The saltiness of the pretzels pair perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate and peanut butter. For more favorite sweet and salty treats, try Rolo Pretzels, Pretzel Rods, or Pretzel Toffee!
The Perfect Sweet + Salty Treat
Guys, we’re total peanut butter addicts over here. This frozen peanut butter pie is a delicious (almost) no-bake treat that’s perfect for warm weather. It has a chocolate pretzel crust, a thick and creamy peanut butter filling, and is topped with a luscious ganache and lots of peanut butter cups and pretzels. If you love sweet and salty desserts, this one’s for you! You’ll need to plan out a some extra time for the pie to set. Which means, in total, this recipe requires about 2 1/2 hours. I know that seems like a lot, but only half an hour is hands-on time. So when you make it this summer, you won’t be slaving over it all day, long, it’ll be tucked away in your freezer doing its thing 🙂
How to Make It
This recipe has three parts: the crust, the filling, and the topping!
CRUST
PREP. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. MIX. In medium mixing bowl combine the cookie or graham cracker crumbs, pretzel crumbs, butter, and brown sugar. Toss with a spoon until moist. PRESS. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish (I recommend a pie dish with a tall rim). FREEZE. Freeze for 10 minutes, then place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Why do you freeze and then bake the crust? When the crust gets baked it is common for the butter to melt and dissipate. If the pastry is chilled beforehand the butter will have less room to move and melt out of the dough. This gives you a buttery and rich dough.
Filling
BEAT. Using a stand or handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mix until combined. CREAM. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half (1 cup) of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Fold the remaining whipped cream in until smooth and creamy. SPREAD. Pour into the cooled crust, then spread into an even layer.
Topping
CHOCOLATE. Combine the chocolate and cream in a 2 cup glass measuring cup or a medium size microwave-safe bowl, heat at half power for one minute, stir then repeat. Remove and whisk for 1 minute until smooth. TOP. Spread over the filling, then top with chunks of peanut butter cups and pretzels. *Note: About 6 normal sized peanut butter cups should give you a ½ cup to work with. FREEZE. Freeze for at least 2 hours, remove 10 minutes before serving and cut with a sharp knife (rinse under warm water if needed to get a nice clean cut). Serve cold.
Ingredient Tips & Storage
Light brown sugar: This substitution shouldn’t change the flavor too much, as the only difference is that the dark brown sugar has more molasses than the lighter one.Type of pretzel: Whether it be sticks, twists, or snap doesn’t really matter. Just find a brand you like and crush them up enough to fulfill the recipe. Pre-made crust: If you’re in a bind you can use a store bought graham cracker crust. This just means that you won’t have pretzel bits in your crust, but it also means that the oven won’t be on and the recipe will be quicker to make.Peanut Butter: For best results, avoid natural peanut butters and use peanut butters such as JIF or Skippy.
You can STORE this in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Just make sure that it is adequately wrapped with plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil.
For more chocolate + Peanut butter treats, check out:
Peanut Butter M&M CookiesPeanut Butter Cup CookiesMini Peanut Butter CookiesPeanut Butter Cookie BarsPeanut Butter Kiss CookiesChocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
