Pretzel Nutella Bars

Nutella is very popular in most families, especially families with kids. Pretzel Nutella Bars combines the nutty and creamy chocolatey-ness that is Nutella with the crunchiness and saltiness of pretzels. And, if that wasn’t enough, the bars are topped with melted Mirage Candy Bars!

Holiday baking should be delicious, indulgent, and easy! Pretzel Nutella Bars are all of those things and more! They’re delectably rich and luxurious, which is a word I never thought I would use to describe Nutella! But, truthfully, these bars are just delightful! I’m not a huge fan of Nutella because I find that it’s too sweet for me, but the saltiness of the pretzels balances it out so well! You have to try these!

As you know, Dear Reader, I start to plan holiday recipes in the summer months. Previous to this 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, I shared my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas Series. One of the wreaths in that series was the S’mores Dessert Wreath. I had purchased a jar of Nutella for that particular wreath. Once the photos were done, I scooped the Nutella back into the jar and stuck it in the fridge.

A few weeks later, McKenna came to visit with her friend for John.e’s birthday. She saw the jar of Nutella in the fridge and I told her to take it home with her, but she forgot. Last week, I saw it there and decided to put it to good use. Let’s face it, Nutella isn’t exactly cheap; not when you need two cups! I think I paid $10 for it. You can buy the no-name stuff if you’re concerned about the price. I’m cheap, so don’t let me talk you out of making these bars!

WE NEVER BUY NUTELLA, BUT I MADE AN EXCEPTION

I have to tell you the truth, I battled with whether or not to include these Pretzel Nutella Bars in this series. We don’t buy Nutella at all.  In fact, a few years ago, when McKenna was still in high school, I found a jar of a half-eaten jar of Nutella in her bedroom.  She had purchased it with her own money and had hidden it from us.

We don’t buy it because it’s just too sweet and anything with that amount of sugar cannot be good for you. When it comes to sugar, I always make an exception at Christmastime though! In addition to her sneaking a jar of Nutella into her room, John.e has convinced me that the amount of palm sugar in Nutella is gross and it’s also endangering the homes of gorillas (or something like that.)  I only listen half of the time.  Sometimes, it’s easier to just not bring something into the home; do you know what I mean?

The need for an easy, no-bake bar won the battle in this case though, and therefore, these Pretzel Nutella Bars are being included.  I know Nutella is a popular staple in most homes, especially homes with little kids, so I knew most of you would already have the ingredient on hand.  Again, if you are like me and concerned about the price, you can buy the cheaper brand like this one here. It’s almost half the price!

LORD BYRON’S 12 BARS AND SQUARES OF CHRISTMAS

Pretzel Nutella Bars are the tenth confection in my new series! Yes, that’s right, Dear Reader! I’m kicking off another holiday baking series, just like I have for the past few Christmases! Welcome to Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas!!!

If you have been reading my blog for while – well, at least anytime around Christmas for the past few years – you must have run into at least one of my Christmas baking countdowns. This particular countdown is all about bars and squares. For 12 consecutive days, I will share a holiday-based bar or square recipe with you. That means on Saturday and Sunday too! I usually publish new recipes three times a week, so I hope you’re up for this!

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday baking countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. There will be bars and squares with chocolate, some with candy, and some with nuts too. Are you ready for day 10!!??

NO-BAKE RECIPES

I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter.

To prepare these Pretzel Nutella Bars, you will need to use your microwave. So, even though they’re no-bake and kid-friendly, you will still need some way to melt the chocolate.

Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Nutella – This hazelnut spread is sold just about everywhere! Keep in mind that you can buy alternative, no-name brands if you’re looking to save some money.
• Butter – I’m using salted butter because that’s what I had on hand. You can use unsalted butter too. Just make sure that the butter is softened and at room temperature.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This will increase the sweetness a bit, but more importantly it will thicken the Nutella and butter mixture so that the bars are easier to form.
• Water
• Pretzels – Any pretzel shape will do, but don’t use soft pretzels or those thick pretzel rods. The skinnier the pretzel, the less interior pretzel dust you will have when you crush them. You want bits and pieces, not pretzel dust.
• Mirage Chocolate Bars – These chocolate bars are full of bubbles and are absolutely delicious. You can also use Aero, Milka Bubbly, Air Delight, or Galaxy Bubbles. Alternatively, you can use chocolate chips.

CRUSHING PRETZELS

No matter the shape of the pretzel you buy, you’ll need to crush them for these Pretzel Nutella Bars. I sometimes have the pretzel bits and even those need to be crushed! There are a few ways you can crush them.

