These NO BAKE Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars are made with crushed peanut butter sandwich cookies, topped with silky chocolate pudding and a fluffy peanut butter cream cheese layer, and finished off with Cool Whip or my extremely popular Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe! Pop the cookie crust into the freezer for easy and super delicious NO-BAKE Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars!
Welcome to what is THE most popular recipe here at 365 Days of Baking and More!
It’s a marriage made in heaven. Chocolate and peanut butter are one of those things that are just meant to go together! Just the thought of those two incredible flavors makes me swoon!
SAVE THESE PEANUT BUTTER DREAM BARS TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
I don’t care what you call this easy dessert – a layered no-bake dessert, chocolate peanut butter lasagna, peanut butter lush dessert— I just call it freakin’ delicious, as do the thousands of other people who have made this Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bar recipe go viral on social media.
Of course, the peanut butter and chocolate pudding complement each other quite nicely and the Cool Whip adds a great creamy lightness to it. You can bet I’ll be making these decadent bars again and again!
What do I need to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream Bars?
- 16 ounces Nutter Butter Cookies or peanut butter sandwich cookies
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3.9-ounce package of instant chocolate pudding (or as close as you can get!)
- 1 ½ cups cold milk
- 8 ounces Cool Whip OR my Stabilized Whipped Cream
- ¼ cup each, milk chocolate and peanut butter chips
How do I make Peanut Butter Lasagna?
This dessert lasagna, or chocolate peanut butter dream bars, takes a little time but is pretty easy to make and worth the effort! Let’s go over how to make the individual layers needed for the bars.
- First, crush about 20 of the cookies in a blender or food processor. Then melt the butter in a medium microwavable bowl. Mix the crushed sandwich cookies and melted butter together together until well combined.
- Next, press the cookie crumb mixture into an 8×8 square baking pan lined with parchment paper that hangs over the sides (this will make the bars easy to remove later). Put the cookie crust into the freezer to set for at least 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the chocolate pudding mix and 1 ½ cups of milk called for in the recipe, NOT the 2 cups as called for on the box. We want the pudding to be a bit firmer so it can be sliced through. Now, refrigerate the pudding until set or ready to use.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter. With a silicone spatula, add one cup of the Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream and mix it all together.
Now it’s time to assemble our dream bars!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Lush Assembly
- Put dollops of the cheesecake peanut butter mixture onto the cooled crust and spread it evenly over the crushed cookies with an offset spatula.
- Gently spread the pudding on top of the cheesecake layer.
- Cover the chocolate layer with the remaining Cool Whip or stabilized whipped cream. This Stabilized Whipped Cream on my site will work perfectly for this Dream Bar Recipe as well as all the others I have here on 365 Days of Baking and More. It is the perfect substitute for those of you who do not want to use Cool Whip.
- Refrigerate the bars for a minimum of two hours to set.
- Before serving, crush the remaining peanut butter cookies in a plastic bag with a mallet or rolling pin and sprinkle them on top of the dessert. Finally, top with the milk chocolate and peanut butter chips.
See the complete list of ingredients and full instructions in the recipe card below.
FAQs
How do I serve these no-bake dessert bars?
Keep the peanut butter lush chilled until you’re ready to serve it. Remove the bars from the pan by gently lifting the parchment paper out of the baking dish. Use a warm, clean knife to slice the bars and serve them in small squares.
How do I store Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars?
Cover the dessert with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (or use an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid) and store it in the refrigerator when you’re not eating it.
As long as you keep the bars covered and chilled, they’ll stay good for up to a week!
Can I double this recipe to make for a larger crowd?
You can easily make a larger version of this chocolate peanut butter lasagna! Double the recipe and use a 13×9 baking dish instead of an 8×8 pan. Follow the rest of the recipe card as directed!
More Dream Bar Recipes
These no-bake desserts are some of the most popular recipes on my blog. Whether you like fruity desserts or rich, decadent chocolate desserts, there’s a dream bar for you!
