Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Wonders

Eliza Cross
by Eliza Cross
48 Candies
3 hr 45 min

Creamy, crunchy, sweet and salty, these luscious chocolates have a peanut butter filling that gets extra crunch from crushed pretzels. They're easy to make with no baking required!

Buckeyes are one of my favorite holiday treats. The only downside of these chocolate-dipped peanut butter-powdered sugar confections is that they're very, very rich.


In an effort to figure out how to eat more Buckeyes in a single sitting, I wondered if adding crushed pretzels to the filling might add some salty crunch and cut the richness a bit. 


The Ideal Pretzel and Peanut Butter Filling


I wanted the filling to be both crispy and creamy, which required a great deal of tinkering and tasting. Clearly my devotion to serving you knows no bounds.


In the end, the perfect filling blend contained salted butter, brown sugar, creamy organic peanut butter, powdered sugar and pretzels crushed by hand in small pieces. 


For the coating I used a blend of semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate couverture. The mix made a coating with that satisfying snap! when you bite into it, and just the right balance of sweetness. 

If you like Reese's peanut butter cups, you'll love these crunchy Buckeyes! 



Making the Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Balls Recipe


The first step is to crush the pretzels. I put the pretzels in a ziplock bag and smack them with a rolling pin, a technique which is also helpful for dispersing pent-up aggression.


You can also pulse the pretzels in a food processor; you just want them to be in fairly small pieces without getting pulverized.

 

Reserve the crushed pretzels. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, peanut butter and vanilla.

After you stir it for a couple minutes, it will come together and be nice and creamy like this:

Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar.

It will seem too crumbly, but use your hands to knead it and eventually it will come together like this. 

Now add the crushed pretzels. 

The mixture will seem way too crumbly, but just knead it together and eventually it will look like this:

Roll the dough in 1-inch balls. I use a rounded teaspoon of dough and roll them between my hands. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Now comes the fun part. Melt the chocolate chips and chocolate coating. Stir together until smooth. Dip each ball in the chocolate. I use a fondue fork, but you can use a skewer or even a regular fork. 

Arrange the balls on parchment paper lined baking sheet. You can decorate the tops with sprinkles if. you like.

Get fancy if you like!

Or you can put some of the leftover chocolate in a small zip-lock baggie, cut off one corner and drizzle chocolate over the top like this:

Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Wonders make a great holiday gift! 

If you enjoy these Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Wonders, I’d be thrilled if you gave the recipe a 5-star rating.


Hugs and happy holidays to all the great cooks at Food Talk Daily! icon

Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Wonders
Recipe details
  • 48  Candies
  • Prep time: 3 Hours Cook time: 45 Minutes Total time: 3 hr 45 min
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Ingredients

  • For the filling:
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 cups finely crushed pretzels
  • For the chocolate coating:
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 5 ounces milk chocolate candy coating (also called chocolate couverture)
Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl combine peanut butter, softened butter and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Add powdered sugar and brown sugar and stir until combined. You may need to use your hands.
Add crushed pretzels and use your hands to incorporate in the dough.
Roll 1 inch balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Melt the chocolate chips and chocolate coating in a small, deep bowl by microwaving at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Dip each ball in the melted chocolate, shake off excess and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Garnish with sprinkles if you like. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
The candies taste especially good if you let them come to room temperature before eating. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Eliza Cross
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