Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Cups [Copycat Take-5 Bars]

Layers of peanut butter, caramel, and salted pretzels get nestled inside of easy homemade chocolate cups that are made right in a mini muffin tin! Made with all-natural peanut butter, homemade date caramel and whole grain pretzels for a healthier take on the classic candy bar that’s the perfect size for snacking and a fun homemade halloween candy! 

OH HEY THERE, SALTY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL PRETZEL SNACK OF MY DREAMS.

Sorry to yell, but these little homemade candies are too good to keep quiet about. They’re the perfect salty-sweet treat, inspired the popular Take 5 Candy Bar, and are my answer to the halloween candy conundrum. 

See, I think it’s fun to eat candy now and then (and halloween is probably the best night of the year for doing so), but I don’t think it’s fun to support big chocolate + candy companies who exploit farmers and use questionable ingredients in products marketed primarily for children. So, instead of reaching for halloween candy made by Hershey’s and Mars, I like to instead opt for ones made by companies like Equal Exchange (these chocolate minis are the perfect trick-or-treat size for little ones!), Wholesome Sweeteners (these fair trade + organic lollipops are especially cute), or UNREAL (these individually wrapped peanut butter cups are perfect for trick-or-treating!) who are committed to supporting farmers + the planet. (links in this post are all affiliate links)

But, let’s be real here: the classic candy companies have some of the best flavor combinations out there.

So, to make both my heart and my stomach happy, I opt to make homemade versions of a lot of my favorites, like this bite-sized version of the Take 5 Bar. Homemade candy is probably not appropriate for handing out on halloween, but is the perfect option for sending in to school with kids (stick them in a lunchbox with an ice pack, since they need to stay cold!), bringing in to work for a little halloween festivity, taking to a halloween party, or making to share with friends. 

It all starts with some homemade caramel. Date caramel, to be exact. Medjool dates are already naturally sticky and sweet, so by soaking them in hot water, then blending with a little oil, salt, and vanilla, we get a luscious, thick, golden brown caramel perfect for layering into our very own homemade candy.

Classic Take 5 Bars have both peanut butter and chopped peanuts in them, but I decided to streamline the process ever so slightly by simply using chunky peanut butter, which already has crunchy bits of peanuts in it. Teddie is my childhood favorite, though we’re also fans of Santa Cruz Organics around here, too. Either way, using an all-natural, unsweetened peanut butter is ideal here for helping to balance all the sweetness from the chocolate and caramel. 

Finally, a homemade 3-ingredient chocolate gets whisked together and poured into lined muffin tins, layered up with the caramel, peanut butter, and a salty pretzel (we love these spelt ones from Newman’s Own and these gluten-free whole grain ones from Quinn), covered in more chocolate, and left to harden in the freezer for a few minutes.

The end result is a thick, sticky, sweet but not sickeningly sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, chocolatey snack that makes my tastebuds do a happy dance.

I think they’ll make yours do a little jig, too. 

Try them out and let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Cups and share it with me on Instagram! I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen. Happy candy-making, friends! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Cups [Copycat Take-5 Bars]

2018-10-11 12:57:20

Yields 8

Layers of peanut butter, caramel, and salted pretzels get nestled inside of easy homemade chocolate cups that are made right in a mini muffin tin! Made with all-natural peanut butter, homemade date caramel and whole grain pretzels for a healthier take on the classic candy bar that's the perfect size for snacking and a fun homemade halloween candy! 

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Total Time

30 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

1. 1 batch of date caramel (recipe below)
2. 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
3. 1/3 cup cocoa powder
4. 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
5. 1/2 cup chunky all-natural peanut butter (the kind that's just peanuts and salt)
6. 16 mini pretzel twists
7. flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)

Date Caramel

1. 8-10 large medjool dates (to yield 1 cup, packed)
2. 1 Tablespoon virgin coconut oil
3. 4 Tablespoons water
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. 1. Line a standard-sized muffin tin with 8 paper liners and make space in your freezer for the muffin tin to sit level. Place dates in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit and soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. 2. Whisk together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and maple syrup in a small bowl, then scoop 1/2 Tablespoon of the cocoa mixture into the bottom of each muffin paper. Place the muffin tin into the freezer to firm the bottom layer of the cups.
3. 3. Drain dates, remove pits, and place them into a food processor or high-powered blender with all other date caramel ingredients. Pulse several times to break up the dates, then puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sizes of the machine, as needed.
4. 4. Remove the muffin tin from the freezer and place a heaping 1/2 Tablespoon of date caramel into each cup, smoothing it out to cover the entire bottom layer. Top with a heaping 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter, again smoothing it out into an even layer. Use your hands to break up each pretzel into crumbs/bits on top of the peanut butter layer, then finally scoop another 1/2 Tablespoon of the chocolate mixture on top. Press another pretzel down on top of the cups, and place back into the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, or until firm. Serve with an extra pinch of flaky salt on top, if desired.
5. 5. Store finished cups in the freezer for up to 2 months, or the fridge for 1 week. Since these are made with a coconut oil chocolate, they will melt at room temperature; I recommend eating them while cold!

Notes

1. If desired, 1 cup of roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips can be used in place of the homemade coconut oil chocolate layer. Melt it in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in 30 second increments, until smooth.

By Chelsea Colbathh

Baked Greens https://www.bakedgreens.com/