First, place them in a sturdy bag and beat them with a wooden rolling pin to break them up. You don’t want to crush them completely It’s nice to have smaller bits of pretzel intact in the cookie when you bite into it. The texture makes a world of difference.

Second, you can pulse them in your food processor. I like the rolling pin method, but if you don’t mind washing up the food processor, this way is easier and faster. Again, don’t pulverize them! We are looking for crushed pretzels, not pretzel dust!

MIRAGE CANDY BARS AND EQUIVALENTS

This is the second recipe in this series that uses an ingredient that may or may not be found outside of Canada. I love Mirage Chocolate Bars! Please note that I said chocolate bars, not candy bars. That’s another one of those differences between Canadians and Americans. We call them chocolate bars, because in most cases, “candy bars” are made of chocolate and come in an elongated shape. It makes complete sense!

Mirage Chocolate Bars are made by Nestlé and primarily sold in Canada. It is a long chocolate bar with a trapezoidal shape, filled with bubbles. In many ways, Mirage is very similar to Aero, also made by Nestlé. However, the Mirage bar is quite a bit thicker than the Aero bar and is not segmented or divided into pieces. Also, they taste very different!

If you cannot source Mirage or Aero bars, other types of aerated chocolate bars like the Milka Bubbly bar, for example, will do perfectly! You can also use Hershey’s Air Delight or Galaxy Bubbles. Alternatively, you can top your Pretzel Nutella Bars with melted milk chocolate. Just melt two cups of milk chocolate with one teaspoon of butter in the microwave until it is smooth. Pour over the bars and top with crushed pretzels.

HOW TO MAKE PRETZEL NUTELLA BARS

This no-bake recipe comes together quickly and easily. The first thing you should do is to prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by lining it well with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Once the confection is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into bars.

Next, add the butter, Nutella, and two tablespoons of water to a microwave-safe mixing bowl. You might not need to microwave anything at all, but it’s best to start in a microwave-safe bowl just in case. Use a sturdy spatula to mix the softened butter and Nutella until well combined. Next, add the confectioner’s sugar and stir to combine. No white residue from the confectioner’s sugar should be visible!

This is where the microwave-safe bowl comes in – if you find that it’s hard to stir the sugar into the Nutella and butter mixture, you can microwave it just a bit to soften it slightly. You don’t want a runny Nutella mess, but a quick 10 or 15-second zap in the microwave will make stirring much easier. If you feel that you can stir it well without using the microwave, please do so! Continue to stir until the mixture is completely smooth.

Now, add in the crushed pretzels, reserving two tablespoons for sprinkling on top later. Once again, use a sturdy spatula to stir all of the pretzels into the chocolate mixture. Make sure that everything is well combined! Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Press down with the spatula to flatten slightly.  Set aside while you melt the chocolate for the topping.

PREPARING THE MELTED CHOCOLATE TOPPING

Remove the Mirage Chocolate Bars, or any alternative that you might be using, from the packaging. Break them up into smaller pieces. Place the pieces into a microwave-safe bowl with one teaspoon of butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. If the chocolate is not silky smooth, reheat in increments of 5 or 10 seconds, depending on your microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula after each increment.

Once the chocolate is smooth, pour it over the layer of Nutella and pretzels. Use an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate. Top with the remaining two tablespoons of crushed pretzels and set the pan aside. It’s best to let it sit at room temperature for at least one hour to help temper the chocolate. Slowly cooling will prevent the milk solids from separating. After the hour has passed, transfer it to the fridge for another 60 minutes to chill. Before attempting to cut into bars, remove from the fridge and let set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

To cut, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the entire pan of squares out of the baking dish.  Remove and discard the parchment paper.  Set the large square onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into your desired size.  Once cut, store the bars in an airtight, food-safe container and keep them refrigerated.  Squares will last 7-10 days in the fridge.  Squares can be frozen for 2-3 months.

FAQs

1. Can I use other chocolate bar flavours? I’m sure you can, but please note, I have not tested this recipe with anything but Mirage. A single Mirage Bar in Canada is 41 grams. In contrast, a Milka Bubbly is 90 grams; so rather than 4 Mirage Bars, only 2 Milka Bubbly Bars would suffice. Remember, you can also use Hershey’s Air Delight or Galaxy Bubbles.
2. Can I used chocolate chips instead? Yes, you can. I prefer milk chocolate over semi-sweet or dark, but go ahead and use whichever you prefer. Melt two cups of chocolate chips with a teaspoon of butter in the microwave. Smooth it over the bars and sprinkle with extra crushed pretzels.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely firm, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these for up to three months.