These bars are my heaven.
They’re everything I want in a bar. I had to hide them from myself.
There’s something about supremely chewy, thick, and dense cereal bars that I just go for. I always have.
They’re no-bake and come together in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. So fast and easy to make and no need to heat up the house with a hot oven.
They’re vegan and gluten-free. There’s no butter or flour, but you’d never guess it because they’re exceedingly buttery-tasting and rich.
There’s an abundance of peanut butter and chocolate. Always a win.
The chocolate layer stays softer, fudgier, and isn’t prone to cracking or setting up too hard, courtesy of a couple tablespoons of shortening.
It’s a little trick I’ve learned.
They remind me of my beloved Special K Bars, my grandma’s recipe, which I included it in my cookbook because I love them so much. That recipe makes a bigger pan and involves a bit of stovetop cooking, whereas just two minutes in the microwave is all you need here to melt together peanut butter and sugars.
The saucy mixture then drenches cereal in a sweet, brown sugary, caramel-vanilla heaven. I used tablespoon of homemade vanilla extract just to be sure it was noticeable.
The bars are loaded with chewy texture from the cereal and are soft, but they still hold their shape and don’t turn into a gooey mess.
They’re sort of a cousin to Rice Krispies Treats, replacing marshmallows with peanut butter. And you could likely use crushed Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes. I have a Frosted Flakes Bar recipe in my cookbook because yes, I love cereal bars.
If you need a last minute dessert that takes just minutes to make, try these. Especially if you need them for an event where vegan or gluten-free options may be welcome.
Let’s pretend that because they’re vegan and gluten-free that they’re healthy and we can eat half the pan in a sitting.
I loved these. They’re one of my favorite bars I’ve made in 2013.
My husband also loved them. He’s sort of immune to all sweets and treats I make, but these were keepers for him, too.
The only person who didn’t go crazy with them was my 6 year old. She’s missing her two front teeth and chomping is difficult. She’s been enjoying No-Ice-Cream-Maker Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream instead.
I proudly claim those chomp marks as my doing.
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Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter
- ½ cup light corn syrup, light colored, not lite
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal, or similar crispy rice cereal that’s vegan/GF
Chocolate Topping
- 1 ½ heaping cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, optional but highly recommended to keep chocolate smooth; see below
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, melted
Instructions
- For the Bars – Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 heaping cup peanut butter, corn syrup, sugars, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.
- Stop to stir. Mixture will be on the granular side, this is okay.
- Return bowl to microwave and heat for 1 more minute on high power.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the cereal.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top; set pan aside.
- For the Chocolate Topping – In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, shortening, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt. I highly recommend using shortening for many reasons. It helps the chocolate melt smoother and easier. It prevents the chocolate from setting up too quickly. It keeps the chocolate from cracking when you slice into the finished bars because the chocolate is fudgier and more forgiving than typical hardened chocolate.
- Stop to stir. Chips may not be completely melted. Return bowl to microwave and heat in 10 to 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth.
- Pour chocolate over bars, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula or knife; set pan aside.
- Add 1/4 cup peanut butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat to melt, about 30 seconds. Stir peanut butter smooth.
- To create the marbled pattern, drizzle peanut butter over the chocolate in 5 wide, evenly spaced, parallel lines, each spanning the width of the pan. Like 5 rows of long train tracks.
- Rotate pan 90-degrees. With a toothpick, starting at the top of the pan, “draw” 5 evenly spaced lines through the peanut butter. In essence you’re dragging the toothpick perpendicularly through the first set of lines to create the marbling.
- Cover pan with a sheet of foil (to prevent fridge smells), and place pan in fridge to set up for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight, or until chocolate layer is completely set before lifting out with foil overhang, slicing, and serving.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Take care all ingredients used are appropriate for your dietary needs, reading labels and selecting brands that are appropriate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Browned Butter Rice Krispies Treats – The best RKTs I have ever had. Double the butter and it’s browned, for great flavor and soft, buttery, chewy bars
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What’s your favorite no-bake, cereal or cookie bar?
Wow, wow, wow!! I can’t believe these are vegan and gluten-free, yet SO rich and decadent. And such a lovely pattern on top :)
Thanks, Nora!
Wow, these look amazing!! How do you make them look so perfectly cut? I can never make my bars look so even and uniform. What’s your secret?