- Banana Pudding Dream Bars
- No Bake Raspberry Cream Dream Bars
- Strawberry Cheesecake Dream Bars
- Easy No Bake Turtle Dream Bars
- No-Bake Pumpkin Dream Bars
- Circus Animal Cookie Dream Bars
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Dream Bars
- Irish Cream Dream Bars
- Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars
- Chocolate Mint Dream Bars
- Oreo Pudding Dream Bars
No Bake Desserts
If you’re trying to avoid heating up the oven, give one of these no-bake recipes a try next time:
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies Recipe – NO Corn Syrup
- Easy No Bake Oreo Pie
- No-Bake Blueberry Pie
- No Bake Nutella Snickers Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter S’Mores Cookies
- Butterfinger Rice Krispies Treats
- No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
- No-Bake Chocolate Bourbon Balls
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars
Equipment
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 16 oz peanut butter sandwich cookies divided (Nutter Butters)
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 oz Cool Whip divided
- 3.9 oz instant chocolate pudding
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Finely crush 20 of the cookies In a blender or food processor.
- Melt the butter in a medium microwavable bowl. Add the crushed cookies and mix until well moistened. Press into an 8 X 8-inch baking dish, and place into the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes to set.
- Mix the package of pudding with the 1 1/2 cups of milk in a small bowl, and place into refrigerator to set.
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla together.
- Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip and mix until well blended.
- Place dollops of cream cheese mixture over the crust, and with an offset spatula, gently spread to completely cover.
- Doing the same with the chocolate pudding, place dollops over the cream cheese and evenly distribute.
- Spread remaining Cool Whip over the pudding.
- Refrigerate two hours. Place into freezer for a half hour to completely set and allow for neat slices.
- In a plastic bag, break up the remaining cookies.
- Sprinkle the cookies and chocolate / peanut butter chips over the top just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 8/4/2014, and has been updated in format with improved recipe, and pics on 2/9/2024.
Comments & Reviews
Oh wow I would have been a bundle of nerves to. Going to definitely have to make this yummy dessert soon 🙂
And I am trying to watch my weight lol
Had to scroll past the life story to get to the recipe. lol Thank you for sharing.
Tosh, that’s what I do in most of my posts, talk about life. 😉
Thanks for being here even if you need to scroll!
Lynne, I feel your pain. I am excited to make this Chocolate peanut better special. good luck, hope the kids made it safe. Take care
Angela
Thank you so much, Angela!
It’s certainly not easy being a mom, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything! And yes, they are well settled now and doing well in their new homes. I can’t wait to see them both at the end of October.
A road trip is NOT a road trip unless you have some car/trailer malfunction or a wrong turn somewhere, to make it interesting. We could write a book about various incidents over the years, but I don’t have that kind of time. So memories will have to suffice.
Amen to that, Ruth!
Oh, no! Yes, hold on to those memories. They make for great stories in the future!
From Mass to Dallas now in Phoenix the last 30 or so years.
Welcome back to AZ
What are peanut butter sandwich cookies? I’ve never heard of them and this looks so good!
Not sure if this website is name brand unfriendly….PB sandwich cookies are N_U_T_T_E_R B_U_T_T_E_R’s usually a red package in the cookie aisle (YUM!)
Yes, Jamie, Angie is correct – they are Nutter Butter Cookies. For this specific post, I just couldn’t use the brand name.
Thanks for your help, Angie!
It looks like the picture shows they used Nutter Butter sandwich cookies. But other brands make peanutbutter sandwich cookies as well. I guess you can use whatever brand you prefer. Just look for a cookie that has a layer of peanutbutter in between two cookies (layered like an Oreo cookie).
Thanks, Melissa! They are Nutter Butters, I just couldn’t use the name for posting purposes this time.
For the nutter butters do you take out the filling? Or leave it in when you crush them? It doesn’t specify
Kaylee, leave the filling in the cookies when you crush them – too much work to take them out.
Guess you could use the peanut butter Oreos also.
Yes, Evelyn, you could definitely use Peanut Butter Oreos or even the Chocolate ones, too!
I would like to get copies of all desert recipes
James,
you can sign up for my E-mail Newsletter in my right hand sidebar. All you have to do is enter your e-mail and future posts will be sent directly to you! Thanks!
dessert recipes please
Judy, you can receive all my posts in your email if you sign up on for it in the right hand side bar of the blog. There is also a search bar where you can type in desserts and a dessert category in my recipe index up in the menu bar. Thanks!
These look so amazing! Thank you!! #client
Thanks, Lori!
This looks absolutely unreal. Definitely going on my ‘to-try’ list. Yum!
Thanks, Rachel! Enjoy!
