SUPER addicting no-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars-  SO rich and decadent. 

I decided the other day there were way too few desserts on my site and I needed to change that asap. I guess I should admit the reason is not because I don’t love sweets, because obviously I do. The problem is vegan baking can be very difficult. I have tried many recipes that end up being major fails, and it can be major-frustrating. Coming up with recipes isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but vegan baking takes it to a whole new level.

In my heart, I’m an experimenter and I generally don’t like following the rules when it comes to cooking. When I’m not developing recipes, I’m one of those cooks that throw in a scoop of this, dash of that, and I generally take a recipe and change it to adjust my needs. Baking, however, requires EXACT measurements or you will surely mess it up. This is the challenge, and the reason why there may not be as many dessert recipes on my site as I would like. Plus, I’m a perfectionist and if it doesn’t take perfect, it’s not going on the site.

I’ve always heard that Rachel Ray admits to being a terrible baker, and I get it. It requires a different skill set than cooking. But I’m also one of those people that will try to overcome anything I don’t understand (I’m kind of obsessed with learning), so I’ve been reading and studying vegan baking and trying to get better and better. Until then, I’ll keep on making the occasional dessert, and in this case, a no-bake dessert, because why? It’s so easy, definitely more fail safe, and tastes delicious! And at the end of the day, that’s all we really want right? If it’s easy, tastes amazing and offers a bit of a health option it’s alright in my book.

And so speaking of AMAZING, these peanut butter chocolate bars are downright addicting. I actually had a hard time not eating them while I was doing the photo shoot, and after the shoot they remained in my fridge for a few days and I had a hard time only eating one a day. They may be my favorite dessert- ever. I know it’s a bold statement, but this is serious stuff. They are also super easy, which may be the best part. And you don’t even need to turn on your oven.

Spray an 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil. In a food processor, add the almonds, peanuts, and rice cereal and pulse together until broken into small pieces. Add the dates, maple syrup, peanut butter and 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Blend until the mixture forms a crust-like texture. You may need to stop blending to scrape the side of the bowl or separate the mixture and blend again. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil (or a couple more dates) if the dough is too dry.

When ready, remove the dough and press into an 8 inch pan coated with coconut oil spray.

Next, melt the chocolate chips. There are few ways to do this; double boiler, microwave, water bath. My favorite is a water bath (see below). To do this, fill a large saucepan with 1 inch water. Place a heatproof bowl (stainless steel, glass, or Corningware as I did below) and place it directly in the water, making sure NO water gets in the chocolate (even a drop can ruin it!). As the water heats, start stirring the chocolate. As soon as you see it start to simmer, turn the heat off. Continue to stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the water and away from the heat.

Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter crust and evenly distribute with a spatula or spoon until even.

Freeze for 1-2 hours. Cut into bars and serve. Makes 15 bars.

These bars will stay good in the fridge for 5-6 days. You can also freeze them and they’ll last even longer. Just set out for 10-15 minutes to defrost before eating.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free)

SUPER addicting Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars- so rich and decadent.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 15
• Category: Vegan, Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced unsalted almonds
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1/2 cup rice crisp cereal (gluten free if possible)
• 12-14 medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak in water first)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 bag (10 ounce) vegan dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sea salt

Instructions

1. Spray an 8 inch baking dish with coconut or vegetable oil spray.
2. In a food processor, pulse the almonds, peanuts, and rice cereal together until broken into small pieces. Add the dates, maple syrup, peanut butter and coconut oil. Blend until the mixture forms a crust-like texture. You may need to stop blending to scrape the side of the bowl or separate the mixture and blend again. Remove the dough and press into an 8 inch pan coated with coconut oil spray.
3. Next, melt the chocolate. To do this in a water bath, fill a large saucepan with 1 inch water. Place a heatproof bowl (stainless steel or glass) and place it directly in the water, making sure NO water gets in the chocolate (even a drop can ruin it). As the water heats, start stirring the chocolate. As soon as you see it start to simmer, turn the heat off. Continue to stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the water.
4. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Cut into bars and serve. Makes 15 bars. These bars will stay good in the fridge for 5-6 days. You can also freeze them and they’ll last even longer. Just set out for 10-15 minutes to defrost before eating.

Nutrition based on 1 serving (15 servings per batch)