Chocolate Salted Nut Bars Candy Recipe

I was craving sweets one day and needed inspiration. I dug through my old cookbooks looking for something that called my name. A recipe for salted nut squares jumped out at me and I decided to try them.  Of course, since I rarely follow the recipe, the original recipe quickly went haywire and became Chocolate Salted Nut Bars.

I realized I didn’t have any peanuts, so I substituted cashews. Then I forgot an ingredient when I was mixing the bars. Then, I decided they needed chocolate.

 But, to my surprise, my revamped Chocolate Salted Nut Bars Candy Recipe still turned out tasting delicious!  Even better, they are naturally gluten-free and are no-bake with a minimal prep time. Easy and tasty? That’s my kind of recipe!

Chocolate Salted Nut Bars Candy Recipe

With only 6 ingredients, this recipe can be put together in no time. Be sure to plan ahead when making this as it requires a chilling time of 1 to 2 hours.

Substitutions: 

  • The original recipe used peanuts, but I had cashews. You could easily use either peanuts, cashews, or almonds in these bars. If you’re feeling adventurous, mix all three together!
  • I used chopped milk chocolate bars for the chocolate, but you could use any of the following; M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Peanut Butter Cups, or chocolate bars with almonds.

Cooking Tips:

*To make cleanup easier, place a sheet of waxed paper on the bottom of the 11″ by 7″ baking dish before preparing the bars. You can also spritz it with cooking spray to make the bars easier to remove.

*While prep time is minimal, the bars need time to set in the fridge until chilled, approximately 1 to 2 hours, so prepare ahead if you are making these for a party.

Printable Recipe:

Chocolate Salted Nut Bars Candy Recipe

Recipe by Pam
Servingsservings
Prep timeminutes
Cooking timeminutes
Calorieskcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups salted peanuts OR cashews OR Almonds (or a mixture of all three)

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 cups peanut butter chips

  • 2 cups miniature marshmallows

  • 1 (14-ounce can) sweetened condensed milk

  • 2 (1.5-ounces each) chocolate candy bars, broken into pieces

Directions

  • Line an 11×7 inch pan with waxed paper. Spritz the paper with cooking spray.
  • Melt the butter and peanut butter chips over low heat in a large saucepan, stirring often until the mixture is smooth.
  • Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk until blended.
  • Spread 1/2 of the nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan. Pour the peanut butter chip mixture over the nuts. Use a knife to spread it evenly.
  • Top with the remaining nuts. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over top of nuts, then top marshmallows with chocolate pieces.
  • Store in the refrigerator until chilled, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Cut in pieces and serve.

Make it in the Microwave:

  • Speed up the preparation time by placing the chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, on high, for 1 minute. Stir. If mixture is not smooth, return to the microwave for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring after each 30 seconds.
  • Add the sweetened condensed milk, stir until smooth, and continue recipe as directed above.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

  • These bars can be made in advance. Follow the directions above, including chilling for 1 to 2 hours. Cut into squares.
  • Place bars in an airtight storage container or freezer bag. Separate layers with a sheet of wax or parchment paper.
  • Freeze the bars for up to 2 months.
salted nut bars 2

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What is your favorite no-bake dessert recipe? Do you have a favorite gluten-free dessert? Tell us about it in the comments. 

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46 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to try this out during the holidays, we all love chocolate nut bars candy and it is always a big hit here.

  2. These look so good. I could go for some of them right now. I’ll have to get the ingredients. I’d really love to try these.

  3. This could me make forget about my fitness goal. Lolz. Looks addictive.

  4. That chocolate candy bar looks absolutely delish! I gotta try them right this instant!

  5. Oh my these look so good! I’m definitely saving this recipe for later!!!

  6. I just jumped onto the sweet/salty band wagon about a year ago and I am ALL FOR THIS! Can’t wait to make it!

  7. OMG These Chocolate Salted Nut Bars sound delicious and look amazing!

  8. OMG these look and sound so delicious! Definitely going to make these soon!

  9. These look so good! Adding this recipe to my holiday baking list!

  10. What i needed was a special dessert for a family Thanksgiving. Those salted chocolate nut bars are very nice and will surely fit the bill.

