Salted Nut Roll Bars

What You’ll Need

Here’s the short list of ingredients for these salted nut roll bars. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.

• Peanuts – Use dry roasted salted peanuts for the best crunchy, salty flavor and texture.
• Condensed milk – Be sure to pick up a can of sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk, which is unsweetened.
• Peanut butter baking chips – I use Reese’s peanut butter baking chips.
• Butter – Unsalted butter adds a touch of rich flavor and texture to the sweet peanut butter mixture.
• Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows give you little pockets of gooey, chewy deliciousness in every bite!

How to Make Salted Nut Roll Bars

You won’t believe how incredibly easy it is to make this nut roll recipe!

• Layer the peanuts. Spread half the peanuts in a 9×13 pan.
• Make peanut butter mixture. In a saucepan, melt the peanut butter chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Let the mixture cool a bit; you want it just lightly warm, not piping hot.

• Add marshmallows. Fold the marshmallows into the melty peanut butter mixture. 
• Add the marshmallow mixture over the nuts. Spread the peanut butter/marshmallow mixture over the peanuts.

• Finish with the remaining peanuts. Sprinkle the rest of the peanuts over the top and press in a bit.
• Cool and cut. Let the salted nut roll bars cool to room temperature, or place the pan in the fridge for an hour to firm up. Cut into bars and enjoy.

Tips for the Best Salted Nut Rolls (+ two Variation Ideas)

I’ve got a few pointers for this salted nut roll recipe that’ll help you make the perfect bars!

• Don’t overheat the peanut butter mixture. When melting the peanut butter chips with the sweetened condensed milk and butter in the saucepan, stir continuously to keep the bottom from scorching – and remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as everything is almost combined and melted. Then keep stirring until the mixture is completely smooth.
• Keep the marshmallows intact. The goal here is to have pockets of gooey whole marshmallows, as you see in these pictures. Two things will help you achieve this. First, make sure to let the peanut butter mixture cool until it’s lightly warm, yet still very stirrable. If the mixture is too hot, the marshmallows will melt when you stir them in. And second, when you add the marshmallows to the warm peanut butter mixture, fold gently to evenly combine, taking care to not “mash” the marshmallows and break them up.
• Use your favorite nuts. You can swap the peanuts for cashews, pecans, or sliced almonds…just like they do at the MN State Fair! I just recommend that you use roasted & salted nuts, for the best flavor and texture. You could also use a mixture of nuts.
• Dip them in chocolate. For a chocolate-dipped Minnesota State Fair vibe, gently melt equal parts chocolate almond bark and semisweet chocolate chips. Then dip the salted nut roll bars into the chocolate, and let set on parchment paper.

How to Store

• Room temperature. Salted nut roll bars set up to a firm yet soft texture, due to the puffy marshmallows. You can store the bars at room temperature, in the covered pan or another airtight container, for up to 4 days at cool room temperature.
• Refrigerator: The bars keep really well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Freezer: These bars freeze exceptionally well. Add the bars to a freezer-safe container, separating any layers with parchment paper if desired. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in refrigerator or on the counter before enjoying.