Nutella Bars

I love Nutella, and I’m always excited to see another dessert idea to use it.  I’ve been on a chocolate and marshmallow kick lately, so these seemed like the perfect way to satisfy my Nutella craving.  I made them into bars instead of a tart, just out of personal preference.  I also used honey roasted peanuts in place of the walnuts because that sounded better to me.  This is an almost no-bake dessert.  The only part that is actually baked is the crust, and once it is cool, you add the filling and then put it into the refrigerator until it is set.  The combination of the ingredients was incredible- with Nutella, chocolate, marshmallows, and peanuts, how could you go wrong?  I didn’t measure the amount of peanuts and marshmallows I used- just use what you think looks good!  This was the perfect choice for a movie night snack with some of our friends.

Nutella Rocky Road Bars
Source: adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Crust:
1 ½ cup chocolate cookie crumbs (I used some flourless chocolate cookies, but I think chocolate graham crackers or Oreos would be good as well)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

¾ cup Nutella
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup marshmallows (more if you want)
½ cup peanuts (or more if you want)

For the Crust:

Spray a 14-x-4-inch rectangular tart pan with baking spray, or butter. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter. I just used a food processor since I had to make the crumbs. Mix until fully combined and you can press the crust with your hand and it stays in place.

Dump the crust into the tart pan. Using your hands, press the tart crust evenly up the sides and in the middle of the tart pan.

Using center rack, bake tart for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

For the filling:

Place chocolate chips into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Once it begins to boil, pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes. Then whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the Nutella until fully incorporated. It should look glossy and smooth.

To assemble the tart:

Take ½ the marshmallows and ½ peanuts and scatter them onto the bottom of the tart.

Pour Nutella filling into the tart, over top the marshmallows and nuts. Smooth out tart if needed. Top with remaining marshmallows and nuts.

Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Cut and serve.