No-Bake Healthy Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars! Rich in wholesome ingredients and free from bake-time, these bars are a breeze to assemble and ideal for meal prep, snack time, or a quick dessert.
These No-Bake Healthy Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars are the perfect sweet-and-salty treat that will have your taste buds singing. Each bite blends rich peanut flavor with a satisfying saltiness and just the right amount of sweetness, creating a texture that’s simultaneously crunchy and flaky, with a comforting aftertaste that lingers like your favorite Butterfinger-inspired candy bar.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi there, Ameera here!
OOoOOoOooO these bars are absolutely DELISH! If you’re a sweet-and-salty fanatic like us, you’ll fall hard for their irresistible balance of creamy peanut butter, crunchy pretzel bits, and a gentle kiss of sweetness.
This recipe takes a beloved, traditional favorite and gives it a healthier twist, making it perfect for guilt-free snacking, meal-prep-friendly lunches, or a quick dessert that still feels indulgent.
The no-bake method keeps things simple and hassle-free while delivering maximum flavor, so you can post about a tasty, wholesome treat with confidence and authenticity. You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: These Healthy Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The texture and flavor are reminiscent of a Butterfinger candy bar.
- History of Lunch Lady Bars: The Lunch Lady Bars consisting of peanut butter and chocolate are iconic as a nostalgic American school cafeteria from the 1960s to the 1980s. They were made with peanut butter, crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and powdered sugar with a chocolate icing.
- Healthier Whole Food Plant Based Version: A substitute for the graham cracker crumbs was needed for the success of this recipe. Utz makes sourdough pretzel nuggets where the only ingredients are wheat flour, salt, yeast, baking soda. The wheat flour is not enriched (which is awesome). These pretzels are oil-free, cholesterol free, trans-fat free. For a healthier version (versus the traditional/original version) this recipe is made without butter, powdered sugar, and graham crackers, this Whole Food Plant Based version is absolutely delicious!
- Original Recipe versus Healthier Recipe: Do these bars taste like the original? No, they do not, but this healthier version is delicious and will definitely satisfy your sweet and salty cravings!
- Utz Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets: Utz Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets are made from genuine sourdough, they are baked, and have minimal processed ingredients. They are oil-free, and fat-free. They are on the healthier side for store-bought snacks. Our local grocery stores carry them, you can also find them on Amazon, Utz Sourdough Nuggets Pretzels
- Measurement of the Crushed Pretzel Nuggets: The 1 ½ cups of crushed pretzel nuggets is measured AFTER the pretzels have been reduced to crumbs. In other words, crush the pretzel nuggets, then measure 1 ½ cups of crushed pretzels.
- Texture: The texture is somewhat relative based upon the runniness of the peanut butter and the pretzel nugget crumbs. The peanut butter should be somewhat runny, or you could end up with a grainy overly thick mouthfeel. The good news is that you can taste the mixture to get a really good idea of how the bars will taste and feel in your mouth before committing to the final end-product. The end-product is somewhat reminiscent of a Butterfinger candy bar.
- Peanut Butter: Be sure to use runny peanut butter. Do not use thick, clumpy peanut butter. We use Fresh Thyme Old-Fashioned Creamy unsweetened peanut butter (dry roasted peanuts and sea salt only). Feel free to use your favorite unsweetened smooth peanut butter. Be sure to mix it well so it is smooth and creamy.
- Coconut Sugar Substitutions: Feel free to use your favorite dry sugar like date sugar, maple sugar, or other dry sugar.
- Processing the Pretzels: Place the pretzels into the food processor and process them into tiny crumbs. It is OK if they are not completed blitzed into tiny crumbs. We had a mix of some completely blitzed and some small pieces. If not using Utz pretzel nuggets, we suggest a regular pretzel versus a hard pretzel. Some hard pretzels are really hard to break down into crumbs.
- Mixture: When mixing the “dough”, you want the mixture to be able to hold its shape well. Press the mixture into a large ball. It should hold its shape easily. If it seems too crumbly, then add another tablespoon of milk until it holds it shape together. If not, it will crumble when cutting.
- Bliss Balls versus Bars: If you want to avoid making bars and the extra work that entails, simple scoop up a couple tablespoons of the mixture with a cookie scoop, roll into balls, place on a plate and freeze them for 10 minutes. You can drizzle with melted chocolate or dip in chocolate if you wish.
- Don’t Have a Food Processor: Place the pretzel nuggets in a gallon freezer bag, then pound the pretzels with a rolling pin to break them up. You will need to really pound them to break them up. You may need to double bag them as when the pretzels start to break, they can have some sharp edges which will pierce the freezer bag until you pound them into crumbs.
- Milk: The amount of milk needed is relative to how creamy the peanut butter is. You may find that you need more or less. Start on the low side and stir until the mixture forms a big lump.
- Stirring the Mixture: At first it will seem like the mixture is too dry. Keep pressing the peanut butter and pretzel crumbs/sugar together for several minutes before deciding if more milk is required.
- Melting the Chocolate for the Drizzling: To melt the chocolate chips, simple place about 1 cup of vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips into a small bowl and microwave for about 25 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave in 10 second intervals and stirring until the chocolate has been completely melted. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of runny tahini to the melted chocolate for a runnier chocolate. Then drizzle by spoon or place a small sandwich bag into a small juice glass. Spoon the melted chocolate into the sandwich bag. Push it all to one corner. Twist the bag and snip off the corner, then drizzle over the cookies. Allow to sit until the chocolate has set. If needed, place in the freezer for a quick chocolate set.
- Parchment Paper Liner: Line the baking dish with parchment paper to cover the bottom, allow excess paper to go up two of the sides and hang over the edge. Cover the bottom and sides going both directions. In other words, the bottom and all four sides are covered in parchment paper. Using clips to hold the parchment paper in place makes it easier, but definitely not required.
- Removal from Pan: Freezing the bars allows them to be easily removed from the pan and cut into squares.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
These bars freeze well.
Pantry Products:
- Sourdough Pretzel Nuggets: We used Utz Sourdough Nuggets Pretzels. Feel free to use your favorite pretzels.
- Chocolate Chips: We used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate chips.
- Tahini: We used Ziyad Premium Tahini (Sesame Paste). Feel free to use your favorite brand of tahini.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Food Processor (optional)
- 8 x 8 baking pan
- Parchment paper
If you try these delicious treats, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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No-Bake Healthy Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 15 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 9 Bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These No-Bake Healthy Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars are the perfect sweet-and-salty treat that will have your taste buds singing.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups crushed sourdough pretzel nuggets *
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or other dry sugar) *
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened peanut butter (+/-) *
- ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon unsweetened plain plant milk (+/-) *
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
Optional Topping:
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (melted) *
- 1 teaspoon runny tahini (optional) *
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper with extra hanging over the edges for easy removal. Set aside.
- Place the pretzel nuggets into the food processor and pulse off and on for approximately 60 to 90 seconds or until the pretzel nuggets are nearly all broken down, then place into a large bowl.
- Then add all the remaining Dry Ingredients into the large bowl with the crushed pretzel nuggets, whisk until well combined.
- Place all the Wet Ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, stir until everything is mixed well and can hold its shape in a big lump. Then place the mixture into the parchment lined 8 x 8 baking dish and press down to really pack the mixture down into one cohesive bar. Try to keep the top as level as possible to avoid thin spots. Or see recipes notes for making them into bliss balls.
- Cover and place the pan in the freezer for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the pan, lightly score the top with a sharp knife, then with a chef’s knife press down and slice them into 9 equal squares.
- Drizzle the tops with melted chocolate. Allow them to set, then serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Servings: 9
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