Chocolate coconut almond bars

Chocolate coconut almond bars with salted pretzel crust

Looking for a deliciously different bar cookie? These sweet and salty Blitz Bars are so good, you won't know what hit you. A salted pretzel crust is topped with a mixture of melted bittersweet chocolate, peanut butter, almonds, dried cherries and coconut to create a decadent dessert. Top with our free printable "Blitz Bar" flags and watch your party guests rush to get their hands on these simply irresistible bar cookies.

Yield: about 30 bars

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.

Ingredients

For the crust

1½ cup flour
¾ cup ground pretzels (measure after grinding)
⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Parchment paper

For the topping

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken
½ cup whole roasted salted almonds
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup candy-coated chocolate or peanut butter pieces
½ cup coconut (we used thick-cut coconut but regular shred also works)

"Blitz Bars" printables

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper long enough to hang over the edge of the pan.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, ground pretzels and sugar to combine. Add the melted butter and mix again until you have soft dough.
  3. Press the dough into a pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  4. While the crust is cooling, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. Add the peanut butter, stirring until well combined. Pour and spread the filling evenly over the cooled crust.
  5. Sprinkle the remaining topping ingredients evenly over the filling.
  6. Chill in the freezer for 1 hour. Use the parchment to lift the cookies out of the pan. Cut into rectangles.