Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars are the perfect combo of sweet, salty, and crunchy – easy to make, no baking required! Made with just 4 simple ingredients–dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter, ancient grain cereal blend, and salted pistachios.

Recipe inspired by Wholesome Patisserie

If you’re here for a healthy bar recipe, you’ll also love my No-Bake Protein Bars. These have a whopping 14 grams of protein and only 8 grams of sugar.

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What You’ll Love About Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars

Making my own homemade snack bars is great because I can control the quality and quantity of my ingredients but also add the things I love.

While these Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars might fall more in the treat category, they still pass as a healthier snack option when I’m craving something sweet.

This recipe is fantastic because it only requires 4 simple ingredients and just 15-minutes to make. They keep in the refrigerator for weeks or they can be stored in the freezer for even longer.

These bars are rich, crunchy, salty, and just plain delicious. You’ll love having them on hand for a snack or after dinner treat.

4-Simple Ingredients

• Dark Chocolate- Use milk chocolate or semi-sweet baking chips if you prefer.
• Peanut butter– I use natural creamy peanut butter to avoid the extra sugars.
• Ancient grains cereal– Kashi original cereal (fiber and protein) has the perfect balance of textures for these bars.
• Pistachios– This works great with salted pistachios to offer balance in flavor.

Note: This post is not sponsored by Kashi. Kashi cereal is a perfect ingredient to add to snack bars because it has a variety of crunch and textures. Kashi is also low in sugar, high fiber, and a moderate amount of protein.

Substitutions

Highlighted Tip

• Allow the bars to thaw 5-minutes before slicing. Once your bars are set from the freezer, you’ll want to allow a few minutes before slicing into bars otherwise they may crack.

Easy Step By Step Directions

See full instructions in recipe card below

• Step One. Bring water to a simmer in a double boiler. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter and slowly stir to melt and combine.
• Step Two. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in cereal.
• Step Three. Pour mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper and smooth out in an even layer.
• Step Four. Top with pistachios and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours until firm. Allow to rest a few minutes at room temperature then carefully slice into bars.

The Menu Maid Tips

Storage

• Keep bars in a sealed container either in the freezer or the refrigerator. They will last several weeks in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.

Common Questions

More Snacks To Enjoy

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
• Sweet Heat Texas Trash
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Pistachio Bars are the perfect combo of sweet, salty, and crunchy – easy to make, no baking required! Made with just 4 simple ingredients–dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter, ancient grain cereal blend, and salted pistachios.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert, Snacks, Treats

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 bars

Calories: 400kcal

Equipment

• 1 double boiler or use a saucepan and a heat proof bowl
• 1 loaf pan or 9×6 rectangle pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter I use natural peanut butter, no sugar added
• 1/2 cup ancient grain cereal such as Kashi original
• 1/2 cup salted pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped

Instructions

Prepare a loaf pan or 9×6 rectangle pan with non-stick spray then lay down parchment paper, making sure the ends are overlapping so it's easy to remove the bars from the pan. Spray the top of the parchment paper with non-stick spray.

• Bring water to a simmer in a double boiler. Make sure the water is not touching the top bowl. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter. Use a spatula to stir and slowly melt the chocolate. Continue to stir until fully melted and combined.

  1 cup dark chocolate chips

  2/3 cup peanut butter
• Once chocolate is melted remove the top bowl from the heat and stir in cereal. Pour mixture into your prepared pan and smooth out in an even layer. Sprinkle the top with pistachios.

  1/2 cup cereal

  1/2 cup pistachios
• Place the pan in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until fully set and hardened. Allow to rest at room temperature before slicing into bars. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice 6 bars or cut into squares. Store in the freezer or refrigerator in a sealed container.

Notes

Tips

• If you don’t have a double boiler. A double boiler is just simply two pots stacked on top of one another. You can also use a saucepan and a heatproof bowl that sits on top of the saucepan but doesn’t touch the bottom.
• Melt chocolate in the microwave. Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave safe dish in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Slicing bars. Once your bars are set from the freezer, you’ll want to allow a few minutes before slicing into bars otherwise they may crack–about 5-minutes.

 

Substitutions

• Use Nut-free butter- Swap out peanut butter for your favorite nut free butter like almond butter or sunflower butter.
• Try crunchy peanut butter- Crunchy peanut butter will offer more crunch and texture.
• Stir in other crunchy ingredients– In place of the cereal you could use crushed pretzels, Rice Krispies cereal, rolled oats, or other seeds or nuts.
• For a chewy texture- Add dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, apricots, or other dried fruit you enjoy.

 

Storage

• Keep bars in a sealed container either in the freezer or the refrigerator. They will last several weeks in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.

 

Common Questions

Are these bars gluten-free?

No, however you can make them GF by swapping the Kashi cereal blend for GF oats or Rice Krispies cereal.

Can I add protein powder to boost the protein?

Yes! Add 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder to the melted chocolate and peanut butter mixture.

Are these bars considered healthy?

Yes, while these bars are made with wholesome ingredients they should still be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg

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