salty pretzel chocolate peanut butter cup bars__________________________________I would not recommend using a natural stir peanut butter as the filling for these bars. A more cohesive formula works best! You can certainly opt for a crunchy variety as opposed to smooth if you prefer, but it may be harder to spread over the crust. Let me know if you try it that way!
Ingredients
- 3 cups salted pretzels, crushed into fine grain
- 6 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil, divided
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 12-14 ounces dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine pretzels, 6 tbsp coconut oil, and maple syrup until a cohesive but not doughy mixture forms. The blend should adhere reasonable well when pinched between your fingers, but it can still be slightly crumbly. Dump crust ingredients into the pan and press evenly from edge to edge. Set in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden the coconut oil and firm the crust.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat peanut butter in 20 second increments until melted, stirring each time. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove crust from fridge and spread peanut butter evenly overtop. Place tray into the freezer for about 20 minutes to set.
- When that time has elapsed, remove parchment from pan. With a sharp kitchen knife, slice into 16 bars and spread onto a baking sheet. Freeze an additional 2 hours at least, or overnight, to harden completely.
- At the end of the freezing time, prepare the chocolate. Mix chips with 1 tsp coconut oil and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove bars from freezer and, working as quickly as possible, coat thoroughly with chocolate. Set back onto baking sheet and repeat until all bars are coated. If you need more chocolate, melt some more! Place bars on the baking sheet in fridge for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate. To store, keep bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.