Quick question – “1/2 cup milk chocolate and peanut butter chips” – is that a half cup each? Or half cup total (1/4 cup each)?
They are milk chocolate peanut butter chips all on one pkg.
Allison,
it would be 1/4 cup milk chocolate and 1/4 cup peanut butter chips for a total of 1/2 cup.
The Nestle Toll House Morsel package I used had them mixed together, but you can use separate chips if you can’t find that one package of the combined.
What could I add to the lemon pudding to make it more lemony? I used it before and I am not impressed with its taste. Your bars look really good!!
Use canned lemon pie filling
Great suggestion, Cindi. Thanks!
Love this recipe, It combines two of my favorite things – chocolate and peanut!! I could seriously eat this whole cake mysel
I think you might be able to use fresh squeezed lemon juice or the concentrated lemon juice that comes in a tall green plastic bottle also. And this recipe make me want to make this for my family this holiday season! It also makes me want lemon meringue pie! That’s what it looks like.
Laurel, I wouldn’t want to use any type of lemon juice in these Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars though. I don’t think it would taste very good. :-/
I think you might have meant to post this comment under either the lemon bars or lemon meringue pie. They’re all delicious though!
LOOKS GREAT ! GOT TO TRY IT.
Thanks, William!
I want these receipes.please email them to me.
Christine,
you can sign up for my E-mail Newsletter in my right hand sidebar. All you have to do is enter your e-mail and future posts will be sent directly to you! Thanks!
Please sign me up to the 365 -recipies
Cathy,
you can sign up for my E-mail Newsletter in my right hand sidebar. All you have to do is enter your e-mail and future posts will be sent directly to you! Thanks!
For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars? Is the chocolate pudding mix prepared as per package instructions or do you just spread the mix powder in the pan and magic occurs?
Other than that clarification it does look decadent.
You mix it with 1 1/2c of milk in a small bowl.
Yes, thank you, Lesa.
Bob,
you have to mix the pudding mix powder with the one and a half cups of milk I have directed in the recipe in a bowl and then spread it onto the bars.
Is thete any substitute for the cool whip? Never use that product, really bad ingredients. The recipe looks great. Would love to find s better substitute. Enjoyed your post. I have two young adult children who sre pursuing their goals far from home. My son in Vancouver Washington would be eating the whole batch. We call him the peanut butter kid!
Thank you, Nancy!
I know many people have concerns about Cool Whip. You can try making a whipped cream from scratch, but since I haven’t made the recipe with it, I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you try it, can you please let me know?
It’s not easy to be far from our kids, but it makes it that much more special when we do see them again.
Try Dream Whip – It is a powder that comes in a box (I think two envelopes per box) you mix it with I think milk – it’s really good but not sure about the ingredients
It’s probably a silly question, but I was buying the ingredients at the store and I could not find a 3.9 ounce package of pudding. They had 1.4 ounces or 2.1 ounce. Do I use more than one box?
Adriahna,
if you can’t find a 3.9 ounce box of chocolate pudding, I’d purchase one 1.4 package and one 2.1 package to get it as close as possible to the 3.9 and then use 1 1/4 cups milk instead of the 1 1/2 amount called for in the recipe.
This recipe says 16oz above not 3.9oz. Glad I found this information.
Amanda, I’m not sure what you’re referencing. The Nutter Butter cookies I used come in a 16 ounce package and the pudding is a 3.9 ounce box.
All the receipts look scrumptious.
Thanks, Sandra!
Do you use instant pudding?
Yes, Dawn, it is instant pudding.
Hey! This dessert looks amazing and the guy I’m seeing is demanding I make it! Which peanut butter sandwich cookies did you use in your recipe. Can you please give me a brand name! Thanks! Have a wonderful day!!
Rachelle,
thanks! The cookies were Nutter Butters. For posting purposes I just couldn’t use the specific name.
Enjoy!
A winning combination, peanut butter and chocolate. This was wonderful, even without the topping, and not too sweet. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m a Weight Watchers member but think I can lighten these up by using fat free cool whip, fat free milk fat free cream cheese. Sounds so delicious that I’m going to make them.
Paula, let me know how they turn out with the substitutions! Thanks!
That looks so scrumptious! Thanks!
Thank you, Michal!
