Sweet and Salty Chocolate Kettle Chip Crunch Bars

Classic chocolate cookie bars are given a crunchy twist with the addition of Kettle Brand sweet and salty chips and marshmallows!

Occasionally a recipe speaks to you. It calls to you from the page, draws you in, and whispers “maaaaaake me, Courtney”. Except in a totally non-creepy, non-intrusive way. Know what I mean?

When I saw these Crunch Bars in last December’s edition of Bon Appetit magazine, I immediately ripped out the page and then, of course, completely forgot about them for 12 months.

That’s just the way it goes around here, y’all.

But then I discovered Kettle Brand Sweet and Salty Chips. They’re all, “Hey, girl…I’ve got that crazy crunch and salty sprinkle you love, buuuuut waiiiit…is that a hint of sweetness? Awwww, yeah girl. It totally is.”

Ok guys, I promise it’s actually much less weird than it sounds. Chips don’t talk to me like a Ryan Gosling meme (usually).

But really, that hint of sweet will draw you back. It hits you right at the end of the bite, and it’s just enough to make you wonder…was that a touch of sugar I detected? So of course you have to try another…and another…and another. I mean, mysteries like these don’t solve themselves.

So okay, back to those Bon Appetit crunch bars. When I found the sweet and salty chips, something clicked. I knew I wanted to play up the sweet and saltiness by using them in a dessert, and it needed to include chocolate. (Ummmm, hello chocolate covered potato chips!) I also wanted it to be easy to make and great for holiday gifting or parties. I was flipping through my trusty Binder ‘O Magazine Recipes and there it was.

Kettle Chips, meet Crunch Bars.

These bars are so simple to make and are incredibly versatile. A layer of cookie dough, a layer of semi sweet chocolate, and a smattering of crunchy toppings. The door is wide open for your favorites and I tried them with crushed peppermints and pecans and coconut. But by far my favorite and the crowd favorite was this crunchy, salty sweet combo of crushed Kettle Chips and fluffy marshmallows. Be warned: You might find yourself comping up with excuses to return to the buffet table to grab another nibble of these bars. Excuses like, “Ooopsies…I dropped my fork! Guess I have to swing by the Crunch Bars to grab another one,” or “UhOh. My face is covered in chocolate and chip crumbs. Guess I need a napkin (and another crunch bar).”

Guys, you know I don’t share products with you that I don’t capital L-O-V-E, and these Kettle Brand chips are one of them. They’re made with real, natural ingredients, are non-GMO, MSG free, and totally gluten free (yay)! Plus, they just taste good. With flavors as wild as Spicy Thai (my personal favorite) and as dependable as Salt and Vinegar, there really is something for everyone.

This season, Kettle Brand helped me spice up a classic holiday party. So alongside the massive meat and cheese platters and cocktail weenies, Kettle chips could be found in these crunch bars, as a coating on a holiday cheese ball (recipe coming soon), and mixed into my favorite chex mix.

Here are more ways you could use Kettle Chips in your favorite holiday party dishes:

• Use the Honey Dijon chips as a crispy coating for chicken fingers.
• Crumble the Sweet and Salty chips over a fruit crisp for added crunch and flavor.
• Use the Chili Garlic in an Asian inspired Chex Mix OR
• Make some spicy nachos with Jalapeno chips as the base!

I hope these crunch bars call to you just like they did to me. But don’t forget about them for a year like me. They deserve better.

*This recipe was created for Kettle Brand Chips and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are solely my own.