Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The taste! These bars are the perfect combination of salty and sweet and the flavours of salty pretzels, peanut butter and sweet chocolate blend together perfectly.
- All you need is 5 ingredients – Pretzels, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and chocolate – to make this delicious treat!
- This recipe is super quick and easy to make! You’ll be devouring these bars in just 30 minutes.
- No baking required. I love a good no-bake dessert recipe!
- You can enjoy these bars with coffee in the morning or to sooth your sweet tooth after dinner!
- Not only are these bars healthy and delicious but they can also be made vegan, paleo and gluten free!
Equipment, ingredients and substitutions:
- An 8″ x 8″ baking dish – This is the best size pan for these bars. If you want thinner bars use a bigger pan.
- Parchment paper – To protect the pan, make for an easy cleanup and prevent the pretzel bars from sticking.
- Food processor – To achieve the perfect crumbly pretzel texture.
- Pretzels – I went with gluten free pretzels but if you don’t care about being gluten free you could use any pretzels you love.
- Natural, smooth peanut butter – The smooth peanut butter helps bind the pretzels together.
- Maple syrup – I love using maple syrup as a sweetener in desserts. It adds a rich layer of flavour and helps give these bars a moist texture.
- Vanilla extract – Because a splash of vanilla enhances all of the other flavours in these pretzel bars.
- Chocolate bars – We all know chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. These pretzel bars wouldn’t be complete without a layer of luscious chocolate on top!
How to make this recipe:
Step one: first, add the pretzels to the food processor and process until the pretzels reach the consistency you like.
Step two: next put a small pot on the stove top and add the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Heat for a moment or two, stirring constantly until the ingredients are well combined and reach a smooth texture.
Step three: turn the heat off and stir in the processed pretzels.
Step four: now line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper and pour the peanut butter mixture into the pan. Spread the mixture around in an even layer.
Step five: next melt the chocolate in the microwave, then pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and spread around evenly.
Step six: lastly, put the dessert in the freezer for 30 minutes, then remove and cut into bars.
Variations and add ins:
- To make these bars paleo swap the peanut butter for another nut butter such as cashew butter or sunflower seed butter, use grain free pretzels (I used these Quinn grain free pretzels) and use dairy free, soy free chocolate bars such as these Zazubean ones or these Hu Kitchen ones.
- To make these bars gluten free use gluten free pretzels.
- Make these pretzel bars vegan be sure to use dairy free chocolate bars.
- To keep these bars refined sugar free use chocolate bars sweetened with coconut sugar – my favourite brands are Hu Kitchen and Zazubean.
- Instead of chocolate bars you could use chocolate chips to make the chocolate layer instead.
- If you want a thicker chocolate layer use three chocolate bars instead of two.
- To add an extra crunch sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top of the chocolate layer while it is still warm.
Chef’s tips:
- Be sure to use unsweetened or natural peanut butter (they would be way to sweet if you used sweetened peanut butter).
- Use a hot knife to cut these bars into pieces more easily (I simply run the blade under hot water).
- Store these bars in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What if I’m allergic to peanut butter?
Try using sunflower seed butter, cashew butter or almond butter instead!
How long can I store these pretzel bars in the fridge for?
Store these pretzel bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
What if I don’t have a food processor?
You could use a blender or break up the pretzels by hand. If I were to break the pretzels up by hand I would put them in a bag and use a rolling pin to break them up.
What if I don’t have maple syrup?
Although I recommend using maple syrup, you could use a variety of other sweeteners. You could try using honey, brown sugar syrup or agave nectar.
OTHER TREATS YOU WILL LOVE:
- Lemon Bars with Cranberry
- Apple Pie Bars
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Nut Butter and Chocolate Crunch Bars
- Turtle Cookies Bars
- Berry Ice Cream Bars
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Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
Ingredients
- 156 grams pretzels (or 5.5 ounces)
- 1 jar natural smooth peanut butter (500 grams)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 chocolate bars (6 ounces)
Instructions
- Place the pretzels in your food processor and process until you have pretzel pieces the size that you like.
- Place a pot on the stove on low heat. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the pretzel pieces.
- Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper and transfer the peanut butter pretzel mixture to the pan. Spread it out evenly with a spoon or knife.
- Melt the chocolate bars in a microwave safe dish by heating them on high in 30 second intervals, until melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate onto the peanut butter pretzel layer and spread it evenly until smooth. Place the pan in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate is set. Remove the pan from the freezer and cut the bars into pieces.
Notes
- Use a hot knife to cut the bars into pieces more easily.Â
- Store these bars in the fridge.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the specific ingredients you use.Â
Nutrition
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