Oreo Peanut Butter Bars
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These Oreo peanut butter bars are a sweet and decadent treat if you love peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies. They’re completely no bake with a thick Oreo crust, creamy peanut butter filling and chocolate on top. 
If you’re looking for an easy, peanut butter, salty-sweet, totally decadent dessert – then let me introduce you to these Oreo peanut butter bars. Essentially, they’re a homemade peanut butter cup on top of an Oreo. So yeah. If you don’t like sweet, totally unnecessary, super rich desserts, then I’d skip this recipe. But if the idea of making your favorite store bought cookie and favorite candy bar even more decadent makes your mouth water, then keep reading.
There are three parts to this recipe:
- An Oreo crust – similar to your favorite Oreo pie or cheesecake
- A creamy, thick peanut butter filling – like the middle of a peanut butter cup
- A layer of chocolate on top – you can use your favorite variety: milk, dark, semi-sweet, or even white chocolate if you’re feeling a little wild.
Making Oreo Peanut Butter Bars
You’ll start with the Oreo layer. Crush your Oreo cookies – wafers and filling – until they’re fine crumbs. You can either do this in a food processor or by placing the cookies in a freezer bag and bashing them with a rolling pin. Then mix the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter. If you crushed your cookies in a food processor, simply add the melted butter to the food processor and pulse a few times so that the butter is evenly distributed.
Then you’ll press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan. 
For the peanut butter layer you’ll beat together softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Then beat in the powdered sugar. I always recommend beating in the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should seem dry and it should be hard to incorporate all of the powdered sugar. This is so the bars properly hold together.
Spoon the mixture on top of the Oreo crust, then press it into an even layer. As you press it together it will hold together. 
Then it’s time to melt the chocolate. When melting chocolate, always go slowly on a low heat. If the heat or the power of your microwave is too high, then the chocolate will bake instead of melt and become grainy. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces then melt in the microwave on medium power for 45 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval. Or melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler over a bowl of gently simmering water. I also add a little shortening into the melted chocolate – this helps the chocolate layer slice more easily.
Then you’ll pour the chocolate over the peanut butter layer, spread smooth and let it harden. 
Pro Tip: For easier slicing, when the chocolate looks about 80-90% hardened, score the top of the bars with a thin, sharp knife. This means that you can slice through the bars much more easily, without the chocolate layer cracking.
These bars are definitely sweet, so you likely can likely slice the pan into 12 or 16 bars. Alternatively, sometimes I slice them into 24 small squares if I’m serving them on a plate of treats with fudge and candies over Christmas.
These peanut butter Oreo bars are hard to beat if you love peanut butter cups or have ever been known to slather an Oreo cookie with peanut butter (highly recommend – by the way). And if you want even more peanut butter and Oreo treats, then be sure to try:
- Peanut Butter Oreo Blondies – a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie dough baked in a square pan and stuffed with Oreos
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie – this creamy, dreamy pie has a thick Oreo crust with whipped cream and peanut butter candies on top
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake – with an Oreo crust and chocolate topping
Peanut Butter Oreo Bars
Equipment
- 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan or a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) pan
Ingredients
Oreo Base
- 15 Oreo cookies, not double stuffed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42 grams) , melted
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (56 grams) , softened
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, omit if using salted butter
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 2/3 cup powdered sugar (183 grams) , sifted
Chocolate Topping
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (170 grams) , or your favorite variety
- 2 teaspoons shortening, or 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang around the sides.
Oreo Crust
- Crush the Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) in a food processor until they're fine crumbs. Alternatively, place in a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Peanut Butter Layer
- Beat together the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Beat in the peanut butter and salt until you do not see any lumps of butter.
- Mix in the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. It should be difficult to incorporate all of the powdered sugar and the mixture shouldn't stick to your fingers if you squeeze it.
- Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the Oreo crust and spread/press into an even layer. You can use a piece of wax paper to do this as well.
Chocolate Layer
- Chop the chocolate into very fine pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
- Microwave on medium power (not high, which is often the default) for 45-seconds at a time, and stir between each interval until the chocolate is melted. Alternatively, melt in a double boiler over low heat. Stir in the shortening.
- Pour the warm chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth the top.
- Let the chocolate harden (either on the counter at room temperature or in the fridge). If placing in the fridge, not that the chocolate may discolor.
Slicing
- For easier slicing, when the chocolate looks about 90% hardened, score the top with a thin sharp knife where you plan to slice the bars.
- Once the chocolate has fully hardened, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper/foil and place on a cutting board.
- Slice the bars using a sharp, thin knife.
Notes
- Peanut Butter: Be sure to use smooth, commercially prepared peanut butter. Do not use anything where the oil sits on top.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 bar, assuming the pan is sliced into 16 equal pieces.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
