Our gluten-free peanut butter bars are a delicious mix of chocolate and peanut butter that will make your mouth water. They are one of our family favorite desserts to make.
If you want a chewy, decadent, and delicious treat, these gluten-free peanut butter bars are the best. When you make them for an event, people will beg you for the recipe.
This gluten-free peanut butter bars recipe is one of my absolute favorites to make. We love making these, especially with the melted chocolate topping, because they are easy to make and are so tasty! It is a great recipe that everyone loves.
My husband recently requested these at our family Yellowstone vacation and he isn’t gluten-free. None of his family is gluten free either and they were a huge hit, especially with the peanut butter lovers. The point is, whether you are gluten-free or not, you are going to love them!
Although the chewy peanut butter bar itself is full of flavor, the peanut butter frosting is truly the gem. The first time you taste it, your mind will be blown. I dare you not to eat the frosting right out of the bowl while you are making them…
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Top tip: Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.
This recipe is just one of many delicious recipes found in the cookbook my mom and I published. Gluten-Free on a Budget is full of over 100+ yummy and practical gluten-free recipes that the whole family can enjoy.
Of course, almost all of them have tempting photos like these too because let’s face it, who wants a cookbook with no pictures? Not me, I need to SEE what I am making to get my taste buds tempted.
What you need
It may seem a bit overwhelming to have more than one flour to work with when making this delicious, but healthy dessert. Do not worry! It is not complicated at all, especially with these wholesome ingredients.
Gluten-free flour mixture
Baking with different types of flours can be tricky. I have a whole post about Gluten-Free Flour and Starches to give you all of the information you need when it comes to baking with different flours than you may be use to.
This recipe uses a mixture of almond flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and teff flour. Using a variety of flours will give you the best texture and in your dessert, as each type of flour has its own benefits in the recipe. For example, teff flour works well with chocolate recipes, enhancing the earth flavors of the chocolate.
My Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Cake also uses multiple flours in its recipe. So, you can try that as well to see how combining multiple flours enhances the flavor of the dessert.
Certified gluten-free oats
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they are typically processed with products that contain gluten. To ensure there is no cross-contamination, it is important to make sure you are buying certified gluten-free oats.
When oats are certified gluten-free, there will be a sticker on the label saying “gluten-free.” You can also check the allergen information under the ingredients list to make sure they are gluten-free. If you are fan of oats, you should check out my Oat Flour Pancakes…
Old fashioned oats are one of many simple ingredients used in baking. Sometimes people will use gluten-free crispy rice cereal, but I prefer oats as they are a bit healthier.
Gluten-free vanilla
Vanilla extract is typically gluten-free, but some brands may bottle their vanilla in an area that also makes products that have gluten. To be 100% sure there is no gluten content in your vanilla, make sure it is labeled gluten-free.
Peanut butter
This recipe calls for creamy pb, but you can use whatever works best for you. Sometimes people will use crunchy peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, or other seed butters, depending on preference and/or allergies.
If you are a fan of desserts with smooth peanut butter, check out my Gluten-Free Nutter Butter Cookies. They are so yummy and have a great mix of crunchy and creamy.
How to make them
Here are the detailed instructions to show you how to bake chocolate peanut butter bars.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars
- Add eggs and vanilla into the large mixing bowl and mix well
- Blend in peanut butter
- Combine remaining dry ingredients except oats and mix them into the cream mixture a little at a time
- Add the oats and blend well
- Press into a large greased 10×14 baking dish with a rubber spatula
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Let cool 20 minutes or so
- To prepare the peanut butter frosting, whisk together peanut butter and milk then add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread on top of peanut butter bars
- To prepare chocolate frosting, melt the butter and chocolate chips together then drizzle on top of peanut butter frosting. Using a butter knife cut the peanut butter and chocolate frosting frosting to make a decorative pattern
- Let bars cool completely before cutting
Yes! Peanuts are naturally gluten-free, so peanut butter is gluten-free. It is important to check the label before buying peanut butter to ensure it is certified gluten-free.
Yes! I absolutely love peanut butter cups, so thank goodness they are gluten-free. The only ones that are not promised to be gluten-free are the holiday edition ones (the eggs and trees).
When it comes to leftovers, make sure the bars cool to room temperature first. Then, place them in an airtight container, with parchment paper or wax paper in between each layer of gluten-free bars. Keep them on the counter and they should last up to four days.
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Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Bars
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups certified gluten-free oats
Frosting
- peanut butter frosting
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix well
- Blend in peanut butter
- Combine remaining dry ingredients except oats and mix them into the cream mixture a little at a time
- Add the oats and blend well
- Spread into a large greased 10×14 baking pan
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Let cool 20 minutes or so
- Spread peanut butter frosting on top of peanut butter bars
- To prepare chocolate frosting, melt the butter and chocolate chips together then drizzle on top of peanut butter frosting. Using a butter knife cut the peanut butter and chocolate frosting frosting to make a decorative pattern
- Let bars cool completely before cutting
Notes
How to store leftovers
When it comes to leftovers, make sure the bars cool to room temperature first. Then, place them in an airtight container, with parchment paper in between each layer of gluten-free bars. Keep them on the counter and they should last up to four days. Top tip: Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.Nutrition
This post was originally posted on June 15, 2017. It has been updated on May 19, 2022 with new information and tips. Here is the original photo from the post and our cookbook, Gluten-Free on a Budget.
Sydney Wynne says
This is my dads favorite dessert to make for the family on special occasions. Its always so cute how proud he is to make it for all of us. Its a great recipe and a family favorite 🙂