I didn’t think it was possible, then somebody said “pretzels”. My life will never be the same. I thought my Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars would never be topped. That they were the ultimate. The addition of pretzels is beyond amazing. These bars are essentially the same as a chubby hubby truffles, but they take 5 minutes flat to throw together and do not involve any rolling or chocolate dipping. Pretzels give these bars a little kick of saltiness to cut thru all the sweet richness of the other ingredients. They are perfection. I think I may be changing my mind about peanut butter and chocolate. The last few things I’ve tasted have been simply delightful, which is a very bad thing. Especially these. Reading this post will take you longer to do than actually making these amazing bars will.
Pulse up your pretzels until most of them are finely ground, but there are still pea sized pieces left.
Add peanut butter and powdered sugar.
And my most favorite ingredient ever – melted butter.
Mix until well combined.
Spread into an 8×8 pan fitted with a greased foil sling.
Chill for about 10 minutes while we whip together a chocolatey peanut butter ganache for the top. I used the same ganache as on my Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars for two reasons. First, I think topping bars with a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter is perfect. Second, the site I got this recipe from used just a straight chocolate/cream ganache and the blogger said it was too much chocolate. I didn’t want the top layer to overpower the peanuty goodness of the bar. So, peanut butter and chocolate it is.
Spread in an even layer over your peanut butter mixture and chill for at least an hour.
Remove from the pan and cut (used my pastry scraper for exact lines) into squares.
Enjoy. Really. Find a quiet place to be alone with one of these and simply enjoy the perfect addition of pretzels to creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate. The salty crunch is like that one really awesome person you hope will come to your next party. They make it a par-taaaay. It’s words like “par-taaaay” that make me wish I had a New Jersey accent. Sort of.
Just marvelous.
Print Recipe For Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
adapted from Craving Chronicles
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups pretzel crumbs, fine
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Directions
Line 8×8 pan with foil. Spray with baking spray.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave (about 30 seconds on HIGH). Stir in pretzel crumbs, peanut butter & confectioners’ sugar. Spread evenly into prepared pan and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.
Combine semi-sweet chips and peanut butter and microwave, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Spread evenly over the peanut butter/pretzel layer and refrigerate at least one hour. Remove from pan and cut into squares.
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Bakerlady 
You are one evil lady!
I will take that as the highest praise possible. 🙂
Looks absolutely delicious! I would love to try some.
Make some! Do it! You will thank me later.
Don’t want to be picky, but one of my sisters might read this and blindly trust the directions. Might I suggest 30 SECONDS in the microwave? I’m not sure why I caught it, I don’t own a microwave. Love the recipes, i’ll be back!
LOL! Good catch! Updated the post…can you even imagine what 30 minutes in a microwave would look like? Ha!
Wow – found you on Pinterest – will never be the same 🙂
Welcome! So glad you found me!
Any tips on making goodies gluten free, sugar free, and egg free? I looked at this recipe, it would be one of the easier ones to do, but I am really struggling with this in baking.
I don’t envy having to make those kinds of issues work in baking. My sister (celiac and all kinds of other allergies) has to work so hard to make alterations for her food. There are some excellent blogs out there for this kind of baking with lots of tips. Try http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ — specialty stores carry lots of great items to sub for sugar, eggs and regular flour as well.
This would be easy gluten free. Just use glutino pretzels (almost can’t tell the difference). And make sure the other ingrediants are gluten free versions (which should be). It would be egg free for sure. Sugar free….that one I’m not so sure.
We have renamed these bars around here! We call the crack bars! Oh so addictive!!!
That’s an excellent name for them!
I may have to try these with soy butter. They look delish!
I was going to try them with sunbutter (peanut allergies in our house). I think it should be awesome if not even a little better (I’ve converted and love it).
Sunbutter? Is that sunflower seed butter?
Oh my. I cannot wait to try this!
Don’t wait! Make them now!
We are having a Pizza Oven Party out by the pool this week… thanks for supplying the PERFECT dessert! So easy; I may even get a chance to enjoy myself! 🙂 THANKS!!!
