22 Delicious Dessert Bar Recipes

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Peanut butter chocolate bars — Veselina Zheleva / Getty images

We're crazy about dessert bars! They're so easy to make—often a lot easier than baking cookies—and it's a snap to double or triple recipes when you need to serve a crowd. We've rounded up our absolute favorite dessert bar recipes you can bring to parties and potlucks, or enjoy for a treat anytime. From indulgent chocolate peanut butter bars and rich, cheesecake-style bars, to zingy lemon bars and other classic crumb bars, these easy recipes are the ones you'll rely on again and again when feeding a group of people, or preparing for the holidays.

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Pineapple Delight Bars

Diana Rattray / The Spruce

Put on the Jimmy Buffet and kick back with these yummy dessert treats that have so much awesome flavor and nostalgic appeal. A buttery shortbread crust is the base for the scrumptious pineapple and cream cheese filling. Then comes the topping of pecans and coconut, which gets toasty brown as the bars bake. Delightfully sweet and crunchy, they make a great party or special occasion treat.
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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Veselina Zheleva / Getty images

Refrigerated cookie dough makes these addictive dessert bars so easy to make. And the filling and frosting couldn't be easier. Tender and chewy cookie crust is topped with a rich chocolate and peanut butter ganache, and peanut butter frosting. They're rich, indulgent, and simply irresistible.
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Key Lime Dessert Bars

Anita Schecter

Key lime bars make a deliciously refreshing treat on hot summer days. They have a yummy, sweet-tart flavor that comes from key limes, a tropical lime variety available through the summer months. Key lime dessert bars taste fantastic when they're chilled, so make them quickly ahead of time, when you're expecting guests for a summer cook-out. Just keep them in the fridge until the company arrives, and you'll have a tasty, homemade treat with very little fuss.
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The Ultimate Brownie Recipe

Jeremy Samuelson / Photodisc / Getty Images

Brownies are one of America's favorite dessert bars! This recipe for ultimate brownies is one of our all-time favorites, and we're sure it will become one of yours, too. Ultimate brownies are tall like a cakey brownie but dense like a fudgy brownie, so you get the best of both worlds. The rich, cake-style texture makes it super hard to only eat one.

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Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

The Spruce / Anita Schecter

For the dessert bar lovers who like a little PB wherever they go, these peanut butter swirl brownies hit just the right note. The combination of smooth nut butter with fudgy chocolate is a creamy dream made in heaven.
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Crumb-Topped Apple Pie Bars

The Spruce Eats / Jessie Sheehan

Transform a favorite fall dessert into delicious handheld bites with this recipe for apple pie bars. The signature Granny Smith apple and cinnamon filling is sandwiched between a shortbread crust and delicious crumbles. It comes together relatively quickly and is sure to be a hit.
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Funfetti Cake Bars With Chocolate Glaze

Anita Schecter / The Spruce

Delight your family and friends at any time of year, with these super fun and colorful dessert bar treats that bring the party! This easy homemade cake bar practically explodes with color, thanks to the addition of crunchy, sweet, "funfetti" rainbow sprinkles in the batter. Makes a perfect treat for kids' birthday parties and holiday buffet tables.
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Pecan Pie Bars

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

A collection of dessert bar recipes just wouldn't be complete without this pecan pie bar recipe. It takes a lot less time because the crust is pressed into the pan instead of having to be rolled. It has all the flavors of the traditional pie with less effort.

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Pumpkin Pie Bars

The Spruce / Jennifer Perillo

Pumpkin pie bars everything you love about pumpkin pie put into bar form. The recipe makes more servings than your typical pie, making it a quicker and easier method for feeding a crowd. They look lovely sliced and taste great with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
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M&M Christmas Cookie Bars

The Spruce Eats / Gwen Squires

M&M Christmas cookie bars are an easy alternative to chocolate chip cookies. These bars have a festive touch because they use red and green M&M candies along with dark chocolate chips. Make them with regular M&Ms for a delicious and quick treat at any time of the year.
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Winning Lemon Bars

Julie Rideout / Stocksy

Bright, tangy, sweet, and lovely, lemon bars make a perfect dessert for Mother's Day brunch, bridal showers, baby showers, and other happy occasions. This winning recipe for lemon bars includes fresh lemon juice and zest, eggs, butter, and other ingredients.
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One-Bowl Brownies

Jessie Sheehan

Don't let the name fool you—these brownies may be simple to make but they are sophisticated in flavor. Espresso powder offers a hint of coffee while intensifying the chocolate taste, and a sprinkling of sea salt at the end cuts the sweetness and finishes these brownies with a special touch.

