Get ready to indulge in pure dessert bliss with these incredibly easy-to-make Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars. In what feels like no time at all, you’ll have these golden, gooey delights baking in your oven, filling your kitchen with an irresistible aroma. Crafted mostly in a single bowl and mixed by hand, this recipe proves that you don’t need extensive culinary skills or fancy kitchen gadgets to create something truly spectacular. It’s simplicity meets decadence, perfect for novice bakers and seasoned pros alike.
Our inspiration for these heavenly bars comes from a deep, abiding love for creamy Nutella and the delightful chewiness of classic cookie bars. We’ve taken the best elements from beloved recipes like our Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars, infusing them with the rich, hazelnut-chocolate goodness of Nutella to create an entirely new, unforgettable treat. These aren’t just dessert bars; they’re a celebration of flavor and ease, designed to satisfy every sweet craving.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars
Prepare to experience a flavor sensation that will have you coming back for more. Loaded with generous amounts of premium chocolate chips and a luscious, thick layer of melted Nutella, these chocolate chip Nutella bars are undeniably delicious and remarkably easy to prepare. Here’s why they’re destined to become your new favorite:
- Effortless Preparation by Hand: Forget the stand mixer! This recipe is designed for maximum convenience. You can achieve a perfectly blended dough using just a spatula and a whisk, making it ideal for spontaneous baking sessions or when you’re short on time and equipment.
- Minimizing Cleanup with One Bowl: We know cleanup is often the least favorite part of baking. That’s why this recipe streamlines the process, requiring mostly one bowl for the cookie dough after whisking the dry ingredients. Less mess means more time to enjoy your delectable creations.
- Beginner-Friendly Baking: Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, these Nutella bars are incredibly straightforward. The steps are simple to follow, guaranteeing a successful and delicious outcome every single time, boosting your baking confidence.
- Intensely Chocolatey and Rich: These bars offer a double dose of chocolate delight. The vibrant chocolate chips meld perfectly with the rich, hazelnut chocolate spread, creating a deep, complex flavor profile that satisfies even the most intense chocolate cravings.
- Irresistibly Gooey in the Middle: The magic of these bars lies in their core. The Nutella layer bakes into a perfectly gooey, molten center that contrasts beautifully with the cookie layers, offering a luxurious texture with every bite.
- Perfectly Portable Dessert: Need to bring a treat to a potluck, picnic, or family gathering? These chocolate chip cookie bars with Nutella are easy to transport and always a crowd-pleaser. Their sturdy bar form makes them ideal for sharing without any fuss.
- A Delightful Texture Contrast: Expect a symphony of textures! The top layer bakes to a satisfying golden crunch, while the bottom cookie layer remains wonderfully chewy. This delightful contrast, combined with the soft, gooey Nutella center, creates an exquisite mouthfeel that will keep you reaching for another piece.
These Nutella cookie bars were an absolute sensation throughout our recipe testing phase, with everyone asking for seconds (and even thirds!). Many remarked that they might never go back to a normal chocolate chip cookie again after tasting these. The combination of chewy cookie, melty chocolate, and creamy Nutella is simply unparalleled.
As with many of our chocolate-focused bakes, we highly recommend a light sprinkling of sea salt flakes over the top of these Nutella bars. We’re talking just a pinch across the entire pan. This subtle addition provides a tiny salty kick that beautifully complements and balances the sweetness of all that glorious chocolate and Nutella, elevating the overall flavor experience. If you’re not a fan of the salty-sweet combination, you are, of course, welcome to omit it.
Essential Ingredients for Your Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars
Crafting these delectable Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars requires a few simple, accessible ingredients that come together to create a truly magical dessert. The quality of your ingredients makes a difference, so opt for fresh and flavorful options where possible.
For detailed quantities and precise instructions, please refer to the comprehensive recipe card below.
- Nutella: This is the star of the show! The rich, creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread provides that signature gooey layer. While other brands of chocolate hazelnut spread exist, we’ve found that genuine Nutella delivers the best texture and flavor, maintaining its luscious melt during baking.
- Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour): The foundation of our cookie dough. Make sure it’s fresh for optimal texture.
- Cornflour (Cornstarch): Often overlooked, cornflour is a secret weapon in many cookie recipes. It contributes to a wonderfully soft and slightly chewy texture, preventing the bars from becoming too dense or cake-like. This is key to achieving that perfect cookie bar consistency.
- Sugars (Granulated White Sugar & Light Brown Sugar): We use a combination of both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Granulated sugar provides crispness and sweetness, while brown sugar adds moisture, depth of flavor (thanks to its molasses content), and a lovely chewiness to the cookie base. This blend is crucial for the complex texture and taste of these chocolate chip Nutella bars.
