Easy no bake dessert! No Bake Pistachio Bars are a recipe that requires no baking and comes together quickly. Great for a crowd or as a special treat!
As a kid, box mix anything was a luxury. My mom would take me grocery shopping with her, and I would spend the whole time asking her to buy brownie mix, cookies, and any other sugary treats we passed.
My mom's response was always the same - "No, we can make it better at home". I was always so disappointed about that because everything that came in a box seemed so much cooler than what we could make at home.
Now, I find myself telling my kids the same thing - with a few exceptions. Pistachio pudding mix is one of my favorite box mix items. There's something about the green color and little bits of pistachio in it that I love.
And it makes a great, frosting-like filling in these No Bake Pistachio Bars! Even though there are quite a few steps, these bars come together quickly. These no bake bars are a great make-ahead option. They're also incredibly rich, and so a little goes a long way.
No Bake Pistachio Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- ½ c . butter
- ¼ c . unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 T . granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon . vanilla extract
- 2 c . finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
- ½ c . finely chopped pistachios
Filling
- ¼ c . butter (softened)
- ½ c . pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
- ½ c . milk
- 1 ½ c . powdered sugar
Topping
- 6 oz . bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
- ¼ c . butter
- ½ c . coarsely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing for an overhang at the edges. Lightly grease the foil
- For the crust, cook egg, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan over medium-low heat just until it starts to bubble.
- Remove from heat, and stir in graham cracker crumbs.
- Stir in pistachios until combined.
- Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- To make the filling, beat butter, pudding mix, and milk together until well-combined.
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat in until combined.
- Spread pudding mixture over crust.
- Cover, and chill for about 1 hour, or until firm.
- To make the topping, melt chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring frequently.
- Once mixture had melted and is combined, spread over pudding.
- Sprinkle pistachios over chocolate.
- Cover, and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
- Cut into bars, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden's 100 Best Cookies.
MaryBeth
Are these made in a 13x9 inch pan?
Kate
No, they're made in a 9-inch (9x9) baking pan.
Linda
Wonderful cookies! Thanks for the recipe
Patty
On step no. 10 on the recipe do you mean to make the topping? These look awesome by the way.
Kate
Yes! Thank you! I think I had pudding on my mind when I was writing that. =)
monika
For the 1/2 c. pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix - you just mean the powder, right? Not prepared-already pudding? Thanks!
Kate
Yes, thank you for asking! It's 1/2 cup of the dry mix (just a bit less than a 3 oz.) package.