Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

So, what with leftover pretzels from those pretzel cookies, I decided that I couldn't just eat them all.  Well, I could, but I shouldn't.  So I made a compromise between wanting desperately to eat pretzels and not wanting to eat pretzels: I have to eat them in a creative way.

Which results in lots of YUM.

Pretzels can be paired with almost anything good.  Like peanut butter, as I've previously mentioned.  And, well, duh, CHOCOLATE.

So, I'm sure I've seen some of these pretzel sandwich thing bites around the blogosphere, but I'm still calling this an original recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

1 bag pretzels (not the stick kind)

1 jar chunky peanut butter

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips

1. Spread chunky peanut butter on one pretzel.  Put another pretzel on top and press down slightly.  With a knife, scrape off the extra peanut butter that escapes through the holes in the pretzels.  Repeat this step until you've made as many pretzels as you want.
2. Lay pretzel bites on a plate lined with wax paper.  Freeze, uncovered, for half an hour to an hour or until firm.  Do not remove pretzel bites.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips.
4. Take pretzel bites out one at a time and dip in chocolate using a spoon.  Lay on another plate lined with wax paper.  Continue until all pretzel bites are dipped.
5. Refrigerate for an hour or until firm.

It's very simple, but I'll break it down anyway:

Take two pretzels.

Spread with chunky peanut butter.

I suppose you could do it with creamy peanut butter, but it's not as interesting that way, in my opinion.

Sandwich another pretzel on top...

...and freeze.  Then dip.  And... ta-da!

They are scrumptious.  They're really hard at first when you take them out of the fridge, but they start to soften really fast.  I mean, the chocolate starts to melt.  So eat these babies quick!

Enjoy!
-JJ

Pretzel Cookies

When I first heard of peanut butter and pretzels, I thought the two together would be awful.  And those fake-peanut-butter-stuffed-pretzels are pretty awful.

But real peanut butter on a pretzel?  YUM - why didn't I think of this earlier?

So, now obsessed with a new combination, I thought - why not add chocolate?

Because that's just the sort of person I am. :)

So, I found this recipe for pretzel cookies from the Foodie and the Family, and it turned out to be some of the chewiest, most interesting, best-tasting cookies I've ever made.

Pretzel Cookies

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten (you can do this with a fork)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups peanut butter and milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup pretzels, broken up

sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Stir in chips and pretzels.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Scoop well-rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sea salt and bake 10-12 minutes.
8. Cool 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.  Makes from 24-30 cookies, depending on cookie size.

Breaking that sweet-n-salty stuff down:

Combine your dry ingredients.  Then cream butter with sugars.  I always cream my butter first, then add the sugars and combine.  It's easier on me considering I'm usually not using an electric mixer.  But that's a rant for another day.

Add egg and vanilla...

Then add flour mixture...

...and combine.

Stir in chips and pretzels.  A quick note about the chips: I said use 1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips, like that kind Nestle sells that you can buy at Target.  You could also follow the exact, unmodified recipe and use only a 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips, but I had the bag of mixed chips and I really didn't feel like separating all those out.  I'm sure the cookies taste great either way.  Your choice! ;)

YUM.  Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets...

...and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.  Aren't they just cute?

And delicious! :D

Have a salty-sweet day!
-JJ