These vegan peanut butter buckeye bars are a joyful nod to my college days. Having attended undergrad at Miami University (of Ohio), buckeyes were a dining hall favorite. These buckeye bars are a simplified (read: bar-i-fied) version of the original. A creamy, peanut buttery base is coated in a layer of dark chocolate. No need for dipping here. Just straight PBC (peanut butter chocolate) goodness.
If you own a copy of my cookbook (I hope you do), then you might recall the "An Ode to Ohio" Peanut Butter Cookie Dough + Caramel Buckeye Bars from the desserts chapter.
Those are a super snazzy, more time-consuming version of these classic buckeye bars.
I love the cookbook version to pieces, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's nice to get back to basics, and that's what we've done here...
Much like classic buckeyes, these buckeye bars have two main components: a peanut buttery base and a rich chocolate coating.
Unlike classic buckeyes, this vegan version received a refined-sugar-free makeover. A small amount of pure maple syrup takes the places of heaps of powdered sugar.
Since liquid sweetener is being substituted for dry sweetener, almond flour is added to thicken the peanut butter layer to the proper texture and consistency.
And so, the process of making these delightfully peanut buttery bars goes a little something like this...
Stir together peanut butter, almond flour, maple syrup, and sea salt until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into a lined baking pan and freeze for 10 minutes to set.
Meanwhile, melt a bit of chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave or in a double boiler.
Pour the chocolate over the peanut butter layer, tilt the pan back-and-forth to evenly coat, and freeze for 20 minutes, or until the chocolate layer has set.
Then, slice into bars and enjoy.
These simple vegan buckeye bars are divinely rich, perfectly sweet, and ideal for sharing with friends and family on game day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Vegan Peanut Butter Buckeye Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, almond flour, maple syrup, and salt until incorporated.
- Scoop the mixture into the lined pan. Place a clean sheet of parchment paper over top and use your hands to press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the pan to the freezer for 10 minutes to set.
- Meanwhile, add the chocolate and coconut oil to a medium, heat-safe bowl and melt over a double-boiler or in the microwave.
- Once the peanut butter layer has begun to set, pour the chocolate over top and tilt the pan back-and-forth to evenly coat.
- Pop the pan back in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has set and the peanut butter layer is firm enough to slice.
- Slice into bars (a warm knife works well for this).
- Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze for up to one month.
Oh. My. Goodness! These look so amazing and I have alllll the things to make them! You better believe these are going to be my afternoon treat today!
Oh yay!!! It's the best when you already have the ingredients on hand. I hope you enjoy them, Abby!! p.s. We'll be in MKE through the end of the year now, so we definitely have to meet up. Summer was way CRAZY with travel and we weren't here a whole lot, but we won't be traveling much in the coming months! I'll DM you. :)
I adore all things chocolate and peanut butter! Can't wait to make these to have on hand in the freezer! :)
Hope you enjoy them, Brittany!
I’m a huge fan of the buckeye bars from your cookbook and now even a bigger fan of this version. One of my favorites! So delicious 😋
OMG love this cashew twist on Buckeyes – my Ohio pride side is proud of you for this creation.
Could I use regular flour instead of almond flour? thanks!
Hi, Liz! Sadly, I don't think they'll turn out if you use regular flour in place of the almond flour. The textures and absorbency levels are far too different!
Thanks for sharing such a delicious vegan dessert recipe.
You're welcome! So glad you're enjoying, Winni!
Tasted great, but the chocolate got huge cracks across it whenever I tried to cut it. How do you get nice straight lines cutting it?
Hi, Beth! So glad you're enjoying the recipe. When you chilled after topping with the chocolate, did you leave it in the freezer longer than 30 minutes? If so, this can cause the chocolate to be too frozen/stiff when slicing. In this case, a warm knife (dip a knife in hot water for several seconds) can help create clean slices. Hope this helps!
Thank got someone gave the priority to the vegan people. As a vegan myself i can confirm there are not many things that looks so delicious as this. Would love to try this right away. All thanks to you for sharing.
Hope you enjoy the recipe, Peter!
Great Hot stainless steel dough scraper warmed over the toaster= cutting perfection.
Ahh, smart thinking, Wendy!
Can I use All Natural Creamy peanut butter in this recipe?
Hi, Chantal! Yes, that will work great.
Thanks! I will try this recipe this weekend! 😋
Hope you enjoy it! ☺️