When you need a sweet treat without turning on the oven, these no bake chocolate peanut butter oat cups come to the rescue. They’re chewy, chocolatey, and made with simple pantry staples you probably already have on hand.

Perfect for busy afternoons, after-school snacks, or an easy dessert, these little cups disappear fast around here and for good reason.

Bringing Snack Friday Back

Every Friday we USED TO do “Snack Friday.” We USED TO be fun. We USED TO have the kids bring all of their friends over after school to devour the delicious treats and snacks.

And then they started to grow up more…and we got busy…and I got distracted…and life got really, really, hard as we faced some really, really serious things…and then this year happened. And I realized that at no point did Friday ever say we couldn’t be happy in the mud.

So, we are bringing back snack Friday and the kids and the food and all of you. The easiest way to merge back into the fun house? Peanut Butter Oat Cups are totally no bake and best of all, we make them with whatever we’ve got.

Sometimes it’s in muffin tins or rolled into balls. Sometimes I use dark chocolate and sea salt and other times white chocolate with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Either way, it’s about gathering people in and this snack is perfect for a quick treat.

Why You’ll Love These Oat Cups

I’ve been making these oat cups since I was a kid so let me tell you all the reasons why you will love them!

• No bake
• Kid-friendly
• No added refined sugar
• Made with pantry staples

Carmelitas are dessert bars that have a buttery brown sugar oat crust, a melty chocolate and rich caramel center, and a crumbly oat topping. Dessert perfection!

I love switching up desserts — don’t get me wrong, chocolate chip cookies and brownies are amazing, but sometimes your sweet tooth needs something new. These carmelita bars are everything you love about cookies and candy rolled into one irresistible bite.

The top and bottom layers are soft, golden oatmeal cookie goodness, sandwiching a gooey caramel-chocolate center that melts together beautifully. One bite, and you’ll understand why these bars never last long at our house!

Why You’ll Love These Carmelita Bars

Gooey, melty, and a little bit of crispy in each bite. The combination of textures is totally divine!

Super easy to make. Even taking into account the different layers it’s pretty much just as easy as could be which is perfect for when you want a little something sweet but you aren’t up for a huge kitchen project.

No mixer needed. All you need is a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.

These are always a huge crowd pleasers. I’ve never taken home leftovers when I’ve taken them to any kind of event.

Now this is dangerous, but you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now, so get baking!

Ingredients Needed for Carmelitas

The good news just keeps on comin’! Most of the ingredients for carmelita bars are pantry-friendly ingredients that you’ll already have at home. Here is what you will need:

• Flour: Gives structure to the oat layers so they hold the gooey filling together.
• Old-Fashioned Oats: Add chewy texture and that classic oatmeal cookie flavor we love in carmelitas.
• Cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth, enhancing the caramel and chocolate flavors.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes the caramel and chocolate flavors pop.
• Baking Soda: Helps the oat mixture bake up light and slightly crisp instead of dense.
• Brown Sugar: Adds rich caramel flavor and moisture, giving the crust that buttery chew.
• Butter: Binds the oat mixture together and creates that golden, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Caramel Squares: Melt into that gooey, rich caramel center that defines carmelitas. You’ll want 37 pieces of the individually wrapped caramels, no more, no less.
• Evaporated Milk: Thins the caramel just enough so it’s pourable and soft when baked.
• Heavy Cream: Adds extra richness and keeps the caramel ultra-smooth and creamy.
• Chocolate Chips: We prefer a combination of milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Milk chocolate brings creamy, sweet chocolate flavor that pairs perfectly with caramel. The semi-sweet chocolate adds balance and depth — just enough b

If you’ve been searching for the best brownie recipe, these Lunch Lady Brownies are it. These brownies are rich, chewy, and unapologetically fudgy! The kind with crackly tops that melts in the middle. Made with simple pantry staples and a silky cocoa frosting, they taste like the brownies your grandma should’ve made.

No fancy tricks, no boxed mix, just pure, old-school chocolate perfection.

Lunch Lady Brownies are moist, full of chocolate flavor, and feed a crowd! My roommate taught me the power of brownies with frosting, and they totally remind me of the ones I had as a kid that the lunch ladies served in elementary school, but this homemade version is better, thanks to one secret! These are rich and fudgy brownies, not crumby and cakey brownies.

Ingredients For Lunch Lady Brownies

Cake

• Unsweetened Cocoa: Adds deep chocolate flavor
• Butter, melted: Makes the brownies rich and fudgy
• All Purpose Flour: Provides structure
• Salt: Balances sweetness. The secret!
• Sugar: Sweetness that caramelizes beautifully
• Eggs, large: Adds richness and helps set the brownies
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances chocolate flavor

Frosting

• Evaporated Milk: Makes frosting creamy and smooth
• Butter, softened: Adds richness and fluff
• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting
• Unsweetened Cocoa: Intensifies chocolate punch

These ingredients come together to make the ultimate fudgy brownies topped with rich, chocolate frosting.

How to Make Lunch Lady Brownies

If you’ve been searching for the best brownie recipe, this is it. We’re talking a thick, fudgy texture that comes together fast and tastes like they’re straight from a bakery. No fancy steps, no waiting overnight, just pure, chocolatey, from scratch bliss in under an hour.

1. Preheat: Set oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13&n

You know those desserts that disappear before you’ve even had a chance to sit down? Yep, these Chubby Hubby Peanut Butter Bars are one of those! They’ve got that sweet-salty magic combo — buttery graham cracker crumbs, melty peanut butter chips, a swirl of honeyed sweetness from the condensed milk — and somehow, they just work.

They’re rich, chewy, and totally addictive in the best way. Perfect for game night, movie night, or a “just because” treat when the sweet tooth hits!

Dessert Bars: A Coping Mechanism

We had been packing our rental home for weeks, a little every single day to try to be completely ready for our move into the home we’ve been renovating. I cannot even begin to express our exhaustion. It was just like building a home with the constraints of not having spaces designed the way you would have, secret issues under walls and floors and on top of it, running two businesses, kids and all while trying to pack up our entire house to move.

One random Thursday I felt emotional, exhausted and well, hungry. I’m apparently an emotional eater. A long time ago I’d seen a recipe and it was so short I’d memorized it: 1 box of crackers, 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips of choice. So, on a whim I went peanut butter and cinnamon chips because they secretly go together like pb and j and the rest is history. Dessert born out of emotional instability, just the way I like it!

Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Bars

Quick and Easy: Made with only 6 pantry ingredients and ready in minutes!

Kid Friendly: My youngest took one bite of these easy peanut butter treats and said these were the best bars I’ve ever made.

Sweet and Salty: I’m a sucker for sweet and salty. It’s such an addicting combo and these bars hit it out of the park.

No Eggs: If you have an egg allergy or open the fridge and find that some has used the last of the eggs, have no fear! You don’t need any for this recipe.

The 6 Ingredients You’ll Need

• Graham Crackers Crumbs: Create the buttery, crunchy base that holds the bars together.
• Peanut Butter Chips: Add rich, nutty flavor and creamy texture that defines each bite.
• Cinnamon Chips: Bring a warm, cozy spice that complements the peanut butter.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk: Binds everything together while adding sweetness and a fudgy texture.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
• Powdered Sugar: Adds a touch more sweetness and fun to these irresistible bars.

How to Make Chubby Hubby Bars

1. Prep: Preheat the oven and prep a 9×13 inch ban with parchment or foil and cooking spray.
2. Combine: Add all the ingredients except the powdered sugar to a stand mixer and mix until well combined.
   • NOTE: The batter will