Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

      

       Happy (almost) Valensday Tine! Hehe, that's how my oldest niece used to say "Valentine's Day". I think it makes the holiday sound that much cuter. Just like these pretzel bites--aren't they adorable? What's great about these is that they're super simple, super cute, super addictive, and super fun to make. (Addictive is a positive thing, right?) For those of you looking for a quick, last minute treat, or even simply looking for a fun Valentine's Day project to do with your kiddos, these pretzel bites should definitely be kept in mind. And don't forget the other holidays! You only need to change the sprinkles to make these bites event-appropriate.

       Because of the brown sugar in this recipe, the peanut butter filling has a unique taste to it. The best way I can describe it is that it almost tastes slightly "mapley", though that's still not quite right. Either way it is tasty. Also, these are best kept chilled before eating for multiple reasons. One, they just taste better cold (like putting Reese's in the fridge or freezer), but that is technically my opinion. Two, keeping the bites chilled keeps them firm. Three, the chocolate doesn't smudge easily when they're cold. So, see? Keep them chilled if possible. It's for the best. If you're bringing them somewhere, just keep them chilled until you leave. By the way, here is where I found the recipe, and this is the original source of it.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Recipe originally from Foodaphilia

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• Pretzels
• 1 regular-sized bag of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
• Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

--Get two baking sheets ready by lining them with wax paper, parchment paper, or a silpat. Cover one of the pans with about 50 pretzels. These will be the bottom halves to your "sandwiches". Set pans aside.

--In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly combine the peanut butter and the butter. (You can use a stand mixture if you really want to.)

--Next, add the sugars and mix until combined. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times if you're using a stand mixer.

--Once you can roll little balls in your hands without the peanut butter mixture sticking to your fingers, then it is ready. If it is still sticky, continue to add more powdered sugar in small doses.

--Roll the peanut butter filling into small balls and place on top of the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet. Top with another pretzel to form a "sandwich". Make sure the pretzels are facing the same direction.

--Once you have all the sandwiches made, chill them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want them to be firm when you dip them into the melted chocolate so they don't squish on one side. You'd get lopsided bites if you did that. Though still tasty, they wouldn't be as cute.

--Near the end of the 30 minutes, melt the chocolate chips. Either by a double-boiler method or the microwave. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate. (If using a microwave, first put the chips in for a minute, stir, then stir about every 30 seconds after that until successfully melted.)

--Taking a few pretzel sandwiches out of the freezer at a time (so the rest can stay chilled and firm), dip half of each pretzel into the chocolate and place on another lined baking sheet. If using sprinkles, sprinkle them over the chocolate now.

--Let the chocolate harden on the bites (easiest just to stick them back into the fridge or freezer again), then transfer them to a sealed container or snack-sized Ziploc baggies.

--Enjoy! Tell someone you care about you love them. =)

Happy Baking!

--H

Rolo Pretzel Bites

     Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I realize both of these sentiments are late in coming, but I still mean them both sincerely. Unfortunately, I didn't get up all the posts I wanted to in December, but that doesn't mean I wasn't putting together tasty goodies! So, although the official "Holiday Season" is over, I will be posting a couple of things that I made as ideas for next year. (Or whenever you have a craving. Who says you can only make this stuff during the holidays?) First on the list are these Rolo Pretzel Bites. I actually called them "Christmas Buttons" because it was cuter, but most people don't know these by that name. What's great about these are that they are extremely versatile. By choosing any color of M&M's you want, you can coordinate colors to a holiday or event. Therefore, they're an all-year-round treat. If you don't like M&M's or are in the mood for something a bit more interesting, replacing the M&M with a pecan is fabulous--it tastes just like a turtle! The candy, not the animal. As pecans are expensive and I don't live near a Sam's Club or Costco, I used M&M's for these "Christmas Buttons" since I wanted to give a nice (but not super-expensive) gift to my coworkers.

Rolo Pretzel Bites

Ingredients

1 bag of Holiday Wreath Pretzels (they're the circles) or the pretzels that look like a checkerboard

100 Rolo pieces (or as many bites as you want to make)

100 M&M's  (or you can put up to three on each bite if you want)

Directions

--Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

--Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper

--Lay out the circle pretzels on the pan

--Put a Rolo inside of each circle. It's okay if they don't fit perfectly, they'll melt inside the pretzel.

--Place Rolo/Pretzel combo in the oven for 3-5 minutes. (It was always 4 minutes for me.) You don't want the Rolo to be completely melted, just enough where you can squish an M&M or pecan easily on top.

--Put an M&M (or pecan) on each bite, working quickly so the Rolo doesn't reharden.

--If you have a freezer large enough, place the pan of finished bites into it so they set more quickly. If you live in a climate with freezing temperature weather (and there's no wind) place the pan outside of your doorstep. If you have neither of these, you'll just have to wait quite a bit longer for the bites to set.

--Once the Rolo on the bites are firm once again, peel the bites off of the parchment paper and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

--H