Ok so I’m a dumb butt. I was thinking 13.9 oz pudding was a heck of a lot of pudding. I bought three 5 oz. packages to get close. I can’t wait to try it. I’m glad my son likes chocolate pudding!
that reads 1 (one) 3.9oz box pudding.
Yes, thank you, Priscilla!
Can’t find a 3.9 box of pudding….
Kim it will be the smaller box of pudding as when I use the Jell-O pudding mix it comes in two sizes. Remember to use only 1 1/2 cups of milk, NOT the 2 cups called for on the package.
OMG! That’s hysterical because i thought the same thing.
Oh, no, Chelle! It should be ONE 3.9 ounce package. That would be A LOT of pudding!!
It should also be 1- 8oz container of cool whip.
I thought the same thing…i bought way too much then got home and re-read the recipie. Luckily i saw it before i made them!
Shouldu pudding be made first n set ?? Please reply want to on make this today
Yes, let set first
ShaRee, Sorry for the lateness in my reply.
I didn’t set the pudding before I added spread it. I used less milk than the box of pudding called for which therefore made it a bit thicker in consistency and didn’t need setting. Hope that helps, ShaRee!
How do I get this recipe book?
Connie,
I don’t have a recipe book , but you can sign up for my E-mail Newsletter in my right hand sidebar. All you have to do is enter your e-mail and future posts will be sent directly to you! Thanks!
they were awesome
Donna! Thank you SO much for letting me know that!! I’m so glad you liked them and really appreciate your feedback. 🙂
This is a winner with our family and friend and neighbors to thanks for the–Yummy
You’re welcome and thank YOU, Susan! So glad everyone liked them!
Do you use Instant Pudding for this recipe? Also, could you please add me for 365 Recipes. Thanks!
Yes, Pearl, it is instant pudding.
You can sign up for my E-mail Newsletter in my right hand sidebar. All you have to do is enter your e-mail and future posts will be sent directly to you! Thanks!
Just got caught licking my phone screen. In an attempt to explain, showed the picture to my kids. Phone must now need to be disinfected. Nomnomnom
Kimberly,
that’s hysterical! Thank you for that, girl! You made my day.
I think you need to change your blog idea, these desserts are not really baking but assembling pre made stuff. Nice idea to make something everyday though.
Kat,
I originally started the blog by baking every day, and now I’ve included the “More” to include recipes such as these.
It’s a challenge to bake every day! 😉
I’m glad you did. Not many have time for full blown recipes, so these shortcut recipes are great! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Yvonne! Thanks so much for your comment!
These recipes all look wonderful. I can’t wait to make them. Thanks!
Thank you so much, Kathy!
What would be a good substitute for the cream cheese?
Please know, Jenny, that I have not made these bars without substituting any of the ingredients, so I have no idea what the final product would taste like or the consistency, but according to Allrecipes, these are common ingredient substitutions: http://allrecipes.com/howto/common-ingredient-substitutions/
You can scroll down to find the cream cheese substitution. If you make them, I’d be interested to know how they turn out!
Can I double the recipe and put it into a 9×13 pan?
Yes, Lisa. I would say go for it!! I know people are telling me on my FB page that they already have done this and it’s worked.
Enjoy them!
Love these recipes!
Judy,
thank you SO much! That means a lot that you’d take the time to leave me a comment telling me so.
Hugs!!!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Will probably make for a group of 40+ People.
Really looks easy to make.
Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Gloria!
It is pretty easy to make and everyone in my family loved it, so I think it will be a hit for you as well!
Enjoy and thank you!
Wow! these look super yummy! my daughter will LOVE them!! thanks for sharing. 🙂
You are very welcome, Kimberley! I hope she enjoys them! Sneak some for yourself, too! 😉
I made this last week. Simple and delicious. Doubled the recipe and used 13 x 9 pan. Used 2% milk. Thanks.
Thanks, Kelly!
So glad you enjoyed them and happy the changes you made worked out for your!
I want to receive ongoing recipes
Beth, go to my home page and if you scroll down on the right hand side there is a spot where you can enter your e-mail so that you’ll receive all of my future posts. Thanks!
http://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/
I am diabetic, but this looks and sounds so good that I’m doing to try to make it a little more diabetic friendly! I love the combo and so dose my huby to be, he loves stuff like this so I’ll know it’s good when he trys my version! Thank you for posting this and I’m going to have fun converting it to be more low crab!! :
Thanks, Marcy! I hope it worked out well for you!
