No Bake Monster Cookie Bars
Published on June 12, 2024
Quick Summary
These No Bake Monster Cookie Bars will remind you of classic Monster Cookies, but they’re SO easy to make, you don’t even have to turn on the oven. Kids and adults love these protein-packed peanut butter chocolate bars! Keep them in the fridge or freezer so you always have a healthy treat on hand.
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Pin ItI LOVE Monster Cookies. They are are one of my all-time favorite cookies! They have all of my favorite things: peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s. They are such a fun cookie.
I have turned my favorite cookie into Monster Cookie Bars, Monster Cookie Energy Balls, Chocolate Monster Cookies, and these easy No Bake Monster Cookie Bars.
I love these No Bake Monster Cookie Bars because they are SO easy to make, you don’t have to turn on the oven and they are made with basic ingredients that I always have in the pantry.
The bars are like the classic cookie, they have peanut butter, oats, chocolate, and M&M’s, BUT there is no baking involved. They are layered in a loaf pan and chilled in the refrigerator. There is a layer of peanut butter oats, a layer or chocolate, and another layer of peanut butter oats. The bars are topped with colorful M&M’s and flaky sea salt.
To keep these bars on the healthier side, I use natural peanut butter and sweeten them with honey. I also add a scoop of protein powder to boost the protein content.
These no bake bars are a great little sweet treat to keep in the fridge or freezer. Kids and adults love them! They are perfect for an after school snack, post workout snack, or a little dessert after lunch or dinner.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Peanut butter– I like to use natural peanut butter, just peanuts and salt. Costco’s Kirkland organic peanut butter is my favorite.
- Honey– to sweeten the bars. Pure maple syrup will also work.
- Vanilla extract– always use pure vanilla extract.
- Oats– use old fashioned oats, not quick oats.
- Protein powder– use your favorite vanilla protein powder. I use Clean Simple Eats Simply Vanilla. Use the code TWOPEAS for a discount.
- Flaky sea salt– for the bars and for sprinkling on top!
- Chocolate Chips– I like to use semi-sweet chocolate, but milk or dark chocolate will work too. I like Guittard and Hu Kitchen’s chocolate chips.
- Coconut oil– adding a little coconut oil helps the chocolate melt more smoothly.
- M&M’s– for topping the bars! They are so fun and colorful and a must for monster cookies!
How to Make No Bake Monster Cookie Bars
- Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir together with a spatula until well combined.
- Stir in the oats, protein powder, and sea salt.
- The peanut butter oat mixture will be thick and a little sticky. Stir well to make sure all of the oats get mixed in.
- Transfer about 2/3 of the peanut butter oat mixture to the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Place in the microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, or until smooth. Stir well.
- Pour the chocolate overtop of the bars. Spread with a spatula so the chocolate is in an even layer.
- Crumble the remaining peanut butter oat mixture over the top of the bars and press down gently. Press the M&M’s on top of the bars and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill the bars for at least 2 hours before cutting.
- When chilled completely, lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper and cut into bars.
- You can also cut them into small little bites, if you want a smaller treat.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you line the pan with parchment paper, this will make it easier to lift the bars out of the pan.
- I recommend using a creamy natural peanut butter for this recipe. Stir well before using. You can use a conventional peanut butter like Skippy or Jif.
- If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free oats.
- To boost the protein content, I like to add a scoop of vanilla protein powder. You can also use collagen powder. If you don’t want to use a powder, you can use the same amount of almond flour or oat flour.
- The peanut butter oat mixture is thick and a little sticky. If the mixture is sticking to your hands too much when pressing it into the pan, lightly dampen your hands with water.
- If you don’t want to use the M&M’s, you can use Reese’s Pieces or no candy at all. The bars are good without candy too.
- Make sure you let the bars chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge before cutting.
How to Store
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- You can freeze the bars in a freezer container for up to 3 months.
More No Bake Recipes
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- No Bake Cookies
- Homemade Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Chocolate Brownie Protein Balls
More Monster Cookie Recipes
No Bake Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter, Costco brand is my favorite
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons M&M’s
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Stir together with a spatula until well combined.
- Stir in the oats, protein powder, and sea salt.
- Transfer about 2/3 of the peanut butter oat mixture to the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Place in the microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, or until smooth. Stir well.
- Pour the chocolate overtop of the bars. Spread with a spatula so the chocolate is in an even layer.
- Crumble the remaining peanut butter oat mixture over the top of the bars and press down gently. Press the M&M’s on top of the bars and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill the bars for at least 2 hours before cutting.
- When chilled completely, cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Love this idea!! I am making them for my kids and me!
My boys love them…and so do I:)
These were delicious! We subbed agave for the honey and left out the candy since we didn’t have any. They were perfect. Thank you, Maria!
I am so glad you loved them!
Next time I’d leave out the coconut oil and just melt the chocolate slowly on the stove. It left too strong of a flavor for my family’s liking. Other than that we enjoyed this recipe!
I’m always trying to get more calories into my picky, texture sensitive kiddo. Do you think I could use mostly oat flour as opposed to quick oats? Thank you for always sharing great recipes!
Yes!