Licking the bowls kept getting better and better with each step and layer in the recipe.
The bars truly live up to their dreamy name.
If you’re a chocolate and peanut butter lover, you’ve found your end-all-be-all dessert.
If you’ve tried ‘lush’ desserts like lemon lush or ‘better than…’ desserts, this recipe is a chocolate-peanut butter version.
It’s an almost no-bake recipe (the crust bakes for 10 minutes) that’s easy, goofproof, rich, decadent, and guaranteed to be raved about by your friends and family.
There are so many textures and flavors that make the bars irresistibly dreamy. There’s a crunchy, salty-and-sweet Nutter Butter Cookie crust, topped with silky chocolate pudding, topped with a peanut butter-cream cheese-COOL WHIP layer. I could just eat a bowl of just that.
Finally there are peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and Nutter Butters for added crunch and a boost of peanut butter flavor.
I recommend using old-fashioned peanut butter rather than natural types which are too oily, runny, and thin for this recipe. Use full-fat cream brick-style cheese because lite can be thinner, runnier, and won’t set up as well. I used regular JELL-O Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix rather than sugar-free. I used Fat-Free COOL WHIP with success.
If you’re looking for an easy-breezy recipe for a party or event, look no further. I made it four days in advance of a party, froze it, and took it out to thaw 2 hours before the party. My family actually preferred it when it was frozen solid and said it was like eating an ice cream sandwich bar. I prefer it softer and creamier at room temp. Either way you’ll find yourself going back to straighten out the rows.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars
If you're a chocolate and peanut butter lover, you've found your end-all-be-all dessert. It's an almost no-bake recipe that's easy, goofproof, rich, decadent, and guaranteed to be raved about by your friends and family. There are so many textures and flavors that make the bars irresistibly dreamy. There's a crunchy, salty-and-sweet Nutter Butter Cookie crust, topped with silky chocolate pudding, topped with a peanut butter-cream cheese-COOL WHIP layer. There are peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and Nutter Butters for added crunch and a boost of peanut butter flavor.
Yield: one 8x8-inch pan, serves 9 to 12
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
2+ hours, for cooling and setting up
Ingredients:
one 16-ounce package peanut butter sandwich cookies (like Nutter Butter Cookies), divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
one 3.9-ounce package JELL-O Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix (not sugar-free)
1 1/2 cups cold milk (use cow's milk; pudding won't set up with soy, almond, cashew milk. I used 1% cow's milk)
4 ounces PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, softened (not lite)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
heaping 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (not 'natural')
one 8-ounce tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed and divided
1/4 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
To the canister of a food processor, add 24 peanut butter cookies and process on high speed until broken down into very fine crumbs; set aside.
To a small microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 30 seconds.
Add the melted butter to the peanut butter cookie crumbs and process on high speed to combine, about 30 seconds.
Turn mixture out into prepared baking pan and using the back of a spatula, hard-pack the mixture to form a even, flat crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven; set aside to cool. While crust bakes, you can move onto steps 6 and 7.
Add remaining 8 peanut butter cookies to food processor and pulse to break up cookies into bite-sized chunks, about 10 pulses or as necessary. Reserve cookie chunks in a small covered bowl or ziptop bag for use as a topping.
To a medium bowl, add the pudding mix, milk, and whisk vigorously for at least 1 minute, making sure powder is fully dissolved and mixture is smooth. Place bowl in fridge to chill.
To a large bowl, add the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, and beat for about 1 minute using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, or until smooth and combined.
Add half the tub of COOL WHIP and beat for about 1 minute using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, or until smooth and combined; set aside.
To the crust (make sure it's cooled), add the pudding (make sure it's thick and set up) in a smooth, even layer.
Add the cream peanut butter mixture in a smooth, even layer. I find it easiest to add it in golf ball-sized dollops staggered around the pan and then using a spatula, blend the dollops together to create a seamless layer. Take your time so you don't disturb the layers underneath.
Add the remaining half tub of COOL WHIP in a smooth, even layer.
Cover and refrigerate pan for at least 2 hours, or until dessert is fully set-up. I made it 4 days before a party and placed dessert in the freezer at this point, and 2 hours before the party, I took it out, garnished with the remaining ingredients, and served.
Before serving, evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and reserved Nutter Butter cookie chunks. Dessert will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, noting that crust and sprinkled cookies on top may loose crispness as time passes.
Adapted from here
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Related Recipes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Nutter Butter Bars – Soft bars loaded with chocolate and Nutter Butters! You’ll be in PB heaven!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars – Can’t decide if you want PB or chocolate? Make these easy no-bake bars! Chocolate + PB is sooo irresistible!
No-Bake Nutter Butter Special K Bars – Nutter Butters, Special K, peanut butter, and chocolate combined for a chewy, gooey, and decadent treat!
Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars (almost no-bake) – DIY Twix bars with a buttery shortbread, gooey caramel, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars – Super soft bars that just melt in your mouth from all the PB! And all the chocolate!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars – The taste and texture of cookies, minus the work of making individual cookies. Soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chunks!
Nutella-Swirled Peanut Butter Chip Blondies – Easy, one-bowl, no mixer. Super soft and gooey!
Chewy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars (vegan, GF) – No-bake bars loaded with peanut butter and chocolate with awesome crunch and texture!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cereal Bars (GF) – Soft, super chewy bars that are packed with peanut butter and gooey marshmallows! Easy and take 5 minutes to make!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Kit Kat Crunch Bars (no-bake) – Easy bars packed with peanut butter, chocolate, and KitKats!
Peanut Butter Comfort – My cookbook with 100+ peanut butter recipes!
Post is brought to you by Walmart and Kraft Foods. The images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
The post Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars appeared first on Averie Cooks.