Do you really mean a 13.9 oz package of chocolate pudding? The small ones are 3.4 and the big ones are 5.9….help!! (of course, I’m making these RIGHT NOW…haha….
Hopefully they’ll be delicious even if my ratio is off…
Thanks! Tami
Tami, there is a couple spaces between the 1 and the 3, but it’s not that obvious. it is ONE 3.9 package of chocolate pudding (or the smaller box).
Does this sit well over night? I want to make this for a party I’m having tomorrow but would like to make it tonight since I’m going to be so busy tomorrow
Jillian, because of the Cool Whip, it’s better if the bars are made the day they will be eaten.
Do you temove the creme from the cookies or leave in there ?
Madison, keep the cream in the cookies!
Can you make the dessert faster by cooling it in the freezer for say 1 hour rather than the 2 hours called for?
Shelby, I wouldn’t put it in the freezer to cool because the Cool Whip will harden. You can let it set for an hour in the fridge and that should be ok.
This looks great but I must point out I’m in the process of making this and I was greatly confused because your actual recipe calls for a “13.9” oz pudding with 1 1/2 cups of milk not “3.9” and it didn’t look right. May need an edit. Thanks for the recipe.
Please add my name to your E-mail list for receiving recipes. While I have a serious intolerance to to dairy products, including eggs, I am finding other substitutes which can be used and work wonderfully. More often than not whipping up full fat coconut cream makes a great substitute for Cool Whip or other whipping creams. There are also products on the market for sour cream and cream cheese that are non-dairy.
That’s a great idea to use the coconut cream, Jane! I’ve heard from other bloggers that it’s really tasty.
I have not added your name to my email list because I wasn’t sure if you had done it already and weren’t sure if you’d start receiving it twice. I can do that though if you’d like me to or there is a box under my profile picture on my home page where it says Email Newletter and you can add your address.
Thank you!
Does #9 in the steps go with the #8 mixture or #7? I apologize, I’m just gaining interest in desserts, since I have been empty nesting. I had to find a hobby to do. I need my instructions “dummy downed” a little. …
Thanks,
Denise
i would like to to know if you have an free app on the iphone 4 for these recipie’s ans more.
I do not, Tracey, but that’s a great idea and something I should look into!
Looks good, gonna try this using Gluten Free Graham crackers and add peanut butter for cookie filling.
Great idea, Sandi. Enjoy them!
Does this dish have to sit for two hours exactly, or can I shorten the time?
I’m making this after work, and I’d like to eat it before bed!
Thanks!
Marilyn, sorry for the delayed response. You’ve probably already made them and they don’t have to sit for tow, but I’d give them an hour at least.
Chocolate and peanut butter… my favorite!
Thanks, Ilona! Mine, too!
My husband is not a big cake fan, but he loves chocolate and peanut butter. His big 5-0 birthday is Monday, so I think I’ll make this instead of a cake! With six people in the house, (him, me, and kids who are 14, 18, 18, and 21), I may have to double this recipe and make in a larger pan!
Thanks for the recipe and inspiration! (And the extra inch that will be on my waist! Lol)
That’s great, Maggie! Happy Belated birthday to your husband! Hope everyone enjoyed them!
EST CE QUE SA SERAIS POSSIBLE DE ÉCRIRE LA RECETTE EN FRANCAIS CAR J AIMERAIS LA FAIRE A MES ENFANTS
JE CPMPREND PAS BEAUCOUP L ANGLAIS
MERCI
Sorry, Sylvie, I cannot translate my recipes into French, but you could use Google Translate to do so.
I want to make this for a party on Saturday. Will the crust get soggy if I make it two days in advance?
Sorry Terrie, that I didn’t respond sooner. I don’t recommend making them in advance as the crust will more than likely become soggy and the Cool Whip could change.
SO GLAD I scrolled through the comments! I was going to make this today for my softball team’s party on Saturday!!!
Will hold off and make it Friday evening or early Saturday morning!!
Quick question though… Do I separate cookie and its filling or just put the whole cookie in the processor??
Thanks, Kathleen!
There’s no need to take the extra time to separate the cookies, just throw them whole into the food processor. Enjoy it! 🙂
Hi,
I’m trying to prepare some dinners and desserts to freeze for when our new babe is born. Would this freeze well and defrost in the fridge before serving?
