Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

Growing up, I hated pretzels.  I just couldn't get over the dryness of them.  Recently, I've started loving them.  I love dipping them in peanut butter as a snack.  Since I'm going through a pretzel phase, I thought it would be fun to bake with them.  I found these on Pinterest and they had peanut butter and pretzels, so I knew they would be perfect.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Ingredients

Crust

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup ground pretzels (measure after crushing)

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

Filling

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup coarsely chopped pretzels, for topping

  

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment, leaving long ends to use to remove the bars from the pan.

2) To make the crust:  Whisk together the flour, ground pretzels and sugar until well combined. Mix in the melted butter using your fingers to evenly distribute it. You should have a soft but not wet dough.

3) Press the dough evenly into the pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. While the crust cooks make the filling.

4) To make the filling: Using a microwave melt the chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and stir until well combined and smooth.

5) Pour the filling over the warm crust and spread out evenly. Tap the pan on the counter to allow air bubbles to escape.

6) Press pretzels (either crushed or whole) down so that they stick into the chocolate. 

7) Chill in the freezer for 1 hour. Use the parchment to lift the bars out of the pan onto a cutting board. Use a large chef's knife to slice into squares or bars. Serve frozen, chilled or at room temperature.

 

 I took these to a get together and everyone broke into them before the main course was even ready.  Everyone was so surprised how good they were, definitely an amazing dessert for the amount of time that it takes to get it together.  To me, this dessert was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.  The crust is kind of crumbly, so definitely eat these over a napkin or plate.