Imagine the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate, only upgraded. That’s what you can expect with these soft, cake-like peanut butter bars marbled with sweet swirls of Nutella.
Baking is a love language; it’s a way for me to express that I care. Only a couple weeks after our first date and a month after my husband Grant and I met was our first Christmas together. With a sweet tooth even bigger than mine (which I didn’t think was possible) and a deep appreciation for comfort food, adding a homemade dessert to Grant’s Christmas present was a no-brainer; it was almost guaranteed to make him super happy and it personalized the gift while expressing my feelings for him in one of the best ways I know how!
What was included in his Christmas present? A decadent combination of two favorites of his: Swirled Nutella Peanut Butter Bars. Were they healthy? Absolutely not. But besides, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?
Those bars quickly became a highly requested staple. After a while though, I wondered if I could make them healthier so that they could be more of a regular dessert than a “treat yourself” dessert (the OG recipe calls for a full stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar – like I said, I was trying to win his heart, not watch his figure).
Equipped with plenty of PB, Nutella, and determination and after some expected trial and error, the final result is this PB Nutella Bar recipe – an equally indulgent, but better for you version of those special, swirled bars. Once you sink your teeth into the smooth, chocolatey swirls rippled throughout the spongy bars rich in peanut butter, you’ll understand why I wanted to make a healthier variation in the first place (spoiler: it’s because once you start on these bars, you won’t want to stop!). And now, there’s a way to a person’s heart, while keeping their heart healthy!
PB Nutella Bars
Ingredients
- 1 C flour: oat, WW, AP
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. sea salt extra for topping
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 2 TBSP butter, room temperature vegan or regular
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ TBSP stevia
- 2 TBSP + 1 tsp. stevia brown sugar*
- 1 TBSP vanilla
- 3 TBSP maple syrup (Lakanto, monk fruit)
- 5 oz. unsweetened plain yogurt Greek or dairy-free
- ½ C creamy peanut butter
- ¼ C Nutella or Nutiva*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter, egg, stevia, and stevia brown sugar together with a hand mixer*
- Incorporate the vanilla, syrup, yogurt, and peanut butter into the butter and egg mixture
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until it's smooth and clump-free
- Evenly spread the batter into a prepared 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan
- Make 4 evenly spaced parallel lines of Nutiva or Nutella across the batter
- Lightly drag a butter knife through the batter in the opposite direction of the Nutiva or Nutella lines to create swirled lines
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown – it’s okay if the middle isn’t fully cooked, the bars will continue to cook as they cool
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the bars (optional) and let cool before cutting into 12 equal squares
Notes
- *Stevia brown sugar: can also use regular brown sugar or date sugar
- *Nutella or Nutiva: you can use more or less depending on your personal preference. If you’re not a Nutella fan, you can always keep them plain or add chocolate chips – it’s up to you!
- *3. It’s okay if you don’t have a hand mixer, it can be mixed by hand!
Nutiva is a hazelnut spread that’s a healthier, non-GMO, vegan alternative to Nutella with 40% less sugar and sustainably sourced ingredients. Whether Nutella, Nutiva, or both along with exactly how much is used in this recipe is up to you and your discretion. And if you’re wondering how anything with Nutella could be considered “healthy”, someone on Pinterest had the same thought and the explanation to that valid question can be found here.
Derived from a far less healthy original, I hope you thoroughly enjoy these PB Nutella Bars and that they “taste too good to be healthy”! And if you’re in the mood for another peanut butter treat, then look no further than this insanely easy recipe: One Bowl Peanut Butter Cookies.
If interested, the macronutrients are below. They are kept separate at the very end of each recipe blog so that this can remain a safe, positive space for all as not everyone wishes to see the nutritional information.
Macros per piece (based on 12 pieces): 16 C | 11.25 F | 5.25 P
If you cut more or less than 12 bars and want the macros, just divide the macros of the entire pan (below) by the total number of pieces to get the macros per piece.
- Whole pan: 192 C | 135 F | 63 P
If you put more Nutella on it, a different amount of Nutiva, or decide to leave them plain, here are the macros for the bars without Nutella or Nutiva:
- Per piece, plain (based on 12): 13 C | 8.9 F | 4.75 P
- Whole pan, plain: 156 C | 107 F | 57 P
To put these macros into perspective, these are the macros for the recipe that I first made for Grant that inspired this one:
- Whole pan: 397 C | 202.2 F | 54 P
- Per piece (based on 12): 33 C | 16.85 F | 4.5 P
In comparison, this recipe is half the carbs, less fat, and a smidge more protein! Note that the macros will differ slightly if you use: vanilla or flavored Greek yogurt instead of plain, regular maple syrup instead of Lakanto monk fruit sweetened maple syrup, Nutella instead of Nutiva, and more than the amount of Nutella or Nutiva called for in this recipe. The first-mentioned ingredients are all higher in sugar and carbs which will increase the total carbohydrate content of the dessert. While there’s absolutely nothing inherently “bad” or wrong with sugar or carbs, it’s worth knowing (knowledge is power after all), especially if macros are being closely tracked or certain health conditions are present.
The macros for recipes are also available on MyFitnessPal. Simply search the name of the recipe followed by “ – SUNutrition” (so for this recipe, search “PB Nutella Bars – SUNutrition”).
These were AMAZING! Delicious and I know it’s not bad for me! Thank you!!!