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Easy Blueberry Cake Bars

The Spruce / Nita West

Blueberry cake dessert bars are a welcome sight at any potluck, buffet or brunch table. This baked dessert bars recipe is as easy as pie, except it isn't pie! It's just a great, cake-style dessert bar recipe that's simple to make and is perfect for using up an abundance of blueberries.
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Spiced Fresh Apple Bars

Diana Rattray / The Spruce

A simple spiced batter, grated fresh apples, and chopped walnuts make these essential apple bars moist, comforting, and delicious. You don't even need to peel the apples to make this easy recipe!
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Easy Oven-Baked S'Mores Bars

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Your family and friends are sure to ask for some more of these awesome treats. Insanely delicious, oven-baked s'mores bars are made with all your favorite s'mores ingredients, including graham crackers, milk chocolate, and miniature marshmallows. The buttery crushed graham cracker crust is topped with chocolate bars and little marshmallows for a delicious, oven-baked s'mores treat. They're so easy to make—no campfire required!
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Oatmeal Carmelitas

jomyutoat / Getty Images

Cute, crumbly oatmeal carmelitas are a scrumptious, layered bar cookie that are a favorite with family and guests. They're filled with caramel and chocolate, sandwiched in between a wonderful mixture of oatmeal and brown sugar. With their soft, gooey middle and cookie-style crust, these bars won't last long before they're all gone.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Kristina Vanni

A combination of two classic bars, pumpkin cheesecake bars are a delicious fall dessert. Rich cream cheese and creamy, spiced pumpkin are a perfect combination and make for a pretty layered bar. They're great for potlucks and bake sales.
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Hello Dolly Bars

Diana Rattray / The Spruce

Hello dolly bars not only have the cutest name ever—they're incredibly rich, dense, and delicious. Also known as seven-layer bars, they are made with graham cracker crumbs, sweetened coconut flakes, chopped nuts, semi-sweet chocolate, and butterscotch chips. The ingredients are assembled in seven layers, then drizzled with sweetened condensed milk, before you pop them in the oven.
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Classic Coconut Dream Bars

Diana Rattray / The Spruce

Take just one bite of these homemade treats, and you'll know why they're called dream bars. Just follow the easy, two-step instructions in this recipe. First, the brown sugar shortbread crust is partially baked and allowed to cool. Then, the chewy, toffee-like coconut and pecan topping is added, and they get a second bake. They come out of the oven golden brown, and ready to demolish.
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Pumpkin Bars With Streusel Topping

Diana Rattray / The Spruce

These yummy pumpkin bars are topped with a crumbly brown sugar and pecan streusel topping. The bars are made with brown sugar, spices, and pumpkin puree. The topping is a mixture of brown sugar, pecans, and butter along with some flour and cinnamon.

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Cherry Crumb Bars

Louise Lister / StockFood Creative / Getty Images

Store-bought cake mix, and prepared cherry pie filling, make these cherry crumb bars super easy to prepare. Crumbly and crunchy on the outside with the goodness of oats, and sweet and gooey on the inside, these winning dessert bars are a great dessert for Memorial Day gatherings and Fourth of July parties.
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Matcha (Green Tea) Mochi Bars

Judy Ung / The Spruce

Matcha mochi bars are a wonderful and unexpected addition to your recipe box. You'll love their comforting, chewy, gooey texture, and beautifully complex sweetness, with a hint of green tea flavor. These bars also have a crunchy baked bar crust, that gives great contrast to the soft, silky filling.

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