I already have the cool whip stored in the freezer, just not sure about freezing pudding and stuff if it will defrost ok when we are ready to eat.
Also looking to make the other dream bars possibly to freeze. Is that something you could ad to your recipe instructions possibly?
Thank you 🙂
Cera, first of all, congratulations!! Prayers and positive thoughts for a safe delivery and healthy baby if your bundle of joy hasn’t arrived yet!
My suggestion would not be to make the bars and then freeze them because once the Cool Whip is thawed and then sits for a few days or is even frozen the consistency changes and it won’t taste right. The same will happen with the pudding. Best to eat these things right away (or as soon as possible after making them)!
If you want to freeze any kind of bars, I would suggest some bar type cookies. They hold up well when frozen. Good luck!
I’m in Arizona and made the chocolate peanut butter dream bars today. Followed ingredient list and directions exactly. bar. It’s more of a pudding dessert. Tastes delicious, but I was hoping for bars that I could cut and serve at a potluck picnic this weekend.
Yes, LaurieAnne, they do have the pudding, but I found they held together pretty well because they’re pretty dense. They aren’t your typical bar cookie, but everyone loves them just as much!
These sound crazy awesome Lynne! I would exchange a cucumber salad for these babies ANY day 🙂 (Also, Kim and Kanye–lol)
LOL, Karen! Cucumber salads bring back wonderful memories of my grandfather’s garden. I can’t wait to try yours!
Yum! I have an 11 year old that likes to make deserts with dad. We often look for choc. and peanut butter combos. Going to do this and add a little xtra peanut butter. Thanks for the story too. Family is most important.
Best,
Scot
Oh, Scot, that’s so awesome to hear. Thanks for sharing. I hope you all enjoy it!! Have a great time making it together!!
Oh the calories!!! The little light bulb went off in my head to substitute with Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties!
Sounds good, Chelsea!
Looks so yummy …..could you please tell me what is “cool whip” and is it found in the refrigerated area? Cannot wait to try.
Thank you, Lesley!
it’s actually found in the freezer section near the frozen pie shells and pastry.
It is a dairy whip topping.
For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars; do you know what can be substituted for the cream cheese and still taste yummy?
Sandy, although I’ve never used it or tried it with this recipe, mascarpone might work well.
Which box of pudding mix do you use? The large box is 2.1oz and the small is 1.4. Recipe calls for 3.9 size box Would you just use one of each? I want to make these for a party this weekend.
Made these for a work bake-off and won “Best in Show”! Thanks for the recipe!
Sonia,
that’s SO awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know and congratulations, girl!
I was just wondering if you make any deserts that are diabetic friendly
Lillian,
you won’t find any diabetic dessert friendly recipes here, but I know there are quite a few blogs that do have them. I’d recommend a Google search.
Totally decadent. I’ll have 2 pieces please. 🙂
Thanks so much, Susan! Just two? 😉
love to win
I don’t blame you. Good luck, William!
Oh wow lady, I love this because it has chocolate and peanut butter! I will be trying this with my kids. I love instant pudding in recipes too! Pinning, SU and Yummly. xo San
Aw, thanks, Sandy! Chocolate and peanut butter are always a match made in heaven!
Hugs!!
Do you think I could use peanut butter oreo cookies instead of nutter butters?
Rachel, you most certainly could! That’s the great thing about recipes, they can be changed and adapted to what you have on hand and different tastes. Go for it, girl!
Lynne, I enjoyed the story and will be making these very soon! Thanks
Thanks so much, Donna!
being recently divorced, ive rediscovered the old chef in me. my kids love it. and those bars look incredible. so do the oreo cookie bars. i will be making these for sure!!!
Scott, I’m sorry about your divorce, but thrilled for you that you’ve opened up a a new door in the kitchen! You’ll score big points with the kids when you do! Enjoy!
OMG! I made this Saturday night…my family is in love! This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Thanks for sharing.
Jodi, that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for letting me know. I’ve just created another one you might want to try – Biscoff White Chocolate Dream Bars. They were pretty delicious, too!
http://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/2015/03/biscoff-white-chocolate-dream-bars/
Do you need to use the cream cheese? They look good
Jim, do you have an aversion to it? When combined with the peanut butter and Cool Whip, it makes a delicious creamy layer for the bars. While I’ve never used it, Mascarpone might work just as well.
http://www.thetriplecremeblog.com/2013/02/whats-difference-cream-cheese.html
I made these today, with some substitutions. I used Neufchatel cheese in place of cream cheese, Smart Balance in place of butter, and sugar-free instant pudding. I also left out the chocolate and peanut butter chips as I don’t like the hard chips in my desserts.