You have a pizza oven by your pool??! Jealous!!
WHY WHY WHY ON EARTH did I have to come across these at 7 months pregnant! Now I HAVE to make these and eat them! Bakerlady, why kick me when I am already down!? LOL
I aim to please. Your little bambino thanks me. Right? 🙂 Congrats on your impending new bundle of joy!
Made these today… So delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I love sharing. It’s what I do. You are welcome!
I’m headed out of town with a few people I don’t know…hoping these will impress them!!!! 😉
How could they not?? Have a great trip!
do you just eyeball the pretzels and then measure after they are crumbled?
these look amazing!
Yes. Usually I can get pretty close. If I have extras, well…those somehow manage to find their way to my belly. 🙂
How do these hold up out of the frigde??? I am attending a picnic and wondered if these would stay solid. They sound wonderful.
As long as it’s not 100 degrees or something, I’m sure they’d be fine. They just need to be cold to set up.
should these be stored in the fridge? Definately making these for our party in 2 weeks!!
Keep them in the fridge until half hour before serving.
I needed something quick, easy and delicious to bring to a friend’s house in one hour. This recipe fit the bill perfectly. Thank you for an easy and yummy treat!
I’m jealous of your friend! What a wonderful thing to bring over!
I’ve done this recipe wth rice crispies (no pulsing of any ingredients) and they have a fantastic texture… although I don’t know how long they keep without a texture change as they don’t last long at all!
Awesome! Another gluten free alternative!
Would you be able to sub brown sugar or regular sugar for the powdered? I just have never liked the flavor of powdered sugar.
The texture wouldn’t be right if you subbed a different sugar. It’s the powder that makes these set up right – regular or brown sugar would be too grainy I think.
I know some people may tease me for this but how many calories are 1 bar. I love this recipe but I’m watching my calories right now & want to stick to it.
Nicky, I have no idea how many calories are in these bars. But, you could input the ingredients here: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php and find out.
Do you know approximately how many ounces of pretzels you use to get 1 1/2 cups? I’m making a bunch of meals/snacks before our baby arrives in just another 3 weeks, and I think these are definitely going on the list. I’ve made the reese’s pb bars before, so I know I will love this version! Thanks!
I’m sorry Joi, I didn’t weight the pretzels before I smashed them all up. If I remember right, it was about half of a 16 ounce bag.
All I can say is OMG!!! These were amazing. I dont like pretzels but this way is like AWESOME!! I made these and the rolo cake bars for a Poker run and they were a hit easy pick up and carry around with ya. Woman u r the bomb with ur recipes :))
Thanks Laurie! Glad you enjoyed them – and the rolo bars!
I just made these. Except I used milk chocolate chips. So quick, easy and delicious!!! A new “standby” for sure!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
What is the approximate calorie count for this?
I have no idea. Anything with peanut butter and chocolate I steer clear of knowing the caloric count. But you can figure it out using a counter like this one: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Found this recipe on Pinterest and it looks great! I an thinking of making this for my mom for Christmas. (Seems easy enough for a 13 year old to handle) (: and I was wondering how long they keep and how do you store them once done chilling in the fridge after cutting into squares?
I love this recipe! We’ve made it several times through the years and I love how simple it is to whip together.
Recently, I’ve had to go gluten-free and dairy-free, but still wanted to make these for my husband’s birthday. I tested out a few substitutions in this recipe and wanted to share for others with sensitivities.
To make gluten- and dairy-free, substitute:
gluten-free pretzels (~7-8 oz)
5 Tbsp butter substitute (like Earth Balance) OR 4-5 Tbsp coconut oil
dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
I personally preferred the coconut oil version better since I felt like the Earth Balance gave it an aftertaste. My husband preferred the Earth Balance because it held together better. Might have just needed a bit more coconut oil to keep things together?
Either way, these still came out awesome! Thanks for the original recipe! 🙂
Great substitutions! Thanks for sharing!