I answered that recently for another woman here. Lots of little things to think about but it’s worth it! :)
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/homemade-little-debbie-cosmic-brownies.html/comment-page-1#comment-154386
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!! Now these are the perfect bar! They are gorgeous, peanut butter and my heavens I want them, the whole batch! Simply amazing, amazing, amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness Averie, I can’t stop looking at those pretty swirls, they’re absolutely mesmerizing! I love the sound of everything in these bars :) Simply gorgeous!
Look at all these bars! And I am loving those swirly bars recipe.
Thanks for stopping by, Russell!
Oh girl – those swirls!! They are perfect!! Seriously. Like out of a magazine! I always have trouble making swirls look pretty. A cheesecake bar recipe I’m posting this week has swirls. :) These cereal bars look so, so good. And to say they are one of your favorites for this year – WOW! What a statement coming from you. You know it has to be good if it is a favorite. And no butter used at all. Crazy! Pinning these – they are so pretty and eye-catching, not to mention tempting. Like, I need one now.
It’s one of the best bar recipes I’ve ever made and so easy. I wish I has included them in my cookbook! I put Frosted Flakes Bars in the book but one of those things, that as you grow, evolve, and try new things as a cook (and sometimes thru trials, errors, time, and sometimes just a stroke of luck!) you hit it all on the head in one…these bars were the culmination of years of trying cereal bars, PB + microwave sugar sauces, stovetop sauces, etc. All the years of trials and error all came together on these :) I know that makes cereal bars sound like they’re some amazing thing – but for me, they are. Because I love them so much :) Thanks for pinning!
These look SOOO buttery and sweet and rich and delicious and ohmylord I want them!
oh, my word! averie, your baking is a lover letter to my taste buds. never stop, please?
xx
Lol and thanks! And I won’t stop!
I’ve got everything but shortening, can I use butter instead?
Meh…whenever I melt butter with chocolate, it sets up harder and crisper than I want. I would either say buy some shortening. I know it’s a pain for just a few tbsp but you will have it forever. I have 1 jar that I keep onhand for this very reason. And you can also make these with it :)
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/05/peanut-butter-caramel-twix-bars.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/04/chocolate-covered-7-minute-microwave-caramels.html
And so many other things.
If you don’t want to buy it, I would maybe even use a tsp (not a tbsp) of canola oil. Or just use plain melted choc chips. But they won’t have that fudgy mouthfeel.
LMK what you do!
These remind me of a “recipe” I had when I was in middle school. I would melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together and spread it on rice crispy treats. Those swirls on top of the bars are gorgeous!
That sounds like a perfect ‘recipe’. I had a recipe like that for ‘nachos’. I would shred cheese on Doritos and nuke them for 15 secs. It was my afterschool dream snack, combined with making box of (almost raw) boxed brownies :)
Oh good lawd! Loving everything about these, from the artful swirly top of yumminess to the fact that they’re no-bake. Simply droolworthy.
These are something I think you’d love! If you could work in sprinkles though, that would be better knowing your style :)
Your description of these bars has me drooling! And the swirly top – mesmerizing!!! Pinning!
Thank you for pinning! :)
Dude, that marbling swirl is just perfect! My marbling technique is terrible.
And if your 6-year old doesn’t like these, I’d gladly take her serving! :)
She liked them. She just doesn’t have her front teeth so it’s cute watching her sort of gnaw on them with her back teeth :)
I was pleased with the marbling – thanks! Trust me, most times I don’t get that lucky :)
Is there anything better than chocolate and peanut butter? Seriously, I’m drooling looking at these bars and can only imagine the amazing crunch from the cereal!
The texture was so thick and chewy! Loved it!
SO beautiful!!! I love that you piled in as much pb as possible (I think you forgot the word “cup” toward the end of the ingredients there…). I’m pretty sure I’d be licking every bowl and utensil used…and then I’d be oh so thankful that there’s no baking time because I could eat them as quickly as possible!
Fixed! That’s what happens when you use PB twice in a recipe…all that PB and you start forgetting things :) Lol
Oh. My. God. These are absolutely gorgeous! They are literally calling my name! You know me and PB…but then you have the crispiness of the cereal…oh my! (Did I mention I LOVE these?)
I know you would love them! and your KIDS, too!!!