BEST Homemade Crunch Bars
Make the BEST homemade crunch bars recipe with just 5 simple ingredients such as peanut butter and chocolate, and save big bucks. They are gluten-free and vegan, and taste BETTER than the store-bought treat!
Servings 7 bars
Calories355.1 kcal
Cost $ 0.75 per bar
Equipment
- 1 freezer
- 7 (2.75-inch) heart-shaped silicone molds or 1 (8x8-inch) cake pan
- 3 Mixing bowls
- 1 wooden spoon or rubber spatula
Ingredients
Chocolate Bottom Layer
- ¾ cup chocolate chips semisweet, dark chocolate chips for a paleo treat, keto chocolate for a keto dessert, or vegan chocolate for making these crunch bars vegan or dairy-free.
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable oil to make it nut-free.
Peanut Butter Crunch Filling
- 4 rice cakes crushed into tiny pieces (or about 2 cups puffed rice, crispy rice cereal, or crushed Rice Krispies. To make it paleo or keto, swap for an adjusted mixture of chopped nuts and sunflower seeds).
- ¼ cup "No Added Sugar" peanut butter melted (or tahini for a nut-free treat, or another nut butter of your choice. You may use creamy or crunchy peanut butter. The crunchy type will make the filling crispy)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup for a vegan/paleo treat ( You may use honey instead, or a sugar-free maple-flavored syrup to make it keto)
Chocolate Top Layer
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil NOTE: If you want thinner layers of chocolate, cut the ingredients for both the bottom and top layers by half.
Instructions
- Make the bottom layer: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate has melted. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth.
- Spoon it in the bottom of 7 (2.75-inch) silicone molds! Freeze the chocolate base for 10 minutes. NOTE: If you don't have silicone molds, you may line a standard-size muffin tin with paper cups instead!
- Prepare the filling: Meanwhile, combine the crushed rice cakes, melted peanut butter, and maple syrup until homogeneous in a large mixing bowl. Spoon the mixture on top of the frozen layer of chocolate. Freeze them for 10 minutes!
- Make the top layer: Melt in the microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a large microwave-safe bowl. Place the melted chocolate on top of the frozen filling, decorate with melted pink candy melts and sprinkles, and then freeze for 30 minutes. Unmold them and let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Alternatively, you can make these bars in an 8 x 8-inch cake pan, greased with nonstick cooking spray and lined with parchment paper. For this, double the ingredients of the bottom layer, triple the ingredients for the filling, and multiply each ingredient by 1.5 for the top layer.
- NOTE: For thinner layers of chocolate (bottom and top layers), use the same measurements stated in the recipe for the heart molds. In this case, double (not triple) the ingredients for the filling stated in the recipe for the heart molds. You'll have 3 thinner layers and will be much easier to bite into them!
- Follow the same instructions and freezing times for each flat layer of these no-bake chocolate peanut butter crunch bars. You can drizzle the top with melted peanut butter before freezing! Let the frozen treat soften at room temperature just enough to slice into 12 to 16 bars and serve them.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
INACTIVE TIME (freezing): 50 minutes
How to Store
- FRIDGE: Store crunch bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- FREEZER: Freeze these easy crunch bars in sealable freezer bags in one single layer for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving them.
- If you prefer, you can make these peanut butter crunch bars (with one layer of chocolate). For this, skip the bottom layer of chocolate in this recipe. Also, make sure to cut back a little of the peanut butter and maple syrup from the filling so it can become firmer.
- If you prefer to make chocolate crunch bars, mix the melted chocolate with the filling and place the mixture into silicone molds or a lined cake pan. It will save you time preparing it and freezing it! They will also become a Nestle crunch copycat for America's favorite chocolate candy bar!
- To make chocolate peanut butter crunch bars differently (peanut butter crunch bars dipped in chocolate), make the filling, layer it in a lined cake pan, freeze it for 30-60 minutes or until firm, cut into bars, and then dip them into melted chocolate. Freeze the bars for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has set!
- For nut-free crunch bars, replace peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini, and swap coconut oil with vegetable oil.
- To make protein crunch bars, stir in ½ scoop of protein powder to the melted nut butter and maple syrup, and then mix in the crushed rice cakes.
Nutrition
Calories: 355.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.4g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Sodium: 78.6mg | Potassium: 83.6mg | Fiber: 4.8g | Sugar: 0.8g | Calcium: 4.7mg | Iron: 3mg
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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