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter is always recommended in baking as it allows you to control the overall salt content in your recipe. Make sure it’s melted and slightly cooled before adding to the wet ingredients.
- Milk: Just a small amount of milk adds a touch of necessary moisture to the cookie dough, helping it come together beautifully and ensuring a tender crumb. Any kind of milk (dairy or non-dairy) will work.
- Vegetable Oil: The addition of a neutral-flavored oil like vegetable oil is paramount for keeping these cookie bars incredibly moist and tender on the inside, preventing them from drying out during baking or storage.
- Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda): This leavening agent reacts with acidic ingredients (like brown sugar) to create carbon dioxide, giving the cookie bars a gentle lift and a softer texture.
- Salt: A pinch of salt in the dough is vital for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors. As mentioned, an optional sprinkle of sea salt flakes on top adds a delightful contrast.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality, pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Pure vanilla offers a rich, aromatic depth that vanilla essence (which is synthetic) simply cannot replicate.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: While you can use any chocolate chips you prefer, dark chocolate chips provide a delightful counterpoint to the sweetness of the Nutella and sugars, adding a sophisticated depth to these bars.
Crafting Your Own Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars: A Simple Guide
Making these Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars is an incredibly straightforward process, perfect for bakers of all experience levels. Don’t be intimidated if the dough feels a bit thick when folding in the chocolate chips; your hands are often the best tools for the job! Precision in measuring and following these steps will lead to perfect results every time.
You’ll find detailed, print-friendly instructions with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the Butter: Begin by melting your unsalted butter in the microwave. Heat it just until it’s fully melted, then set it aside to cool slightly. It should be warm to the touch, not hot, when you add it to the other ingredients. This prevents it from cooking the eggs or altering the dough’s texture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the plain flour, cornflour, baking soda, and salt. Whisking ensures these ingredients are thoroughly combined and aerated, leading to a lighter, more evenly textured bar.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate, larger bowl, combine both types of sugar (light brown and granulated white), the slightly cooled melted butter, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Use a balloon whisk to mix these until they are well combined and smooth, creating the base for your rich cookie dough.
- Integrate Dry and Wet: Gradually add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Use a sturdy spatula to mix until they are just about combined – avoid overmixing. Once mostly blended, fold in the dark chocolate chips. If the dough is too thick or stiff for a spatula, don’t hesitate to use your clean hands to fully incorporate the chocolate chips. This ensures they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Assemble the Cookie Bars: Divide the cookie dough into two roughly equal portions. Press the first half evenly into the base of a 9-inch square baking pan, which should be lined with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to easily lift the bars out later. Next, warm the Nutella slightly in the microwave (about 20 seconds) to make it easier to spread. Pour or spoon the warmed Nutella over the pressed cookie dough layer and spread it evenly to create a thick, luscious middle. Finally, crumble the remaining cookie dough loosely over the Nutella layer. Do not press this top layer down; scattering it will give you that wonderful crunchy topping.
- Bake to Perfection: Place the assembled pan in your preheated oven. Bake for approximately 28-30 minutes, or until the top turns a beautiful golden brown and the edges are set. The center may still appear slightly soft, which is perfect for that gooey texture. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even browning.
It’s crucial to allow these Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars to cool in the pan for a good while after baking. Resist the urge to cut into them immediately! Cooling allows the layers to set properly, making them much easier to remove from the pan and slice cleanly. Once cooled to room temperature, you can cut them into squares and serve. At room temperature, the Nutella and chocolate chips will retain a delightful gooeyness. If you prefer a firmer bar, you can place them in the fridge to help the chocolate chips set more quickly, or simply enjoy them as they are – delightfully soft and indulgent, just like we do!
Expert Tips and Tricks for Perfect Nutella Bars
Achieving bakery-quality Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars is easy with a few insider tips. Follow these suggestions to ensure your bars are nothing short of perfection:
- Mind the Butter Temperature: Always melt your butter as the very first step in the recipe. This gives it ample time to cool down. You want it to be just melted and tepid (lukewarm), not hot, when it’s incorporated into the sugar and other wet ingredients. Hot butter can affect the texture of your dough and even partially cook other ingredients.
- Patience for Clean Slices: The key to neat, well-defined squares is allowing the bars to cool completely. This means the Nutella and all the chocolate chips need to fully set. While it can be tempting to cut into them while warm, waiting ensures a clean cut and prevents a messy, crumbling bar. Speed up the cooling process by placing the pan in the refrigerator for about an hour if you’re in a hurry.
- The Art of the Topping: While the bottom layer of cookie dough needs to be pressed firmly into the pan to form a solid base, the top layer is best scattered loosely. This intentional scattering allows the top layer to bake into a delightful, slightly crunchy, “crumble-like” topping, adding a textural dimension that makes these bars truly special.
- Customizing Your Cookie Texture: These Nutella cookie bars are designed to have a wonderfully crunchy top and a chewy bottom. If you prefer an entirely softer cookie bar experience, simply adjust the baking time. Remove the bars from the oven 5-7 minutes earlier than suggested. The internal temperature will continue to rise slightly out of the oven, resulting in a more uniformly soft texture.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dense bars instead of tender, chewy ones. A few small lumps are perfectly fine.
- Even Nutella Layer: Warming the Nutella slightly in the microwave for 15-20 seconds makes it much easier to spread smoothly and evenly over the bottom cookie dough layer. This ensures every bite gets a generous dose of that irresistible hazelnut chocolate goodness.
Storing Your Delicious Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars
To keep your Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars tasting fresh and delicious, proper storage is key. They store remarkably well, allowing you to enjoy them for days to come or prepare them in advance for special occasions.
These delightful Nutella bars will remain fresh and flavorful for 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place. The airtight seal prevents them from drying out and helps maintain their wonderful texture. If you prefer your bars with a firmer consistency, or if your kitchen is particularly warm, feel free to store them in the refrigerator. Chilling them will cause the chocolate and Nutella to firm up, creating a denser, fudge-like bite. Ensure they are still in an airtight container to prevent them from absorbing any unwanted odors from the fridge.
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If you embark on the delightful journey of making this chocolate chip Nutella bars recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. Your feedback is incredibly valuable; I absolutely love hearing about your baking experiences, and your reviews genuinely help other readers discover and enjoy these recipes too!
More Irresistible Recipes You’ll Love
If you’ve fallen in love with these chocolate chip Nutella bars, we have a feeling you’ll enjoy exploring more of our tempting dessert creations. Here are some other popular recipes that offer similar levels of deliciousness and ease:
- Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars: Another crowd-pleasing bar recipe featuring gooey caramel.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars: A delightful fusion of classic cookie and creamy cheesecake.
- Nutella Puff Pastry Twists: Quick and elegant, perfect for a Nutella fix.
- Ferrero Rocher Brownies: Rich, fudgy brownies inspired by your favorite hazelnut chocolates.
- Nutella Hand Pies: Portable and utterly delicious, a fun way to enjoy Nutella.
- Nutella Chocolate Sandwich Cookies: Double the chocolate, double the fun!
- Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies: A classic cookie elevated with generous chocolate chunks.
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Chocolate Chip Nutella Bars
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Ingredients
- 57 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (½ stick / ¼ cup / 2oz)
- 260 g plain (all purp) flour (2 cups / 9.2oz)
- 90 g cornflour (cornstarch) (⅔ cup / 3.2oz) c(notes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda (bicarb soda)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 g light brown sugar (¾ cup / 5.3oz)
- 100 g granulated white sugar (½ cup / 3.5oz)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
- ¼ cup whole milk (60ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup Nutella (310g / 11oz)
- pinch sea salt flakes
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
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mixing bowls
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Silicone spatula and balloon whisk
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9 inch square baking tin
Instructions
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Make sure the butter is melted and set aside to cool slightly.
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Preheat oven to 180C / 350F /160C fan forced. Line a 9 inch square baking tin with baking paper.
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Sift together the flour, cornflour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk using a balloon whisk to aerate and disperse.
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In a large bowl whisk together both sugars, butter, oil, milk and vanilla.
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Use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until 80% combined.
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Add the chocolate chips to the dough. Fold through or use your hands to mix them through well.
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Scatter half of the cookie dough in small clumps into the lined tin, then press down all over to flatten out and level.
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Heat the nutella for 20 seconds in the microwave then spread it over the cookie base. Scatter the remaining cookie dough, in small pieces evenly over the top of the Nutella layer until it is well covered – don’t press it down.
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Bake for 28-30 minutes (or until turning golden), turning half way through.
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Allow to cool in the tin for at least 45 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Notes
- I use a combination of plain flour and cornflour (cornstarch) as a replacement for cake flour. Feel free to use cake flour for both quantities, if you prefer.
- For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales like these are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- All ovens vary – check your bake 3-4 minutes before the recipe suggests.
- These cookie bars have a crunchy topping. If you prefer it softer, remove them from the oven 5-7 minutes earlier.
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