Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars

Name: Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 16 bars
Ingredients: 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter; Pinch of kosher salt; 1 ½ cups crisp rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies); 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar; 1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (from 1 [10-oz.] pkg.); 6 teaspoons refined coconut oil, divided; ½ cup white chocolate chips (from 1 [11-oz.] pkg.); ½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

4 Ratings
4 Reviews

Creamy, crunchy, and oh-so-delicious.

By Joy Howard

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Credit: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe Summary

chill:

2 hrs

total:

2 hrs 20 mins

active:

20 mins

Yield:

16 bars

Skip to Recipe

Peanut butter and chocolate—they just go together. If you want to create a truly memorable holiday dessert, you can always rely on this classic flavor combination to be a fan-favorite. And if you really want pull out all the stops, we've taken the age-old combination of peanut butter and chocolate to the next level with these Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars.

A winning combination of white and dark chocolate swirls atop a rich peanut-buttery base makes these sliceable squares irresistible. The bars get their crunch from the crisp rice cereal and a sprinkling of roasted peanuts. The marbled swirl of dark and white chocolates acts as an elegant, built-in decoration for these bars. Because there's no baking involved, you can whip up a batch in just minutes, but beware—they may disappear just as fast.

We developed this recipe for your holiday cookie tins, but after tasting the final product, you can bet that we'll be making these peanut butter chocolate bars year-round. Trust us: this one is a keeper.

Ingredients

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter
Pinch of kosher salt
1 ½ cups crisp rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (from 1 [10-oz.] pkg.)
6 teaspoons refined coconut oil, divided
½ cup white chocolate chips (from 1 [11-oz.] pkg.)
½ cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Directions

Step 1
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 4 inches to extend over sides. Whisk together melted butter, peanut butter, and salt in a large bowl. Carefully stir in cereal and powdered sugar until well blended, taking care not to crush cereal. Scatter clumps of cereal mixture in prepared pan, and use a sheet of parchment paper to smooth and flatten mixture into an even layer.

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Step 2
Melt bittersweet chocolate chips according to package directions, and stir in 4 teaspoons of the oil until thoroughly combined. Pour bittersweet chocolate over cereal mixture, spreading chocolate evenly over top. Melt white chocolate according to package directions, and stir in remaining 2 teaspoons of oil until thoroughly combined. Spoon large dollops of white chocolate on top of bittersweet chocolate layer. Use a wooden pick to make a swirl pattern in white and bittersweet chocolates, blending slightly. Sprinkle top with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Step 3
Refrigerate until set and sliceable, about 2 hours. Cut into 16 squares. Store cookies in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.

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Southern Living Member

12/29/2021

This recipe is a hit with my family. Since is is rich, I cut it in to 32 pieces instead of 16 that the recipe suggests. I'll make it again.

Southern Living Member

12/26/2021

I really appreciated the reviewers. I scored through the bars before chocolate was completely set & cut with a bench scraper so the chocolate didn’t crack. I wish I would’ve thought of Bruce’s suggestion to slice upside down, genius! I will do this next time. Also we thought a thinner bar in a larger pan would serve more once they’re rich. We also tried with cookie butter, yum.

Bruce Shoults

12/25/2021

Kinda messy to make but totally worth it. Guarantee everyone will rave over them. To avoid the 'epic fail' reported in the othe review, flip the chilled bars over and cut from the peanut butter side. It is very difficult to cut from the top.

Southern Living Member

12/22/2021

This was an epic fail. The chocolate was too hard so when you cut it, the chocolate shattered. The peanut butter was too soft. This is a recipe similar to one my mother in law gave me. There is no way to give this as a gift, which I had planned on doing.

It does taste pretty good.

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Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Reviews (4)

All Reviews for Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars