I’m not kidding! These chewy caramel-y chocolate nut bars are made without a single bowl. From scratch. They’ll save you all those times you promise to make something sweet but run out of time!
Meet my emergency quick sweet-treat!
I am one of those people who always overcommits. Especially when it comes to anything food related. Then 7 out of 10 times, I find myself in a flurry at the last minute because I promised to bring something sweet for lunch with friends, or to make something for my friends’ son’s school bake sale because she works full time and doesn’t have the time to bake something.
So it’s super handy to have a few really fast sweet recipes up your sleeve and this is one of mine. Just wait until you see how it’s made – it’s SO QUICK and you don’t need a SINGLE BOWL!
How to make these no-bowl chocolate nut bars
I know you’re probably wondering how on earth these bars are made without using a bowl at all so I’ll cut straight to the chase! Here’s how it’s done:
It’s made by creating a biscuit base using butter melted in the pan then sprinkling over crushed biscuits and desiccated coconut. Then it’s topped with nuts (your choice), chocolate chips, then finally topped with condensed milk which is what brings the whole bar together. Once baked, it holds together and becomes gloriously chewy, caramely bar!
Place butter straight into a lined pan and melt it in the oven while it is pre-heating.
Swirl to spread the melted butter across the base.
Sprinkle crushed biscuits across the base, then spread using a spoon/spatula/hands and lightly press down. I’m not meticulous here about even spreading, this is, after all, an emergency recipe!!
Sprinkle coconut across the base.
Top with about 2/3 of the nuts and choc chips
Pour over condensed milk.
Top with remaining nuts and choc chips.
Bake 30 minutes until light golden on the edges, then cool before cutting!
Ingredients in No-bowl chocolate nut bars
Ordinarily I put the ingredients before the recipe steps, but I feel like for this recipe it should be other way round! So, here’s what you need. It’s fabulously versatile – any plain biscuits, switch the peanuts and chocolate chips with other things like dried fruit and other nuts.
Condensed milk – This sweetened milk is like a thick syrup and this is the key ingredient that holds the bar together. Standard cans here in Australia re 395g (14oz) and are sold in the long-life dairy section in grocery store aisles.
Peanuts & chocolate chips – Feel free to substitute these with other add-ins of choice. Especially hand if you have a peanut or nut allergy in the family. Try pepitas and dried fruit!
Coconut – Desiccated coconut blends into the crushed biscuits to create the base. If you don’t like or don’t have coconut, feel free to add extra biscuits instead, or leftover wheat germ / wheat bran (if you made last weeks’ Breakfast Muffins!).
Butter – For buttery goodness and also to hold the base together.
Plain biscuits/cookies – Anything that can be crushed will work fine here. I’ve used all sorts over the years – Marie, Arrowroot (featured in today’s recipe), Graham crackers, scotch fingers. I once even made this with chocolate Oreo cookies by scraping the filling off!! (It was an emergency and it was darn delicious!)
It’s not a hack
This is one of those recipes that is not a “hack”, but rather an incidental side benefit is that it can be made without dirtying a single bowl. I would make these even if I had to use a bowl to make them!
So keep this one tucked away for one of those days when you’re in a rush and you’ve promised to make a sweet treat for your family or friends!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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No-bowl Chocolate Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter , cut into a few chunks
- 1 cup (100g) plain biscuits, crushed (eg. Marie, Arrowroot, digestives, Graham crackers – Note 1)
- 1 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 cup unsalted peanuts , or other nuts of choice (Note 2)
- 1 cup dark choc chips (US: semi-sweet chips) (Note 2)
- 395g (14 oz) (1 can) sweetened condensed milk (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160C fan-forced)
- Line pan – Lightly spray a 20cm/8" square pan with oil then press in a sheet of paper (no need to be meticulous here).
- Melt butter – Place the butter in the pan then melt in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Biscuit base – Swirl pan to spread butter then sprinkle over crushed biscuits. Spread then gently press down (again, I am not meticulous about evenness here).
- Layer – Scatter over the coconut, followed by about 2/3 of the peanuts and choc chips (reserve some for the top). Pour over condensed milk, spread for even coverage. Top with remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the edge of the surface is golden brown.
- Fully cool before cutting (3 hours on counter, or 1 hr counter + 1 hr fridge). Remove using paper overhang then cut and eat!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published way back in September 2015. Republished with a brand new video and photos by reader request!
Life of Dozer
New house. New shoot studio. Same scavenger.
Have to have coconut? Is there a replacement for it?
Congratulations, Nagi!!! Very well deserved and thank you for sharing your talents with us.
I was recommended to follow your blog by my adult son!! I haven’t looked back. So happy for your wins 🥰. Anne from NZ
Well done Nagi
You deserve so much more than awards!
You are a truely wonderful, generous person 💖
CONGRATULATIONS !! Nagi.
You deserve the win and should feel very proud of your wonderful effort.
Just remember to take some time to ” smell the roses” and look after yourself and Dozer.
Cheryl
Your fans are so excited for you! What a great choice the judges made – congratulations 🥳
I don’t like coconut.
What could I substitute in it’s place?
Nagi, you are going from strength to strength through hard work & a wonderful talent for communicating all things food (& canine). Good on you, you deserve all the rewards that are coming your way.
Great recipe for our caravanning trip! Thankyou from all us grey nomads!
My family have made a slightly different version of this recipe (same ingredients, different order) for my entire 36 years of life and we call it the caravan slice. Because it was easy to make while living in a caravan for my first year of life while our house was being built.
such a goodie! used to make this all the time as kids and coz of nut allergies, would swap the nuts for rice bubbles…yum
Congratulations to you on the awards – absolutely no one deserves them more than you x
Good morning Nagi and the very handsome Dozer, I am over the moon for you Nagi and getting two awards for your wonderful book is absolutely brilliant. Your kindness is being rewarded and i hope that it continues to be. You have a talent and a heart to help people in dire need and you have been doing it through some of the toughest times that we have seen in our lifetime.
Looking at Dozer, he looks like he is smiling his biggest smile and if he could laugh, i think he would be at “his” trophies. Congratulations lass and may you be rewarded many more times. Hugs from Norah, Scotland
Congratulations Nagi, your approach has always been down to earth and real. And your cookbook reflects this. I’m a fan.
Oh my goodness, Nagi, you’ve got bookend awards! Congratulations! Superb recognition of your talent and all your hard work ❤️
CONGRATULATIONS Nagi! Fabulous news and so well deserved. Loving your book, as do my sons in Melbourne and my sisters who live in Ireland! Very well done you! 💚☘️🐈⬛🐾🐾
CONGRATULATIONS Nagi San. What an honour. I use your recipes all the time so your award is very well deserved. Have a great weekend.
Huge congratulations on your awards. Well deserved. Love the cook book and look forward to the weekly recipes that enter my inbox. 😊🙏
Congratulations! Well deserved!
I’ve made a similar brownie with all these same ingredients, but I’ve always added butterscotch morsels, along with the chocolate chips.
Heartfelt congratulations Nagi (and Dozer). If got walls of cook books but this one is at the top of the pile because it gets used on a very regular basis. I pre order my copy all those months ago and since then I’ve bought 5 copies for friends. Keep up the great work. Thank you Jen
Thank you Jen! N xx
I don’t have a dedicated website.