I always buy the cheaper brand pudding mix instead of Jell-O. They come in 1.7 ounce packages. I was doubling the recipe, so I used 4 1/2 boxes and 3 cups of milk. I’m not sure if it was b/c it was a different brand or what, but my pudding was a gelatinous gross mess…I had to toss it out. I make a similar dessert that we call “fat man’s delight” so I used the pudding directions from it instead, using 2 1.7 ounce packages of instant pudding and 3 cups milk. Perfect!
Also, I’ve found that I have yet to find a chocolate instant pudding that tastes great. They all tend to taste too fake and chemical-like to me. I ended up using vanilla and adding some unsweetened cocoa powder. I’ll never buy chocolate instant pudding again!
Lynne: Can the Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars be frozen? I just finished making them for my sweet Grandson’s 4th birthday party on July 4th. Hopefully I wasn’t too premature in making them 🙁 I just put them in the fridge and have the toppings mixed in a zip lock bag. If they can be frozen do you recommend putting the toppings on after they are thawed or before?
By-the-way I had to taste each layer as I was making them and every taste was DELICIOUS!!!! I can only imagine how good they will be with all those decadent flavors together. YUMMY!!!!!!
Gayle, sorry for my very delayed response. Thanks so much for your message!
I hope the bars turned out ok and I think putting the toppings in a bag to put on later was a great idea. So glad you enjoyed the taste testing. 😉
Hope your firecracker baby had a great birthday!
Sorry Lynne:
I forgot to leave my name on the above comment re freezing the cookies. It’s Gayle King (Oprah’s best friend — I wish) LOL
LOL! That’s awesome, Gayle!
Holy moly this was tasty! I liked how it wasn’t an overload of peanut butter taste, but a nice combo of peanut and chocolate flavors. Will definitely make this again!
Aw, thanks so much, Kait. I am so very glad you enjoyed them and appreciate you letting me know.
The chocolate peanut butter bars was great but the bottom layer was hard as a brick. I followed the recipe, and done exactly what it said. It took three utinsils to cut the crust. Any suggestions?
Sorry about that, Dina! I don’t know what could have happened as I haven’t had that issue. I’ve also frozen the crust for about an hour which works as well, but it’s a bit crumbly. Unfortunately, I’m at a loss for other suggestions except to maybe add an extra tablespoon of butter or two to soften it. Keep me posted!
Wow! I know what I’m making for my husband’s next birthday!
Thanks so much, Julie! I’m sure he’ll enjoy it. It’s a tough dessert to resist!
Made this for Easter dessert..except I doubled the recipe and placed all the ingredients in order in a trifle dish..many rave reviews! Thanks!
That’s a great idea, Lauren! It must have looked incredible and I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you SO much for letting me know. <3
I think that you possibly have the wrong ounce amount listed in your pudding size. I had to use 2 appx 7 oz puddings & with only 1 1/2 C milk, it was a pretty cakey, hard to spread mess. Could u check your recipe to see is this is a possible error. One 7 oz pudding with 1 1/2 C milk for an 8 X 8 pan would make a lot more sense. Anyway, it would be great to update your recipe before others have the same problem??!
I see now that what you actually mean is 1 X 3.9 oz pudding mix. Good Grief! Anyway you may want to consider a new way of typing measurements such as that. From reading the other comments, I see I may not have been the only one to have mis-read that. Anyway, at the end of this seeming disaster, is a new version of your dessert. One that now fills a 9 X 13 pan. Every layer tastes delish. I had my finger in tasting all of them – haha!
These look yummy. Just wondering how far in advanced they can be made and kept in the fridge. I would like to make them into shooters with be base not cooked. Thanks Marie from Canada
Marie,
I’d make them the day before, but not longer. If you’re using Cool Whip, I’ve found it tends to loose it’s consistency after a few days, especially if it’s not covered.
