These old-fashioned Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares (sometimes known as Confetti Squares or Butterscotch Marshmallow Bars) are the perfect combination of flavors and textures, and I can't get enough! They are ridiculously easy to make, needing just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of work, and they are always a crowd-pleaser!
If you love peanut butter, you'll also love these Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups and these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars. For a nut-free dessert bar, try these Biscoff Blondies.
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Truly the most delicious sweet treat!
- Sophie
🍭 Short & Sweet Recipe Overview
- ⏲️ Time: Takes just 10 minutes to prep, and then chills for 1 hour
- 🛒 Ingredients: Needs just 4 ingredients
- 🍽️ Servings: Makes 24 squares
- 🥣 Difficulty: Super Simple, Kid-Friendly, No-Bake
- 👩🍳 Prep: Can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer
- 😋 Flavor: Rich, sweet peanut butter flavor with a soft texture
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Deliciously irresistible peanut butter and butterscotch flavors blend seamlessly, giving these a rich, sweet peanut butter flavor, and the marshmallows add the best fluffy texture
- A quick & easy no-bake sweet, this recipe takes just 10 minutes of prep, one bowl, and no special equipment - just melt, mix, and chill
- Smooth and sweet with a fudge-like consistency
- A nostalgic Christmas treat, these butterscotch marshmallow bars also make great gifts, are delicious additions to holiday cookie boxes or Easter baskets, and are perfect for bake sales, potlucks, baby showers, or after-school snacks
- Sure to be a crowd-pleaser, these fun and festive confetti bars get rave reviews from everyone who tries them
For more simple no-bake candies, don't miss my Salted Caramel Fudge, Chocolate-Covered Mint Bourbon Balls, and Chocolate Potato Chip Bark, which are all also perfect for cookie boxes and gifting!
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Ingredients and Notes
Butterscotch Chips - The butterscotch chips provide a good balance of flavor with the peanut butter, while also giving these retro squares structure and texture.
Peanut Butter - The creaminess of the peanut butter mixed with the melted chips soften these squares so they have a creamier texture. The peanut butter also provides the primary flavor for these tasty treats.
Butter - Adding butter when melting chips helps ensure they melt smoothly, and gives them a perfect texture and richness of flavor.
Marshmallows - Mini marshmallows are used in these peanut butter and butterscotch marshmallow bars. Because of the size of the bars, larger marshmallows will not work.
If you love the peanut butter and marshmallow combination, you'll also love my Fluffernutter Pie!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
Butterscotch Chips - The butterscotch flavor is not strong in these bars; they take on the peanut butter flavor, but if you don't have butterscotch chips or want to try other flavors, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or even caramel chips could also be delicious! It will, of course, change the flavor of these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares, but it will give a unique flavor that should be just as yummy!
For a more chocolate-focused candy, my Easy No-Bake Chocolate Nutella Cups are the perfect option for chocolate lovers.
Peanut Butter - I prefer creamy peanut butter, but crunchy will work too and will give these no-bake squares an extra element of texture. An almond butter or sunflower butter can also work, but it needs to be a creamy, spreadable one, not a natural one where the oil separates. And because these butters have more subtle flavors than peanut butter, the flavor of the chips may stand out a bit more.
Mini Marshmallows - I often see these called Confetti Squares and made with the multicolored mini marshmallows, or even fruit-flavored rainbow mini marshmallows. The colorful marshmallows are the confetti! I was unable to easily find colorful marshmallows in stores near me, so I made these fudgy peanut butter bars with white mini marshmallows, but if you can get your hands on the colorful ones or the flavored ones, give them a try!
Mix-ins or Toppings - You can add some additional flavor and texture to these no-bake bars by adding mix-ins or toppings such as nuts, coconut, pretzels, chocolate chips, or cereal such as Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Chex, or Cornflakes. If you're adding mix-ins, you will likely need to reduce the amount of marshmallows to make sure the melted peanut butter mixture fully covers all the mix-ins. If using as toppings, sprinkle over the top before refrigerating to set.
How to Make Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Pour in the marshmallows and spread evenly into a single layer. Place the pan in the freezer.
- Step 2: Combine the butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Heat until the butter and chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Step 3: Remove from heat and let sit one minute. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the warm mixture over the marshmallows. Stir gently to coat the marshmallows.
- Step 4: Refrigerate for at least one hour, cut into squares, and enjoy!
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares Tips & Tricks
Tip #1: Make sure you're using a freezer-safe pan. I use a metal pan for this. If you don't have a freezer-safe pan, you can skip the freezing, but you will need to let the mixture sit for longer than one minute. If the warm mixture is poured onto room-temperature marshmallows, it will melt the marshmallows.
Tip #2: Stirring after the peanut butter mixture is added helps ensure the marshmallows are evenly distributed in the bars, and also helps the peanut butter mixture get under the marshmallows so that the marshmallows are throughout the bars and not just on top of the bars.
Tip #3: To add a subtle depth of flavor to these no-bake treats, you can stir in a teaspoon of vanilla and a ¼ teaspoon of salt to the melted peanut butter mixture before pouring it over the marshmallows.
Tip #4: These can also be made in a cupcake tin or mini muffin pan lined with paper liners, or the recipe can be halved and made in an 8x8 pan.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Some or all of the butterscotch chips can be replaced with chocolate chips. Once the bars are set, you could also drizzle or dip them with melted chocolate and pop them back into the fridge. You could even add a layer of melted chocolate on top and refrigerate again to set.
These Peanut Butter Marshmallow bars are naturally gluten-free! Some recipes will include mix-ins that may contain gluten, but we're keeping it simple!
Yes! I like to keep them in the fridge, and they should last for a while. They're the perfect dessert to make a day or two ahead and just hang in the fridge until you're ready to gift or serve! Plus, I think they taste best cold.
Easy homemade Salted Peppermint Bark and salty-sweet Chocolate Potato Chip Bark are the perfect no-bake candies to make in advance alongside these nostalgic dessert bars!
No, I would not recommend using natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates). I would suggest using a brand like Jif or Skippy, or a store-brand equivalent.
Yes! The recipe can be halved and made in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. The bars may just be a bit thinner.
More Peanut Butter Recipes to try!
👩🍳 If you tried these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 6 cups mini marshmallows 10 oz bag
- 1 ¾ cups butterscotch chips 11 oz bag
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 stick butter
Instructions
- Line a freezer-safe 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Spread mini marshmallows evenly in pan and place in freezer.
- Combine the butterscotch chips, butter, and peanut butter in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and let sit for one minute.
- Remove the marshmallows from the freezer and pour the peanut butter mixture over the marshmallows.
- Gently stir until the marshmallows are coated and then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated so should only be used as an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sophie Therrien says
Truly the most delicious sweet treat!
Liz Pollio says
I'm so happy to hear this, thanks Sophie!!