Description
These Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel Bars are a decadent no-bake treat combining a buttery peanut butter base with a crispy digestive biscuit and cornflake layer, topped with luscious caramel and a rich chocolate-peanut butter glaze. Perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth with a delightful mix of textures and flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 170 g Butter (¾ Cup), melted
- 190 g Peanut butter (¾ Cup)
- 65 g Powdered Sugar (⅔ Cup)
- 150 g Digestive or graham crackers (1½ Cup), crushed
- 45 g Cornflakes (1 Cup), crushed
Topping
- 60 ml Caramel sauce (¼ Cup)
- 200 g Chocolate (7 oz)
- 2 tbsp Peanut butter
Instructions
- Prepare the baking pan: Line a 20×20 cm (9×9 inch) baking pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy removal of the bars later.
- Crush the dry ingredients: Pulse the digestive biscuits and cornflakes in a food processor or blender until they are finely ground to create the crunchy base texture.
- Melt butter and combine wet ingredients: Melt the butter in a pan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter and powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Mix the base: Add the crushed digestive biscuits and cornflakes to the melted butter mixture and stir until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Form the base layer: Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan, pressing down lightly to create a firm and compact base.
- Add caramel layer: Pour and evenly spread the caramel sauce over the base layer. Place the pan in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the chocolate topping.
- Prepare chocolate topping: In a bain-marie (double boiler), melt the chocolate and stir in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter until smooth. Spread this chocolate-peanut butter mixture evenly over the chilled caramel layer. Optionally, decorate with white chocolate if desired.
- Chill to set: Refrigerate the assembled bars for at least 2 hours to allow them to firm up properly.
- Serve: Remove from the pan using the parchment paper edges and cut into squares to serve.
Notes
- For best results, use natural or creamy peanut butter depending on your texture preference.
- You can substitute digestive biscuits with graham crackers for a slightly different flavor profile.
- The caramel layer can be homemade or store-bought — make sure it is pourable for easy spreading.
- If you don’t have a food processor, crush the biscuits and cornflakes by placing them in a sealed plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Let the bars sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving if they are too firm from refrigeration.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Peanut butter bars, no-bake dessert, caramel bars, chocolate peanut butter, crunchy bars
