Sweet and Salty Nut Bars
Sweet and Salty Nut Bars will be the latest and greatest addition to your holiday sweets menu. Made with a buttery shortbread crust, soft chocolate-peanut butter center, and topped with salty mixed nuts – they hold something for everyone!
No doubt about it, these Sweet and Salty Nut Bars are perfect for the holidays! A cross between a cookie bar and a candy bar, they’re sure to be welcome on either cookie or candy tray. A crumbly shortbread crust is the base for a nutty chocolate-peanut butter fudge center. Then, it’s topped with more roasted, salted, mixed nut goodness. It’s the best of salty and sweet together.
Make the Shortbread Crust
Begin the crust with 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar and flour. It’s such a simple combination of ingredients that make magic when mixed together. Start with a wooden spoon, and when the mixture clumps, use your hands to knead the mixture together.
After everything is combined and crumbly, pour the mixture into the bottom of a parchment-lined 8×8 inch square baking pan. Tamp the crust down into the pan with your palms or with the bottom of a flat measuring cup. Bake it for 12 minutes in a preheated 350F oven, and then cool completely.
Make the Smooth Peanut Butter-Chocolate Filling
Next, prepare the filling. It’s such an easy fix! Combine sweetened condensed milk, semisweet chips, and peanut butter. Heat on the stove top and stir until smooth.
When the mixture is smooth, add in mini marshmallows. Stir while cooking over medium heat. It will take a few minutes for the marshmallows to melt and incorporate. Just keep stirring!
Add Salty Mixed Nuts
Stir in a cup of roasted, salted mixed nuts. Don’t go for ‘lightly salted’, we’re looking for well-seasoned mixed nuts with roasty flavor. The Planter’s mix I used has peanuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios (similar here).
Pour the chocolaty mixture over the prepared, cooled shortbread crust. It will begin to set up quickly, so smooth the top as best you can and then…
Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the surface of the fudgy filling.
Even the Top
Using flat palms, or the bottom of a flat measuring cup, tamp the nuts down into the chocolate filling. Allow the candy to set until completely cool and firm. You can also refrigerate the pan to speed setting.
Remove the slab from the pan by lifting it out by the parchment paper. Then cut it into squares. I portioned generous slices (16 total), however, these are rich. You could easily cut them smaller to double the yield.
Salty-sweet-crunchy-nutty – what’s not to love? These travel well, and can be easily be packaged for gift giving. While they’re not exactly cookies, I think they’d be welcome at any cookie swap!
Related recipe: Easy Toffee Walnut Bars
Sweet and Salty Nut Bars
Heather Baird
These bars are a harmonious blend of sweet and salty, featuring a buttery shortbread base, luscious chocolate-peanut butter filling, and a generous sprinkle of roasted, salted mixed nuts on top. With their dual personality as both a cookie and a candy, they’re the ideal treat for holiday dessert gifts or gatherings. Please note that salted butter is used in the shortbread crust. Unsalted butter can be used in its place. If you do this, add a pinch of fine grain salt to the flour mixture.
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Prep Time 29 minutes minsCook Time 12 minutes mins1 hour setting time. 1 hour hrTotal Time 1 hour hr 41 minutes mins
Course DessertCuisine American
Servings 16 pieces
Equipment8×8 inch baking pan
Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed1/2 cup salted butter room temperature1 can 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk2 cups semisweet chocolate chips½ cup creamy peanut butter2 cups mini marshmallows2 1/4 cups roasted salted mixed nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, and peanuts
Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper so paper hangs over all four sides.Combine flour, brown sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir, using wooden spoon, until large clumps form and then use hands to knead mixture together. Press dough into bottom of prepared pan; bake 12 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack to cool completely.In medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, semisweet chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Add marshmallows and stir well. Cook until marshmallows melt and can be stirred into the chocolate- peanut butter mixture. Add 1 cup of mixed nuts; stir to incorporate. Pour mixture over crust and spread evenly using spatula.Sprinkle remaining 1 1/4 cup mixed nuts on top of the filling while still warm. Gently press the peanuts into filling using fingertips. Refrigerate bars 1 hour or more before cutting. Bring to room temperature before serving.Store bars at room temperature in air-tight container or covered in plastic wrap.
Keyword brown sugar, christmas candy, Christmas cookies, fudge filling, mini marshmallows, salted mixed nuts, shortbread crust, sweet and salty nut bars, sweetened condensed milk
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