4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Bars Couldn't Be Easier (They're Deliciously High Protein)

If you're looking for an easy-to-make snack that's both delicious and high in protein, then these four-ingredient peanut butter bars are for you. All you need is peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips.

To make these bars, just combine 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 1 ½ cups of creamy peanut butter, and 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar. Transfer that mixture into a lined 9-by-13 baking dish, pressing down the graham cracker mixture until it's flat and even. Heat up the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals until they're completely melted, then pour the chocolate over the graham cracker and peanut butter base. Because this treat doesn't require any baking, all there is left to do is pop the baking dish into the fridge to let it set for about an hour.

All of the protein content is coming straight from the peanut butter. Each cup contains about 65 grams of protein, meaning that these bars, which use 1 ½ cups of peanut butter, contain about 97.5 grams total. This recipe will likely yield about 20 servings, depending on how large you cut each square. This means that each square will have about 5 grams of protein — or a little more, if you opt for bigger squares.

First and foremost, you get to decide what kind of chocolate you want to use for the topping on these bars. Both milk and dark chocolate will taste delicious. You can also combine two types — for example, use dark chocolate for the majority of the topping, then add a drizzle of milk chocolate on top. Either way, look for a chocolate brand with high-quality ingredients, such as Ghirardelli or Pascha.

You can also add extra toppings. Maybe you want your bars to be a little bit nuttier — in this case, try adding chopped-up peanuts over the chocolate layer. (This will also boost the protein a bit, if that's something you're interested in.) You can also use mini chocolate chips for the topping to make them extra-chocolatey. If you want these bars to feel more like a dessert than a snack, try adding a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce over the top.

No matter which customizations you choose, make sure you use the best possible peanut butter since it's the star of the show. If you need some recommendations, check out our ultimate ranking of peanut butter brands (Smoother Operator and Earth Balance took first and second place, respectively). For a slightly more in-depth version of this treat, check out our full no-bake chocolate-peanut butter bars recipe.