Nutty Chocolate Bars

nutty bar chocolates

I’ve been saying this for a few years now, but I really like milk chocolate (even though chocolate connoisseurs are supposed to prefer dark chocolate), and for Valentine’s Day – especially – you should stick with what (and who) you really like.

And the last few V days, I’ve only made things I really like: buttermilk rum cakes, grilled cheese with orange marmalade, chocolate cherry truffle mini brownies.  This year I’m sticking to something I like  (milk chocolate) and someone I really love (Matt). I hope you’re doing the same!

   nutty chocolate bars

Every year, whenever I have a layover in Japan, I hoard boxes and boxes of Royce Chocolates. To me, Royce makes one of the best chocolates in the world. I love the nama chocolates (truffles) and the nutty bar chocolate, little finger-sized chocolate bars packed with nuts and rice puffs. When I introduced Matt to these chocolates, he immediately gobbled them. One after the other after the other. I knew we were soul mates!

(PS – he used to claim he didn’t like chocolate.)

We bought a few boxes but we were down to our last two bars of nutty bars, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to recreate them. These Nutty Chocolate Bars  are the result. We both agreed that we actually like these homemade ones better.

homemade nutty chocolate bars

And what’s not to like? There’s creamy milk chocolate, Nutella (NUTELLA!), slivered almonds, buttery pecans, brown rice crisps, some sea salt, and a knob of butter to round it all together. There’s a lot of smooth creamy flavors and a whole lotta crrrunch.

Plus, this is a no bake dish. No slaving over a hot oven, because all the magic is done in the microwave. It’s ridiculously easy to whip up, literally just minutes to make, plus a couple of hours chilling in the freezer. I also like how it’s a versatile dessert – there’s room to experiment with different nuts (add or swap hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, cashews), different chocolates (dark, white), other crunchy things (cereal, feuilletine), or even the type of salt (smoked sea  salt, anyone?)

I urge you to make these for yourself and your loved ones.Wrap up individual bars in wax paper and decorate with washi tape, or keep a stash in your freezer for “emergencies” and midnight snacking.

almond chocolate bars

Yield: 16 bars

Nutty Chocolate Bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

8 oz milk chocolate
8 oz Nutella
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown rice crispies
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  1. Combine the chocolate, Nutella, and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on full power for 1 minute, then remove from microwave and stir. Everything would have started to melt but you’ll still have some lumps. Heat again in 30-second intervals and stir until the mixture turns smooth. I heated everything for a total of 90 seconds.
  2. Fold in the nuts and salt.
  3. Pour mixture in a parchment-paper lined 8x8 pan. Freeze for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.

crunch bar chocolates

I hope you’re all enjoying the month of love. More travel pics coming soon!