I’ve been on a no-bake kick the last couple of days. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had throwing things together and see what the outcome is. Peanut butter has been in the center of it all. You can pretty much pair anything with that delicious nut butter and have a fabulous-tasting concoction. After all of my experimenting, I had some leftover ingredients. As I looked at the caramels, pretzels, leftover chocolate bars, peanuts, and peanut butter, one thing came to mind. I had everything on hand to make my very own version of Take 5 candy bars. There are no words how excited I was. Yep, I’m easily entertained.
Oh, and the fact that I added a sprinkling of sea salt to the top probably won’t surprise you. Pretty much anything containing chocolate deserves a sprinkling of coarse salt. That’s the beauty about making your own version of something you love – you can make it even better by adding other ingredients you can’t live without. Brilliant!
These Take Five Bites are one of the desserts I will be serving for this year’s Super Bowl. Finger foods, small bites, and anything that’s poppable are my very favorites every year. This easy dessert will keep you engaged and entertained no matter what turn the game takes.
You could completely cover these bites with chocolate, which would make them look more like your traditional Take 5 candy bar. I love seeing the layers and you can never go wrong with a chocolate drizzle – it makes for a more impressive presentation. Either way would taste absolutely nummy though! Do whatever tickles you sweet, ha!
These are crazy good. One of the best bites I’ve had in a while. It’s ridiculous how easy it is to eat 8 of them while you type your blog post… not that that just happened or anything. It’s almost like I’m having a competition to see how many I can possibly devour when taking 5 :).
Crunchy, chewy, sugary and salty. That’s my jam. Have a fabulously indulgent Monday, everyone!
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 30 pretzels (squares)
- 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
- 30 caramels
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons shortening, optional*
- 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine creamy peanut butter and confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture onto each pretzel square and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each with peanuts and place in your freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and unwrap caramels.
- 2. Remove baking sheet from freezer and place one piece of caramel on top of each pretzel peanut butter square, pushing it down to keep it from sliding. Place baking sheet into oven and bake for 5 minutes or until caramels are softened. Keep an eye on them.
- 3. Remove from oven and with the back of a spoon, gently flatten caramel pieces (it's okay of some of the peanut butter mixture starts to ooze out). As soon as baking sheet has cooled enough, place back in your freezer (for another 10 minutes). Melt your chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler.
- 4. Line another baking sheet with wax paper and remove pretzel peanut butter caramel squares from freezer. For each square, place a rounded 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate onto the second baking sheet. Gently press cold pretzel square on top and repeat.
- 5. Fill a small Ziploc bag with leftover chocolate. Cut off a corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over each Take Five Bite. Return baking sheet to the freezer until chocolate is set, about 10-15 minutes.
- Take Five Bites will Keep up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- *Adding shortening to the chocolate is optional but helps to achieve a more smooth and polished look.
Saw these on FG! They look awesome! Pinned!
Thank you so very much, Averie! I can’t tell you how excited I am that you have stopped by. I adore your blog!
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Yeah, so by the name of the snack I felt it was a challenge to “take 5 bites” … and I believe I will! Thank you for sharing. Taking these to Bible study next week as a balance to the healthy snack I planned!