All I knew when I started formulating this recipe was that I wanted to utilize Nutella in some way shape or form. And then I thought about those perfectly jammy crumble bars you can typically find in a coffee shop (check out my PB&J Crumble Bars if that’s your thing!) and I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go in.

These bars utilize the same shortbread-esque simple cookie base for the crust as well as the crumbles to keep things simple and the Nutella filling is a rich and creamy combination of store-bought hazelnut spread, canned sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks.

I got the idea to use sweetened condensed milk from the recipe for Oatmeal Lemon Crumble Bars from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it worked out perfectly to keep things simple and help achieve the consistency I was looking for.

Most Nutella bars utilize the spread by itself as the filling, and that’s totally fine and tasty, but I was looking for a more custard-like consistency that would be set enough to cut into clean bars without compromising flavor or ease.

I hope you love them!

What You’ll Find in This Post

• What You’ll Need: Ingredients & Equipment
• Why You’ll Love Them
• Step-By-Step Instructions
• How to Store Them

What You’ll Need to Make Nutella Crumble Bars

Ingredients for Nutella Crumble Bars

• All-Purpose Flour: if you’re familiar with some of my other recipes, you know I prefer to use Unbleached All-Purpose Flour by King Arthur for most of my recipes. It provides the perfect amount of structure for these bars and you should have no trouble finding it at your local grocery store.
• Granulated Sugar: plain-ole generic granulated sugar works great for these. It will be used in the crust/crumbles.
• Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats (fun fact – they’re the same thing): in my testing I found that oats and Nutella are a match made in heaven. You’ll love the way the flavors combine in these bars.
• Baking Powder: this is a leavening agent that goes into the crust / crumbles. We use baking powder instead of baking soda because there isn’t much acidity found in the dough that would cause the necessary reaction from baking soda.
• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: my salt of choice for baking. Morton kosher salt is actually saltier and will totally throw off the recipe, so make sure you use diamond crystal. Here’s a cool article from Food52 about their differences 😉
• Unsalted Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter over salted butter so that I have total control over how salty the final bake turns out.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk: you should be able to find this canned sweet ingredient in the baking aisle of your grocery store near the canned evaporated milk. We’re going to mix it with the hazelnut spread and egg yolks for the perfect custard-like filling. And it means the edge pieces are just slightly chewy.
• Egg Yolks: Egg yolks help get that creamy, set texture we’re looking for in the filling and make it taste a little more rich. If you’re not sure how to separate an egg yolk from its white, here’s a helpful 1-minute how-to video by Jamie Oliver.
• Nutella or a similar Hazelnut Spread: truth be told, I used store-brand generic hazelnut spread for the recipe testing just because it was the cheapest. But you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand!

Equipment for Nutella Crumble Bars

There’s no special or electric equipment necessary to make these bars. They can be made entirely by hand using two medium-sized mixing bowls, a whisk, a microwave-safe bowl, parchment paper, and a 9-inch X 9-inch metal baking dish/cake pan like this one from OXO (not sponsored).

Why You’ll Love These Nutella Crumble Bars

They’re the perfect, slightly rich dessert for the Nutella lover in your life! It’s a simple recipe that can be made entirely by hand and is perfect for bringing to a party or sharing with friends.

buttery shortbread-esque cookie crust + a layer or custardy Nutella + oats
= your new favorite dessert

Step-By-Step Instructions

If may feel like you’ve got a couple of moving parts, but these Nutella crumble bars are pretty simple and come together easily.

1. Make the Crust
   Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and pinch everything together until you have a bowl of crumbles with no dry spots.
2. Set Aside the Crumbles
   Measure out one cup of the crumbles and set them aside to be used on top of the custard.
3. Press the Crust
   Use the remaining crumbles to create your cookie crust by pressing them into the bottom of your greased and lined pan.
4. Make the Custard & Top the Crust
   Whisk together the Nutella, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and all one color, then spread it over the crust you pressed into the pan.
5. Top with the Crumbles
   Use the one cup of crumbles you set aside to sprinkle evenly over the Nutella mixture.
6. Bake & Enjoy!

See the full Nutella crumble bars recipe below for complete instructions.

How to Store Nutella Crumble Bars

The best way to store these Nutella crumble bars is to cover them and put them on the counter at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for 3-4 days.

I tried storing them in the fridge, but the crust and filling hardened up a little too much in the chill for them to be enjoyable without having to thaw them.

I’ve not tried storing them in the freezer after they’ve baked, but if you give that a go, let me know how it works!

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