  11. The older I get the more I love the combo of sweet and salty. This looks amazing.

  12. someone please make and bring me, these look amazing

  13. The recipe is amazing for snacks when you want something different, it really looks so fantastic, and used for some leftovers candies in the fridge. Really, It is great to know that dishes like this for refreshing the mind still exist.

  14. Oh my goodness, these look simply delicious! This looks like something that both myself and my children would love.

  15. So delicious! This is really great for any kind of desserts. It is so yummy and I am completely satisfied with this!

  16. I love that these delicious treats are no-bake. I like that the ingredients are also easy to find. Making this tomorrow. Yummy!

  17. Kelli@hungryhobby
    You had me at chocolate, then clinched it with the peanuts or any nut! What a great easy dessert for any occasion.

  18. Fun story for how these came about. What a fun and delicious happenstance! They look yummy!

  19. So… I could eat an entire pan of these by myself.. and not feel guilty about not sharing!! You have combined the perfect flavors and I cant believe how easy these are to make .. adding these to try for sure!

  20. These look like a delicious treat! I love that they are no bake! I’ll try making these with my girls!

  21. That looks so tasty! It kind of reminds me of a Snickers bar. I think it would be really good for a snack. I am starting to crave these now.

  22. Summer calls for no bake desserts as no one wants to turn on the oven to heat up an already hot house!! So yay for these scrumptious bars! This needs to happen!

  23. The bars look so yummy and I bet they would be a huge hit with my family!! Great to take to a picnic or outdoor barbecue. Pinning to make later!

  24. These look delicious!! Peanut butter chips.. see how sometimes “mistakes” makes gems..

  25. These look great – what a contrast of flavor.
    And you can’t go wrong with peanut butter chips!

  26. This looks SOOO good! I’m sure my kids won’t be able to stop eating this!

  27. The bars look so delicious and pretty. I’m a huge fan of using mixed nuts and these would be fabulous to try.

  28. These look and sound like the best thing EVER! Haha, yum. My husband would really love these, so saving this recipe to make very soon!

  29. I love using left over candy bars… saving this for later. Looks delicious.

  30. These looks so delicious! I love how easy they are to make and the wax paper tip for clean up!

  31. Oh yumm, that is all good things together in a small pack!!! And love how easy it is to make! I m definitely bookmarking this to try! 🙂

  32. You got me at chocolate! It is genius to add the salt for that taste contrast. Super nice recipe the only bad thing is that I do not have a chocolate salted bar now =)

  33. I love how simple these are to make. They look like they have a really nice texture. I think my husband would enjoy these.

  34. OH my goodness I need these in my belly right now!! These look heavenly.

  35. Beyond amazing! I so have to give this recipe a go! Your photos are stunning too.

  36. I love a good sweet treat that I don’t have to bake this time of year since it really turns up the heat in the house. Sometimes the best recipes are the ones we find by mistake. These do sound scrumptious!

  37. Now these would be perfect snacks to get the energy up after a long day. The peanut butter flavor sounds really good.

  38. These sound delicious. I love no bake recipes. Isn’t it amazing how “recovery” recipes can turn out as good or better than the original recipe!

  39. Yum! It is already quite hot here, so there is no way I am turning on the oven. These no bake bars sound perfect.

  40. Oh good grief those look amazing! I love sweet and salty snacks. Yum!

  41. Oh yum now this sounds like a really tasty candy recipe, I definitely need to play around with making my own.

  42. Yum. I will be trying these. They look and sound just delicious. I crave sweet and salty all the time so this would be a great idea for that time!

  43. We have quite a few left over candy bars stashed around the house. I think we need to use them for this recipe and feed it to the kids. My wife and I can’t. We’re trying to get fit. BUT our kids are just fine to eat sweets. LOL

  44. YES! I must have this in my belly! Like right now! This is the best leftover recipe ever. EVERRRRR!

  45. These look delicious and perfect way to use up some leftover candy bars. I love it when recipes turn out great even when some of the ingredients are missing – I call them accidental recipes.

  46. Mmmm! These sound super good. I am excited to make these for my family.