Foodie, Formerly Fat

I unabashedly stole the base of this recipe from my friend Susan’s Nutella Booze Balls. But since I changed or omitted every ingredient other than the butter I think it calls for a new recipe.

I made these with peanut butter because I could. If you can’t, due to an allergy, and need to use almond butter, cashew butter, or sunbutter I have no doubt these treats would be just as good so don’t let that hold you back. The biggest challenge here is just the time they take to make. The batter requires a few hours of resting and then it’s sort of time consuming to stand over the stove dipping them all in chocolate. But I don’t recommend skipping that step, even if it’s a pain, because the chocolate is what takes these from being ok to being fantastic. I mean how hard is it to imagine that peanut butter and pretzels will be good, but peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate will be amazing!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

Ingredients

• 1 jar (16 oz.) peanut butter (I used Smart Balance)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels (10-12 oz.) (I used gluten free pretzels)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup simple syrup (1:1 ratio) plus more if needed
• 1 bag of chocolate chips (10 oz.) (I use Enjoy Life)

Instructions

• Combine peanut butter and unsalted butter in your stand mixer and blend until thoroughly combined.
• Add the crushed pretzels, powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup to the butter mixture and combine.
• Let stand for 2-3 hours (the pretzel crumbs will absorb the syrup and the mixture will become dry and crumbly).
• Add more syrup, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is the right consistency to form into a ball that is moist, but will still hold its shape nicely.
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the batter into small balls and then roll them between your hands until they are round.
• Wrap them well in foil and plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or up to a couple of days if you are doing this part in advance).
• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or in a heat proof bowl resting over a pot of simmering water).
• Gently roll the balls in the chocolate and place them on a pan lined with a silpat sheet or waxed paper.
• Put them back into the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened up.

Preparation time: 3 hours

Number: 50-60 balls