This EASY chocolate peanut butter dessert is a beautiful no bake dessert perfection to serve in the afternoon at an outdoor picnic, barbecue or just home.

One of the greatest inventions for those of us with a sweet tooth is the icebox cake. Icebox cakes are a no-bake solution to making great-tasting desserts. They not only resemble a cake, but they are also something entirely new.

No-bake cakes are fun to experiment with and when I think about sweet treats that I enjoy frozen, I always come up with the Snickers bar. I especially like the Snickers ice cream bars.

Those alone might be the whole inspiration for this no bake Snickers cake recipe. Despite being frozen the Snickers ingredients somehow remain somewhat warm.

The mixture of ingredients at varying temperatures is a delightful experience when you eat it. It must have something to do with the level of saltiness, but whatever it is it's perfect.

It's just the right amount of frozen and not quite frozen that makes this treat a sensational and unique experience. It's almost like a reinvented ice cream sundae, in the form of a cheesecake.

Let's find out what exactly a no-bake cake is and why Snickers is the perfect choice for this incredible chocolate peanut butter dessert. Because the cake is frozen it's perfect to enjoy as a summer treat.

This is a beautiful cake to serve in the afternoon at an outdoor picnic or barbecue.

What is a No-Bake Cake?

Aside from the obvious, no-bake cakes can be made from a variety of materials as long as those materials don't need to be baked. Ice cream cake is a common form of no-bake cake, except that it often still uses baked cake as part of the recipe.

Most true no-bake cakes are modeled after cheesecake and use various forms of gelatin products to create a substance that is soft, yet has solid enough structure.

No-bake cakes always get their firm shape from the freezer, whether they are ice cream-based or not.

Cheesecake or pie typically make the best options for no-bake substitute recipes. If you want the great taste of a specialty cheesecake without the time and the hassle of baking, this is what you need to do.

This particular chocolate peanut butter dessert or cake is made with the familiar and all too perfect blend of ingredients found in a standard Snickers bar.

You will need snickers bars to crumble on top as well as that delicious Oreo Cookie crust and the isolated ingredients that make Snickers bars so great.

You know what those are. Don't you?

What Makes it Snickers?

This no bake chocolate peanut butter dessert borrows a lot from the recipe for a Snickers bar itself. Although the recipe does call for sliced snickers bars on top, we don't stop there.

This is a highly evolved dessert that looks to emulate a Snickers bar in all the most important ways. It should look, feel and taste like a Snickers bar that has been repurposed into a cake.

And yet it should also call to mind some of the best cheesecakes you've ever had that incorporate such candy giants as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Heath.

This creamy no bake chocolate peanut butter dessert may start with the look of a fancy cheesecake, but it's loaded with all the things that make Snickers Snickers.

Honey roasted peanuts, drizzled caramel sauce, semi-sweet chocolate, and a nougat-inspired filling make this cake the ultimate representation of one of the world's most iconic and beloved candy bars.

Besides the core ingredients, this cake also includes chocolate Oreo crust and chocolate sauce. To finish it off, the whole top of the cake is covered with actual sliced-up pieces of Snickers.

This is my sons all time favorite dessert recipe. It might just be yours too. Just wait until you try it.

If your family loves peanut butter desserts half as much as mine than you'll LOVE this super easy, decadent, rich chocolate dessert.

The Origin of Snickers

Snickers is a funny name for a candy bar. It invites all sorts of explanations about why on Earth Snickers is the name. Actually, That name was exclusive to the US until 1990.

Before that, Snickers was known as a Marathon bar in the UK. This isn't the first time they've used different names for the same candy bar.

The Milky Way is also known as a Mars Bar in England and it was even made with a different recipe, despite being essentially the same bar. Snickers was invented 6 years after the Milky Way and was named in a similar fashion.

While Milky Ways took their name from the Mars family farm in Tennessee. Snickers was the name of Frank Mars' horse.

When Snickers bars first hit the stands they came at a price to consumers that was 400% the common price of a candy bar.

The increase from 5 cents to 20 cents caused quite an uproar at the time, but that didn't stop the chocolate bar from becoming a smashing success. Now it's the perfect candy bar to top on ice cream or delicious frozen cakes like this one.

Supplies You Will Need for a Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

Besides the ingredients that bring out the essence of Snickers bars, you will need to have the right equipment available to you in order to make this delicious chocolate chip peanut butter family favorite.

A springform pan is necessary to get the right crust on the cake and give it the right appearance. It's not only necessary for forming the crust but also for removing the pan from the cake without causing damage to the cake.

The springform pan I used for the measurements in this recipe was 8x3 inches.

You will also need a food processer for this recipe. There is a lot of blending and fine processing required to make this recipe work. A simple kitchen aid mixer won't do it alone and forget about crushing all of those Oreos by hand.

You will use the food processor to mix everything at different points so it will require cleaning partway through the recipe.

This chocolate peanut butter dessert recipe does use a microwave for a small portion of the process to dissolve the gelatin. You will need a microwave-safe bowl for this part of the process.

Finally, you need to dress up your chocolate peanut butter dessert to make it as beautiful as it takes. That requires a pastry bag. I used a medium star tip for my design and it came out gorgeous.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Ingredients

30 oreo cookies, oreo crumbs or graham crackers
¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 ¼ cup caramel sauce
½ cup honey roasted peanuts
1 ¼ oz envelope unflavored gelatin
3 pkgs cream cheese
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup icing, confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
1 cup frozen whipped topping thawed
¼ cup chocolate sauce
2 Snickers bars, sliced or another chocolate peanut butter bar, your favorite bar will do

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Instructions

Coat an 8x3 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Using a food processor, pulse cookies until fine crumbs. Add chocolate chips. Process for 30 seconds scraping down bowl as needed.

Press into bottom and up 2 inches up side of pan.

Spread ½ cup caramel sauce over bottom of crust. Sprinkle with peanuts. Chill.

In a small microwave safe bowl sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water. Let stand until gelatin has softened about 3 minutes.

Microwave in 15 second intervals until gelatin is dissolved.

In clean food processor combine cream cheese, peanut butter, icing sugar, ½ cup caramel sauce and gelatin.

Process peanut butter layer until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour peanut butter filling into pan and cover.

Chill 6 hours to overnight.

When ready to serve dollop or pipe whipped topping using pastry bag fitted with medium star tip around cake edge.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce and remaining caramel sauce. Garnish with sliced candy bars.