These easy, no bake peanut butter cup squares are peanut butter cups in homemade, square form. Nothing extra in these ones. Just pure buttery and sweetened peanut butter and chocolate deliciousness.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Squares
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Why I love these peanut butter cup squares

I have made a lot of peanut butter and chocolate squares over the years, but I always come back to this one. Why? Because it’s pure, unadulterated peanut butter cup goodness. No extra stuff in these ones. Just silky smooth, sweetened butter peanut butter with a chocolate topping. And in classic go-big-or-go-home fashion, these have an added swirl of more buttery peanut butter.

Ingredients and substitutions

Butter – I like to use unsalted butter for these and then add salt to taste. If you are using salted butter, you probably won’t need to add additional salt to the peanut butter layer, but taste the filling and decide. As these are no-bake, the filling flavour isn’t going to change.

Peanut Butter – regular peanut butter is used here. Use your favourite brand. I haven’t tested this recipe with natural peanut butter.

Chocolate – semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate will provide the best results. I find milk chocolate just too sweet.

Recipe tips!

  • I will often sprinkle the top of these with flaky salt (fleur de sel or Maldons) while the chocolate is still wet. If I know I will be doing that, I keep the salt in the peanut butter layer a little lower, to keep that perfect sweet/salty balance.
  • I use one of those dollar store plastic squeeze bottles to do the swirl thing (to make the lines), then run a skewer through them. When running the skewer through, be sure your don’t go too deep (into the peanut butter layer), as it makes a weak spot that may cause your squares to split in the wrong places.
  • You don’t have to get that fancy if you don’t want. Simply dropping a line of the peanut butter topping from a spoon works too, or just drizzle. You can do a marble effect to, by topping with drizzle, then swirling a skewer through it. And all that said, if you’re not feeling the extra step of the swirl, you can just skip it altogether.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Squares

Making ahead, storing and freezing

I like to store these in the fridge. Not only does it extend the shelf life, but I quite enjoy these cold. These will keep in the fridge at least a week, probably two (but they never last that long here!).

These squares should freeze well up to 2 months.

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Get the Recipe: No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Squares

Easy no-bake peanut butter cup squares, that are pure peanut butter cup deliciousness!
4.88 stars from 8 ratings
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chilling TIme: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 25 squares

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Layer:

  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter, not natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 3/4 – 2 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar , *See Note 1 below
  • 1 pinch Salt, or more, to taste or omit if using salted butter

Chocolate Layer:

  • 6 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, about 1 cup
  • 4 Tablespoons butter

Peanut Butter Swirl:

  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, not natural peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Spray and 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, then line with a sheet of parchment paper that covers the bottom and two sides, extended a few inches over the edges. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups peanut butter with the 1/2 cup melted butter. *Note, it doesn’t come together easily at first, so start stirring slowly to avoid splashing out. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, stirring in until smooth each time. Transfer to prepared pan and spread to an even layer. Smooth top as well as you can.
  • Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for a further 20-30 seconds. Remove and stir until smooth and glossy. Pour chocolate over peanut butter layer, pouring into the centre and spreading out to the edges with the back of a spoon.
  • In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp melted butter with the 1/4 cup peanut butter and stir until smooth. Let stand to cool and thicken slightly, 3-4 minutes. Using a spoon or a squeeze bottle, make 1/4-inch thick lines with the peanut butter mixture about 1 inch apart. Using a skewer, run lines in the opposite direction, about every 1/2-inch apart, making sure you only run through the chocolate layer and not down to the peanut butter layer. *If desired, you can sprinkle top of chocolate with finishing salt such as Fleur de Sel or Maldon’s.
  • Place pan in refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight before removing from pan and slicing. Cut into squares about 5 squares per side (25 squares total)
  • Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

Notes

Note 1: Adjust the amount of icing sugar to your taste for sweetness. It will also depend somewhat on the sweetness of your peanut butter. I typically use 1 3/4 cups myself.
If you use salted butter, omit the added salt. If you used unsalted butter, add as much as you like, to taste, from a pinch to about 1/4 tsp.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Dessert, Snack
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 108mg, Potassium: 155mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 200IU, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.8mg
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