Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
These Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites recipe first appeared on Best Dessert Recipes, where I am a contributor.
Looking for a simple no bake dessert to serve this summer? Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites are it! All you need are 7 ingredients, including creamy peanut butter and bittersweet chocolate. These bite-sized peanut butter desserts are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. Makes 38 treats.
Love easy peanut butter desserts? Don’t skip Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, No Bake Peanut Butter Bars with Pretzels and Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge!
I’m always on the lookout for easy, no bake desserts for the summertime because, well, who enjoys turning their oven on during the hottest months of the year?
That’s probably why I make a copious amount of ice cream and popsicles in the summertime!
That said… I think I’ve found my treat of the summer in this recipe. And it’s a little different!
Why I love this recipe:
These Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites are simple, delicious and perfect for sharing.
Mini pretzel twists are stuffed with peanut butter and then chocolate coated for extra decadence.
They are wonderfully balanced, too, walking the line between salty and sweet. And let’s be honest: This is one of my favorite flavor combinations!
Also, they’re fun to make with kids. Yes, it’ll take a little extra time, but it’s a fun activity to do together and pretty kid-safe.
No matter what you’re serving this for or who you’re sharing it with, these bite-sized desserts are going to make you and your people VERY happy.
Not only are they delicious, but they’re easy to make, and THAT is a huge win!
Other easy desserts to make this summer: Sweet Strawberry Bruschetta with Almond Pudding and Lemon Curd | No Bake Scotcheroo Cookies | Strawberry Pudding | No Churn Fudge Brownie Ice Cream | Blueberry Cheesecake Popsicles | Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Need more sweet inspiration? Head on over to my Dessert Recipe Index for more ideas!
What you need to make this recipe:
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- A large sheet pan
- Mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- Small bowl (for melting the chocolate and butter)
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need:
- Peanut butter — we keep natural, unsweetened creamy peanut butter in our house and use it in this recipe. Its consistency is a little runnier than conventional peanut butter, so if you’re using conventional peanut butter, you’ll probably need more of it for this recipe.
- Brown sugar — I used dark brown sugar for the extra molasses flavor, but you can use light brown sugar if that’s what you’ve got on hand. The combination with the peanut butter is a delight!
- Powdered sugar — also known as confectioner’s sugar, there is no replacement for this ingredient. This thickens up the peanut butter mixture, as well as adds sweetness.
- Vanilla extract — the real deal kind, please and thank you. We just need a little bit of it to add some vanilla aroma and essence into the peanut butter base.
- Mini twist pretzels — these are going to be our pretzel base, and I highly recommend the mini ones because they make for the best bite-sized treat.
- Chocolate — I used bittersweet chocolate to dip my pretzel bites into because it’s my favorite, but you can use whatever type of chocolate you like best, whether that’s milk, semisweet, bittersweet or dark. You may use a chocolate bar or chocolate chips. I do not recommend making this recipe with white chocolate.
- Salted butter — this will melt into our chocolate glaze.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
First, line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. This will prevent the bites from sticking to the sheet pan and also make for easier cleanup.
Line the baking sheet with the mini pretzel twists. You’ll need 76-80, so make sure you’ve got enough!
I’ve also found it’s easier to set these out beforehand so that when you’re rolling the peanut butter filling that it goes more quickly.
Measure the peanut butter, dark brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat the ingredients together until combined and crumbly.
We want the peanut butter mixture to be able to stick to itself and form a ball without sticking to your hands.
Pro tip!
If the mixture is too crumbly and won’t stick together, add 1-2 more tablespoons of peanut butter and stir.
Use a teaspoon to measure out the peanut butter mixture. Gently form into balls.
Place the ball onto one of the pretzels, and press another pretzel on top to form the sandwich.
Repeat until all the bites have been made, and then refrigerate for 1 hour.
While the pretzel bites chill, melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave.
TIPS & TRICKS
Chocolate can burn when overheated. To prevent this, I heat mine in 30-second bursts until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring between each burst.
Dip the chilled bites into the chocolate, and place back onto the baking sheet.
Chill for another 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is set, and then enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
If your peanut butter mixture won’t form into balls, add 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter and mix again until it reaches the desired consistency. Again—we want the peanut butter mixture to stick to itself without sticking to your hands.
Once the chocolate has set, transfer them to a food safe storage container and keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Quick tips and tricks to the best no bake dessert:
- Make them in advance. This is an excellent recipe for entertaining because it’s EASY and also can be made days in advance. Just make whenever it’s convenient for you and keep them in the fridge until it’s serving time.
- Mise en place. Get everything out and set up before you start making the peanut butter filling. This will make the process so much faster.
- Switch it up. If you don’t like bittersweet chocolate, feel free to use another type of chocolate.
- Dress them up. Once the Pretzel Peanut Butter Bites are dipped in the chocolate, you can add a sprinkle of sea salt, colorful sprinkles or even chopped peanuts to add texture and color.
- Get fancy with it! For these photos, I dipped the pretzel bites, but you could easily drizzle the chocolate over the pretzels for a different (and fancier!) look. You could also dip the bites, then drizzle with a different type of chocolate, like white chocolate.
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 76 mini pretzel twists
- ½ cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter (150g)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar lightly packed (60g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar 96g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
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Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- Line up all the mini pretzel twists on the baking sheet. Set aside.
- Measure the peanut butter, dark brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla into a large bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat the ingredients together until combined. It will be crumbly, and that’s OK. Pinch a bit of it and see if it forms a ball, as well as sticks to itself, without sticking to your hands. If it does, you’re good to go. If it’s too crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter and mix again until the desired consistency is reached.
- Use a teaspoon to measure out the peanut butter mixture into your hand.
- Gently form into a ball.
- Place the peanut butter ball onto one of the pretzels, and press another pretzel on top to form the sandwich.
- Repeat until all the bites have been made, and then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- While the pretzel bites chill, melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted. (You could also do this in a double boiler.)
- Dip the chilled bites into the chocolate, and place back onto the baking sheet.
- Chill for another 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is set.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Use different chocolate. If you don’t like bittersweet chocolate, feel free to use another type of chocolate instead.
- Dress them up. Once the Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites are dipped in the chocolate, you can add a sprinkle of sea salt, colorful sprinkles or even chopped peanuts to add texture and color.
- Get fancy with it! For these photos, I chose to dip the pretzel bites, but you could easily drizzle the chocolate over the pretzels for a different (and fancier!) look. You could also dip the bites, then drizzle with a different type of chocolate, like white chocolate.
- Make them gluten free by using gluten free pretzels.
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
These were a hit at my dads birthday party