Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bars
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bars
Ok, these chocolate hazelnut crunch bars are SO good! The peanut butter and chocolate make the perfect biteable base and the crunch from the rice crispy cereal absolutely makes it! These bars are totally gluten-free and can be made dairy-free and/or sugar-free depending on the type of chocolate and syrup you use. They are incredibly quick and easy to make and you only need 7 ingredients:
chocolate chips (I do a mix of dark and semi-sweet)
peanut butter
coconut oil
rice crispy cereal
hazelnuts
vanilla
It takes all but 10 minutes to prep and then about an hour in the fridge to set up. It’s really not a time commitment! They can also be prepped in advance up to a couple of days before you are planning on serving them.
They are the perfect dessert to serve at your dinner party or potluck dessert night. They look fancy but hardly take any effort to put together. The hazelnuts are such a beautiful addition both in flavour and aesthetic. I love to garnish the bars with roasted hazelnuts but it’s not required; it just adds a little something to the look of them. You’re going to have to stash these away somewhere at the back of the fridge because, once the rest of the family finds out about them, they will not last long!
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bars
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roast the hazelnuts: preheat the oven to 350F and add 1 cup of hazelnuts to a sheet pan. Roast the hazelnuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Let the hazelnuts cool completely. Place a tea towel on top of the hazelnuts and roll your hands over them to remove the skins. Set aside 9-12 hazelnuts for garnishing and finely chop the rest using a food processor or a knife.
- In a small saucepan, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, honey and coconut oil and stir over medium-heat until melted and smooth.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts and rice crispy cereal until fully coated in chocolate.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and press into all of the corners until evenly dispersed.
- Press the reserved, whole hazelnuts on top of the mixture and cover the pan with a tea towel or bowl cover. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!