Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
My Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack takes the traditional recipe to the next level with the addition of peanut butter as well as using pretzels in place of traditional saltine crackers. This combination creates the holy trio — peanut butter, chocolate, and pretzels that creates the best sweet and salty dessert! Plus, I add natural holiday sprinkles with no artificial colors on top!
If you're looking for more holiday dessert recipes try Mint Meltaways, Christmas Lights Gingerbread Snack Cake, Vegan Christmas Tree Brownies, or Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- Ready In: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Makes: 24 servings
- Main Ingredients: pretzels, butter, peanut butter, dark chocolate
- Flavor Profile: buttery toffee pretzel bark with dark chocolate and peanut butter
- Dietary Info: gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: instead of saltines, this Christmas crack uses pretzels and peanut butter!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sweet and Salty: This Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack is both sweet and salty. The best kind of dessert, in my opinion! I love the combination of the sweet chocolate and toffee with the salty peanut butter and pretzels.
- Twist on a Classic: The standard Christmas crack uses saltine crackers and and skips the peanut butter, so this is a major upgrade! If you loved the classic, you'll love this version even more!
- Easy AF: Not only is this recipe delicious, but it is also an easy Christmas dessert! This recipe is very simple and it yields a big reward, which are the best kind of recipes! And if you are making homemade holiday gifts, having a simple Christmas candy recipe makes homemade gifting even sweeter.
- Festive: I make this Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack festive by adding naturally colored red and blue sugars and snowflake sprinkles. This is completely optional, but if you're gifting then it's the perfect touch!
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What is Christmas Crack?
- Ingredients
- Baker’s Tips for Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- How to Make Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- Things You Need for Gifting
- Recipe FAQ’s
- More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- The Bake Shop
What is Christmas Crack?
Christmas Crack is a type of holiday candy that is popular around Christmas time. It is usually made with saltine crackers, a mixture of brown sugar and butter to create a caramel/toffee flavor, and then it’s topped with chocolate. It is an easy Christmas dessert that is always a crowd pleaser!
So, I decided to make a Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack but with pretzels instead of crackers. I love chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzel together. So, I thought the idea to replace the traditional crackers with pretzels and adding peanut butter would be delicious, and it is! This is a twist on the simple Christmas candy recipe.
I love this for gifting as it's definitely different and something people won't get from someone else. If you're looking for more DIY Christmas gift ideas, check out Healthy Gingerbread Granola With Olive Oil, How to Make Sugar Cookie Mix for Gifts, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Bark, and Homemade Candied Pecans Without Eggs for other gifting ideas!
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: I use my homemade light brown sugar, but store bought also works.
- Pretzels: You'll need organic mini pretzel twists. But, if you only have sticks or rods, you cause them as well as they will break up when you break it into clusters.
- Dark Chocolate: I use organic mini dark chocolate chips for ease. But, you can also use dark chocolate bars and chop them up too.
- Peanut Butter: I use organic creamy peanut butter.
- Sprinkles: I use India Tree Nature's Colors sprinkles. I use a mix of India Tree Nature's Colors Snowflake Sprinkles, India Tree Nature's Colors Bright Red Sprinkles, and their Nature's Colors Decorating Blue Sugar. But, you could use green and white sprinkles in place of the blue too.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips for Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- While I'm using mini pretzel twists, you can use another kind, even larger ones as they will get broken up anyways.
- If you want to make this gluten free, use your favorite gluten free pretzels.
- I use dark chocolate, but if you prefer milk chocolate or white chocolate you can use either one!
- The sprinkles are optional, so feel free to leave off if you prefer.
- Make sure to store in the fridge.
How to Make Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet (half sheet pan that is 18 x 13-inches) with parchment paper and grease the sides of the baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with pretzels making an even layer.
- In a medium pot add the brown sugar and butter.
- Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the brown sugar begins to melt.
- Continue to cook until the mixture is a liquid and it begins to boil, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the top of the pretzels on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sugar mixture looks bubbly. Remove from the oven.
- Add the dark chocolate and peanut butter to a heatproof bowl. Melt, using a double boiler (or alternatively do 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each one).
- Pour over the pretzel mixture and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with red sprinkles, blue sugars, and snowflake sprinkles. Place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours or overnight. Then break it up into clusters.
Things You Need for Gifting
- Tin Tie Bags: I use small tin tie bags as this is a great option for gifting. You could also use a tin if you have that as well.
- Holiday Ribbon: You'll need some holiday ribbon to tie the bags with.
I love adding this into DIY Christmas Cookie Box with other holiday favorites like Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Eggless Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies, Homemade Chocolate Marshmallows Without Eggs, and Peppermint Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely! If you want a more traditional Christmas Crack, then you can replace the pretzels with saltine crackers.
Yes, you can totally swap out the dark chocolate for milk chocolate if you prefer. You could even use white chocolate if you want.
Yes, if you don’t want to add sprinkles you can also add a flaky sea salt or chopped up roasted and salted peanuts would also be delicious!
Christmas Crack should be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can store it in an airtight container, zip bag, or in a tin would also be fine. You can also freeze this for up to 1 month.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
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Peanut Butter Pretzel Christmas Crack
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Small Pot
- Heatproof Mixing Bowl
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
- 340 grams pretzel twists
- 454 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- 454 grams salted butter (cut in cubes)
- 454 grams mini dark chocolate chips
- 226 grams peanut butter
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Red Sprinkles
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Blue Sugar
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Snowflake Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet (half sheet pan that is 18 x 13-inches) with parchment paper and grease the sides of the baking sheet.
- Line the baking sheet with pretzels making an even layer.
- In a medium pot add the brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the brown sugar begins to melt. Continue to cook until the mixture is a liquid and it begins to boil, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the top of the pretzels on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sugar mixture looks bubbly. Remove from the oven.
- Add the dark chocolate and peanut butter to a heatproof bowl. Melt, using a double boiler (or alternatively do 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each one). Pour over the pretzel mixture and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with red sprinkles, blue sugars, and snowflake sprinkles. Place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove from the freezer and break into pieces.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- While I'm using mini pretzel twists, you can use another kind, even larger ones as they will get broken up anyways.
- If you want to make this gluten free, use your favorite gluten free pretzels.
- I use dark chocolate, but if you prefer milk chocolate or white chocolate you can use either one!
- The sprinkles are optional, so feel free to leave off if you prefer.
- Make sure to store in the fridge.
- High Altitude – Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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My husband and I just devoured about a pound of this. Crack is right!
haha, thanks Leah, enjoy!
This recipe is an absolute winner! The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is a classic, but the addition of salt takes it to an entirely new level! I look forward to making this over the holidays for friends and family!
thank you Michelle!