OMG!!! These are one of my absolute favorite things I have EVER tasted!!! ??? Making them for the second time right now!!! I think chocolate & peanut butter must be one of Gods little gifts to us here on Earth.. ??☺
Julie,
you made my day, girl! Thank you so very much. I’m thrilled that you enjoy them so much! They are very popular and yes, the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is pretty darn spectacular. 🙂
Bet this would be good with Peanut Butter Oreos‼️
So question. To make this healthier. Couldn’t you use like Almond Milk, Fat Free Cream Cheese. There is a Cool Whip called Tru Whip and its way healthier. Also can you use Sugar Free Choc Pudding and do you need the cookies or can you use something a little less sugar like but yummy. I also use natural pb in general so I would think you could use that and dark cacao chips . i try to make my desserts as healthy as i can so you can still indulge and not feel so guilty.
To answer someone’s comment about using peanut butter Oreos , I have made this twice. Both times using the PB Oreos. Incredible!! Question I have is will skim milk work for the pudding? Just realized that all I have in fridge. Everyone wants me to make this for tomorrow’s get together. Just hoping to not have to run to store. Lol.
I was pleased I could scroll quickly through the annoying, self-serving blather to find the start of the recipe – the ingredients list.
We do things a little different around here, so I sent hubby to the grocery store with the list. He brought home chocolate Oreo’s with peanut butter filling. So I used them instead. We are a Skippy super chuck household but since I need to be healthy I added some PB2 powdered peanut butter to the Skippy. I used fat free creamed cheese and fat free cool-whip to keep it lighter for me as well. I made it last Saturday for Sunday lunch when one of our sons joins us after church. My husband has been enjoying it all week. So good thank you for sharing!
Great chocolate peanut butter dream bars recipe and I will try it in my kitchen
Thank you so much, Devit! Hope you like them!
This is a dream!!!! Everytime I make this which is several times, there is never any leftovers. You won’t be disappointed
This was so delicious. My only complaint is the peanut butter layer came out so thin so I doubled it. My family loves it. I will be making it again!
Very good! Crust is really thick…wonder if crushing fewer crackers might work. Didn’t add the cookies and chips on top of the Cool Whip. It is plenty sweet without it. Definitely a keeper.
Thanks so much, Susie, I appreciate that!
You could definitely use less cookies for the crust. My suggestion would be to use 18 of the cookies, like here in my Oreo Pudding Dream Bars: https://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/oreo-pudding-dream-bars/ , instead of the 24 I originally put into the recipe, and use the same amount of butter as called for.
Can you make it ahead of time and freeze it? I made it the first time and my family loved it. But needing to make ahead for Christmas
Carrie, I have not yet frozen any of my Dream Bar recipes, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. To thaw it, I’d suggest leaving it in the fridge the night before you plan on serving it. Merry Christmas and I’m thrilled to hear that everyone loves it!
Um is it me or does the recipe look like ousding is on crust and cream cheese mixture on top of pudding?
Kate, I’m confused by your question. It’s most likely a typo, but I’m not sure what ousding is. Can you please clarify, and I’ll respond? Thanks!
The word should have been pudding! And yes, I noticed that as well. The picture shows the pudding and cream cheese layers in a different order than the recipe directs.
Mary Ann, I explain the difference between the pictures and the recipe in the recipe note. Technically it doesn’t make a difference in the final outcome. I just find it easier to spread the cream cheese on the crust than on the softer pudding. Any way you choose to make it will still result in a delicious dessert.
very excellent recipe i made it but added cream cheese chips plus peanut chips & milk chocolate chips to top
Just finished these and excited about taking it to church…
But the picture doesn’t match the instructions.
No biggie, but pictures shows chocolate pudding after crust… instructions say cream cheese first.
Hi Becky, hope you liked it!
I understand the pictures don’t represent how I direct you to assemble it in the recipe. I explain that as well in the recipe notes. Through my many years of making these, I’ve just found it easier to put the cream cheese first since it’s easier to spread over the crust as opposed to spreading it over the softer pudding. It technically doesn’t matter though as all the layers will be just as delicious in any order in your tummy. 😉
Would I double this recipe if I want make it in 9×13 pan?
Beth, you definitely would double the recipe if you plan to make it in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Enjoy them!
This looks wonderful. Something I would love 😋😋
Would love to make this for a larger crowd and make It in a 9×13 pan
Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven and so easy to make! Was a BIG hit with family and friends!!
You NAILED them, girl!! Thank you SO much, Kelly! These definitely have one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations, that’s for sure!