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    Home » Dessert Recipes » Cookie Recipes

    Published: Feb 20, 2020 · Modified: Feb 20, 2024 by Renée · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Nutella Cookie Bars

    Jump to Recipe

    Nutella Cookie Bars with pecans, peanut butter chips, and instant pudding are sure to become a family favorite!

    A vertical photo of lined up Nutella cookie bars on a board with crunched up parchment paper.

    I must get these Nutella cookie bars out of the house before I eat them all by myself!! That's the first thing I thought even BEFORE I took my initial bite!

    Their aroma alone as they baked in the oven was enough for me to know that these are some seriously delicious cookie bars and I was in trouble!

    Table of Contents Found Here
    • The ingredient list:
    • Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
    • Fair warning!
    • How to make Nutella cookie bars:
    • Can these chocolate and hazelnut spread cookie bars be frozen?
    • Can other flavors of instant pudding be used?
    • Can other chopped nuts be used for the topping?
    • Can other flavors of baking chips be used to make these cookie bars?
    • Want more delicious cookie recipes?
    • Printable Recipe Card
    • Nutella Cookie Bars
    • Please comment if you've made this recipe.

    Subscribe to my Kudos Kitchen channel on YouTube. IT'S FREE!! Thanks, and I can't wait to see you there!!

    The ingredient list:

    **Note - The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience. #CommissionsEarned

    • all-purpose flour
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • butter
    • brown sugar
    • vanilla instant pudding
    • egg
    • pure vanilla extract
    • sweetened condensed milk
    • Nutella hazelnut spread
    • peanut butter baking chips
    • semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
    • chopped pecans

    Kitchen tools and equipment needed:

    • stand mixer or hand mixer
    • measuring cups and spoons
    • small mixing bowls
    • whisk
    • 13 x 9 baking dish
    • baking spray
    • offset spatula
    • cooling rack
    A horizontal photo os a 9x13 pan filled with hazelnut spread cookie bars with a serving utensil on the top.

    Fair warning!

    Thankfully, after these nutty cookie bars were baked and cooled, I gave many of them away.

    These layered chocolate hazelnut cookie bars are by far some of the best cookies bars I've ever eaten, and I'm not even the biggest fan of Nutella desserts!

    I urge you to make these simple to make layered chocolate and hazelnut cookie bars for yourself (or for gifting), and I promise you won't be sorry.

    Who knows? Maybe they'll become a family tradition and a recipe you'll treasure for many years to come.

    How to make Nutella cookie bars:

    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer) cream the butter, brown sugar, and dry pudding mix until light and fluffy.
    • Add the vanilla extract and egg.
    • Blend until combined.
    • Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and combine until a soft dough forms.
    • Press half of the cookie dough evenly into the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish that has been sprayed with baking spray.
    • Bake the crust in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
    • Remove and cool slightly.
    • Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the chocolate hazelnut spread with the sweetened condensed milk.
    • Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the baked crust.
    • Sprinkle the peanut butter chips and the semi-sweet chips evenly over the surface of the hazelnut spread.
    • Top the cookie bars with the reserved cookie dough, crumbling it into small pieces.
    • Before the final bake, top the cookie bars evenly with the chopped nuts.
    • Bake the cookie bars for an additional 30 minutes at 350-degrees, or until the bars are deeply golden in color.
    • Allow the bars to cool on a rack for 15 minutes and then run a sharp knife around the pan to loosen.
    • Cool the cookie bars completely before slicing and serving.
    Overhead horizontal photo of a 13 x 9 baking dish filled with hazelnut spread cookie bars with a silver serving spatula on top.

    Can these chocolate and hazelnut spread cookie bars be frozen?

    Yes!

    Completely cool the bars after baking and wrap them individually.

    Store them in an air-tight freezer container for up to 3 months.

    Can other flavors of instant pudding be used?

    Of course.

    Use whatever flavor you prefer. The choice is yours.

    Can other chopped nuts be used for the topping?

    Yes!!

    Use whatever nut is your favorite. OR, if you don't want nuts at all, leave them out entirely.

    Can other flavors of baking chips be used to make these cookie bars?

    Go crazy and use whatever you have in your pantry.

    Caramel, cinnamon, white chocolate, milk chocolate...They're all good!

     

    Want more delicious cookie recipes?

    *Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

    *Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

    *Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Candy Cookies

    *Almond Joy Coconut Macaroons

    *Gigantic Christmas Cookie Roundup

    Closeup vertical title text photo of cookie bars with chocolate hazelnut spread and nuts.

    When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.

