500 chocolate bar recipes

These rich chocolate-toffee bars from Mary Lueke of Menasha were our top pick in the bar category.

Peanut butter and fudge filled bars with an oat cookie crust, a gooey chocolate-peanut butter fudge layer, and a crumbly oat topping. Three layers of chocolate-peanut butter goodness in every bite.

Five layer bars with a cocoa graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, raisins, and chopped nuts. No mixing bowl needed, just layer and bake.

No-bake peanut butter Nanaimo bars with a chocolate coconut crumb base, creamy peanut butter custard filling, and glossy semisweet chocolate topping. A Canadian classic with a twist.

Turtle bars with shortbread crust, pecan halves, brown sugar caramel, and a smooth chocolate top. The classic candy-store flavor in a 24-bar pan.

Apricot almond bars with a buttery shortbread crust, spiced almond meringue topping, apricot glaze, and chocolate drizzle. Four layers of European-style pastry in every square.

Cognac Nanaimo bars are a Canadian no-bake classic with a chocolate-coconut-pecan base, cognac-orange buttercream middle, and a glossy chocolate top. A boozy adult twist on the original.

These cookies with a candy bar center, from Bev Bosveld of Waupun, are packed with coconut.

Handmade chocolate truffles with brandy-soaked cherry centers, rolled in cocoa and powdered sugar. Dense, rich, and intensely chocolatey. Makes 50 pieces for gifting or holiday candy trays.

Everyone loves these peanut butter chocolate balls, they are chocolaty, rich and have lots of textures. It's hard to stop putting these sweets into mouth.

Banana monkey bars: a one-bowl banana bread baked thin into chewy bars, studded with walnuts and finished with a chocolate sugar drizzle. Lunchbox sweet, ready in under an hour.

Rocky road fudge bars with three layers: chocolate brownie base, cream cheese filling with chocolate chips, marshmallow topping, and a swirled chocolate-cream cheese frosting.

Mississippi mud bars layer fudgy pecan-studded brownies under a glossy chocolate frosting and another shower of toasted pecans. Cut into small bars, they yield over four dozen from one 9x13 pan. Southern bake-sale royalty.

Cherry chocolate baked Alaska stacks devil's food cake with frozen cherry yogurt filling under a flash-baked cocoa meringue. Retro dessert drama with hot meringue and ice-cold center.

Layers of graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips melt together into gooey Halloween bars. These no-fuss treats need just 5 ingredients and one pan.

No-bake peanut butter and fudge bars with crispy rice cereal layers sandwiching a rich chocolate fudge center. Double boiler or microwave method included.