A cake is a must on your birthday and it simply wouldn’t be the holidays without a pie or two, but a dessert bar is a treat that can—and should—be enjoyed whenever you damn well please. (Although it’s worth knowing that these easy-to-make desserts go down particularly well at potlucks and parties.) And the best part? They’re incredible versatile. No matter what type of treat you seek—be it sugar-free, keto-friendly or just ridiculously rich—you’re sure to find a bar that fits the bill in our roundup of best dessert bar recipes.
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The 40 Best Dessert Bar Recipes to Feed a Crowd (Or, You Know, Yourself)
1. No-bake Cookie Bars With Chocolate, Cherries And Chia Seeds
Packed with almond butter, oats, sliced almonds, dried fruit, chia seeds and cacao nibs, these tasty bars are practically a health food. And the fact that they require zero time in the oven? Well, that just makes them even sweeter.
3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
A fresh take on the Rice Krispies classic known as the scotcheroo, these no-bake bars boast a pleasant crunch and deep chocolate flavor with a playful salty finish.
8. Vegan Chocolate Mousse Bars
Attention, vegan friends: These decadent chocolate mousse bars require just four ingredients and 15 minutes of spare time to make, so you should probably keep the recipe on speed dial.
11. Gluten-free Cocoa Cranberry Crumble Bars
Vanilla-spiked cranberry jam is a perfect companion for rich dark chocolate cookie crust in this gluten-free winner.
15. Tahini Scotcheroos
This Midwestern speciality is typically made with peanut butter but here, Coterie member Jesse Larson gives this rich and gooey chocolate treat an allergy-friendly upgrade by using creamy tahini instead. Oh, and did we mention that these guys are gluten-free, too?
26. Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Silky cashew cream is combined with—wait for it—zucchini to create the authentic texture of this vegan cheesecake bar…and yep, it works.
40. Cherry Cheesecake Bars
Why eat a regular cheesecake bar when you can have one drenched with cherry pie filling?
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