    Search engines such as Google appreciate comments and ratings and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Please look for the pink star rating box within the printable recipe card. Thank you!!

    Printable Recipe Card

    A stack of three Nutella Cookie Bars.

    Nutella Cookie Bars

    Renee Goerger
    Easy to make layered Nutella Cookie Bars with pecans, peanut butter chips, and instant pudding are sure to become a family favorite!
    Have you made this recipe?Please Comment and Rate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save recipe Save this recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course cookie bars, cookies
    Cuisine Dessert
    Servings 15 servings
    Calories 441 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoons baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup butter softened
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 box 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding
    • 1 large egg at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
    • ½ cup Nutella
    • 5 ounces peanut butter baking chips
    • 5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
    • ½ cup chopped pecans
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
    • Liberally spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with baking spray. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter, brown sugar, and dry pudding until fluffy.
    • Add the egg, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and blend.
    • Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend until a soft dough forms.
    • Press half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, Reserving the remaining dough for later.
    • Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and cool slightly.
    • In a small bowl, whisk together the chocolate hazelnut spread and the sweetened condensed milk.
    • Use the offset spatula to evenly spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the baked cookie crust.
    • Sprinkle the peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly over the Nutella layer.
    • Break and crumble the reserved dough evenly over the entire surface of the cookie bars.
    • Top the cookie bars with the chopped nuts.
    • Bake for an additional 30 minutes at 350-degrees, or until the cookie bars are deeply golden brown in color.
    • Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 6gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 343mgFiber: 3gSugar: 25g

    I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's dessert bar recipe for layered hazelnut spread cookie bars as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!

    A closeup horizontal photo of a hand holding a layered Nutella cookie bar with pecans.

    Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!

    Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!

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    Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!

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      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Sophie Heath says

      February 20, 2020 at 1:33 pm

      I'm a sucker for hazelnut, so this spread on cookie bars is SO GOOD! I'm so ecstatic that I found this recipe and that I can share it with my friends and family now!!

      Reply
    2. PREM SINGH says

      April 11, 2013 at 11:46 am

      Lovely blog!
      Want to follow each other??
      Really its look awesome...... lovely decor idea..
      Modular kitchen designs

      Reply
    3. Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says

      April 01, 2013 at 9:58 am

      Yum, your nutella bars look and sound so good!

      Reply
    4. Susan says

      March 27, 2013 at 7:27 am

      Oh my husband would LOVE these! I can see why you need to get them out of your house! 🙂

      Reply
    5. Tami says

      March 27, 2013 at 3:17 am

      I was wondering if there was a particular reason why you used sugar free pudding mix when there are no other sugar free items in the recipe?

      Reply
    6. Kirstin says

      March 27, 2013 at 3:00 am

      oh wow! These sound absolutely amazing. I'd need to get them out of my house too 🙂

      Reply
    7. Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies says

      March 27, 2013 at 2:17 am

      Mmmm...Nutella bars look yummy! Great SRC pick!

      Reply
    8. Paula says

      March 26, 2013 at 9:41 pm

      O.K., you've convinced me to bake them...not that it took much convincing. They do look scrumptious!

      Reply
    9. Karen S Booth says

      March 26, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      LOVE your step-by-step photos! Great SRC pick, and hello from a fellow group D SRC player! Karen xx

      Reply
    10. Melissa says

      March 25, 2013 at 11:41 pm

      Oh wow...I have no words! I generally just eat nutella out of the jar by the spoonful when it is in my pantry (that's normal, right?!), but I might just have to buy another jar so that I can try these! Awesome pick this month! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
    11. Cindy says

      March 25, 2013 at 7:28 pm

      I couldn't be alone with this yummy bar! I just have no self control (sad I know). But I have plenty of friends that like what I bake. I just have to get it out of the house quick. Great SRC pick.

      Reply
    12. Megan @ Cooking Whims says

      March 25, 2013 at 5:25 pm

      These look crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy good!!! I had Shari's blog a while back -- love all of her recipes!

      Reply
    13. Katrina says

      March 25, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Ooh, those look delicious and what a fun list of ingredients! Perfect!

      Reply
    14. SallyBR says

      March 25, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      I had her blog last year, remember having fun searching for recipes.

      Your Nutella concoction had me drooling here - love the stuff! In fact, I do not normally allow myself to buy a jar, but for this recipe I might open an exception 😉

      Hope you are having a great Reveal Day!

      (by the way, we love the glass you made and sent me, it sits over our counter top permanently!)

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Renee! I've been a passionate home cook for over 40 years. I specialize in easy-to-make comfort food dishes from appetizers to desserts and everything in between.

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