pizookie), Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cups. I’ve also got a recipe for Gluten Free Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting. It’s seriously amazing!

Enjoy!


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A stack of gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars on a white plate.

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

4.62 from 71 ratings
These simple, no-bake gluten free chocolate peanut butter bars taste like peanut butter cups and are insanely easy to make. Can be made dairy free.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

For the Bars:

  • 1/2 C butter see notes for dairy free
  • 1 C gluten free graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 3/4 C peanut butter I have not used natural in this recipe

For the Topping:

  • 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp peanut butter

Instructions

  • Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Add the butter to a large, microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter.
  • Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir really well and continue to heat at 50% power for 20 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the graham cracker base and evenly spread it across the top.
  • Refrigerate for until the bars are set, about 2 hours. Slice into squares and serve at room temperature or cold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

For dairy free, I use palm shortening and dairy free chocolate chips. The dairy free version is a bit softer than the regular version but are just as delicious!
I have also made this by melting the peanut butter with the butter in step 1. It makes it easier to mix but you need to refrigerate it for about 15-20 minutes before pouring the chocolate over the top.
Adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 31g

Disclaimers

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.

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Sincerely,
Shay

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Recipe Rating




  1. Randi says:

    I made these last night, lining the pan with foil as in the video (not in parchment paper as in the recipe instructions). They were a huge hit; I cut them into 16 pieces and guests each ate three! But the bars were not as thick as in the photos. And as the plate sat out, the bars became a little soft. I used Pamela’s GF honey grahams. I’ll use Kinnikinnick next time to see if that makes a difference. Also, I didn’t use the salt. Skippy peanut butter is plenty salty!

  2. Theresa says:

    Made these this afternoon and they were a hit. Super simple.

  3. Lacey says:

    Hi! Is there a reason i’d use Palm Shortening instead of regular shortening for DF?

  4. Allison says:

    5 stars
    Can almond flour be used possibly instead of gluten free graham crackers. Just trying to use what’s in my house!!

  5. Izabel says:

    do you have to use graham crackers?

  6. Patricia says:

    5 stars
    Your mom probably called them ET bars because they are “out-of-this-world” good.

  7. Kristy says:

    Could you sub gluten free soda crackers (they are like saltines) for the gluten free graham crackers?

    • Sharon says:

      It would probably work but if they’re salty, you’ll probably want to omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt the recipe calls for (unless you want that salty sweet combo).

  8. Jackie says:

    Going to try these this weekend. By the way, your Mom probably called them ET bars because Elliot gave Reese’s Pieces to ET in the movie 😉

  9. Yes please!!! These are definitely landing in my picnic basket this summer.

  10. these look and sound terrific! Pinned & sharing on FB.Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Have a great week!
    Kim

  11. Nicole says:

    These peanut butter bars look delicious! I’m sure they are. Pinned! Thanks for linking up with us at the #HomeMattersParty this week.

  12. Maisy says:

    Wow, those look scrumptious!! I love that they are vegan-friendly as well 🙂

    *Maisy

  13. Tara says:

    Where do you find Gluten Free graham cracker crumbs? I’ve never been able to. Thx!

  14. Rachel says:

    These look great, can’t wait to try them! The ingredients list has sea salt on it, but it’s not noted in the instructions. Do you just sprinkle it on top or do you mix it into one of the layers?

  15. Jessica says:

    How many squares did you get out of these? Trying to figure out what one serving is …

  16. Michelle says:

    I just made these and they are in the fridge as we speak so hoping they turn out great as I had to use what I had on hand and felt like I changed half of it. I only had crunchy peanut butter, icing sugar and marie biscuits. I did need to add a little more butter and didn’t read that if you microwaved the peanut better you had to wait an extra 15 min. But hoping for the best haha. Thank you for the recipe hubby will be so happy when he gets homw from work. He also loves chocolate and peanut butter.

  17. These chocolate peanut butter bars look yummy and gluten free to boot!

  18. Georgianna says:

    I shared these on my Facebook earlier in the week, the photo had my mouth watering instantly. They’re so lovely and simple!

  19. Sign me up for anything chocolate and peanut butter!

  20. Nutrimom says:

    No peanut butter for us but I see a cooking day using SunButter for this!

  21. I totally agree! Chocolate peanut butter recipes are always a winner!

  22. I need these in my life! Yum!!

  23. These look awesome, I’ll take a dozen, please!

  24. I love peanut butter bars! They’re great out of the freezer, too. But dang, it’s hard to eat just one.

  25. laila says:

    You’ve combined 2 of my absolute favourite things!! Will be giving your recipe a try. Wonderful post 🙂

  26. Peanut butter and chocolate desserts are the way to my heart, too, and I have no doubt these bars would get at least a 12 in my book, as well. 😉 Too funny that you’ve got a rating system with your husband. I feel like I need to start doing that with mine since he’s my constant taste tester… even though he’s not into chocolate and peanut butter. (FOR SHAME, I know!)

  27. Oh man that layer of chocolate!

  28. Cricket says:

    This reminds me of something my grandma used to make, can’t wait to try your version!

  29. Alexa says:

    Sharon … you are tempting me! These. Look. Delicious. Are the crumbs noticeable in the mixture? Should I aim for superfine?

    • Sharon says:

      LOL! To answer your question, the crumbs are not noticeable since they soak up some of the moisture from the peanut butter and butter and give the bars structure. You want them to be fine (no big chunks) but they definitely don’t have to be super fine.

  30. Mmm don’t those look to die for! Can’t go wrong with the chocolate PB combo!

  31. thank you for thinking about dairy free right off the bat!!! I am quite certain if a pan of these appeared in front of me, I’d have eaten the whole thing before anyone else got a chance!!

  32. Two of my favorite ingredients in one bar – I’m in!

  33. LOL, I have my husband rate my recipes, too. For a guy who “doesn’t like sweets,” my desserts do pretty darn good! I am so excited to find gluten-free graham crackers to give these a try!

  34. it doesn’t get much better than no-bake with chocolate and peanut butter. my kids are in for a treat after school!

  35. Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says:

    Nothing but LOVE for these bars. I would always give anything Chocolate and PB a 10 too 🙂

  36. Lizzie says:

    Recently discovered your blog and I am in love. Made the coconut custard last week and will be making this peanut butter bars this week.