No-Bake Chocolate Pepita Crunch Bars
These no-bake chocolate pepita crunch bars are a candy and a brownie all in one. There is no baking, so they are a perfect holiday treat to go along with all the cookies you’ll be trading at your cookie swaps this season.
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 12 oz (340g) chocolate hazelnut spread
- 2 cups (180g) Feuilletine Flakes
- 2 cups (240g) toasted pepita seeds
Ganache
- 4 oz (113g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 oz (113g) heavy cream
- Edible Gold Leaf Sheets for decorating
- Sea Salt for sprinkling top
Instructions
- Prepare a 9 x 9 Inch Cake Pan Square with butter and line with parchment that comes up the sides
- In a large bowl over a double boiler melt the chocolate. Stir in the hazelnut spread, until well combined. Remove from heat and add the feuilletine and 1½ cups (180g) of the pepitas to the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Press the top flat with a piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, about an hour or overnight.
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Swirl the pan so the chocolate is submerged. Allow to sit for 3 minutes and then gently whisk until the chocolate is smooth. Cool to nearly room temperature, but still pourable.
- Run a fork over the surface of the set feuilettine mixture, so the ganache will stick to the surface. Pour the ganache over the surface and spread evenly. Bang the pan a few times to smooth out the surface. Sprinkle the remaining pepitas over the ganache and sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt. Refrigerate to set, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the cake pan by running a hot knife around the edge of the pan. Use a hot knife to cut into pieces, then decorate with gold leaf.