I Tried Trisha Yearwood’s No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

I believe that every meal should end with a dessert. It could be as simple as a slice of watermelon or as complex as a chocolate soufflé — it just needs to show up once the dinner plates have been cleared. To be honest, in my house, it’s often something easy, like a scoop of ice cream or a slice of pie from the grocery bakery. But when I hear about a dessert that sounds delicious and easy to make, I’m checking my pantry, fridge, and freezer to see if I have the ingredients to make it. Trisha Yearwood’s No-Bake Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares are that dessert!

I started with the pretzel rods, which I could’ve crushed by hand, but chose to use my small food processor instead to get the right “crumb” consistency. Once I finished processing the pretzel rods, I tossed them with melted butter, confectioners sugar, and peanut butter and pressed it into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Next, I melted some peanut butter with milk chocolate and spread that over the pretzel layer. Once I felt like I had achieved an even distribution, I covered the dish and refrigerated it until firm, which took about an hour.

I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get the bars out of my baking dish, and I was right. Next time I’ll be sure to add a layer of parchment paper as a sling to make removing and slicing the bars easier. After finally releasing one from the batch, I took a bite and immediately understood the hype I’d read in the reviews. These bars are “absolutely delicious,” as one reviewer wrote. I’m already a big fan of pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate, so combining them into a no-bake dessert made for a memorable experience. I loved the crunch from the pretzel crust, which also provided the right amount of salt to bring out the flavor of the smooth chocolate-peanut butter layer that sat on top. It reminded me of a really good Reese’s cup, but better. I can absolutely see myself making these for a picnic or potluck, or making a batch to give as a present. They’re easy, shockingly delicious, and the perfect ending to almost any meal.

• Swap nut butter. Peanut butter, chocolate, and pretzels make a great combination, but other nut and seed butters would be delicious, too. Try almond or cashew butter, or even a seed butter like pumpkin or sunflower. Consider a crunchy version to give the bars a bit more texture. And if you’re smart, you’ll use a natural nut or seed butter for a bigger flavor.
• Try dark chocolate. I’m a fan of pretty much all chocolate, but dark chocolate is my favorite. I love the bitterness of it and think it would be a fantastic contrast to the sweetness of the bars. Choose something in the 60% to 75% dark chocolate range, which is less intense than higher percentage dark chocolates.
• Line your baking dish. It’s not necessary to line your pan with parchment, but I would say that it will help make removing the bars and slicing them much easier. Coat the bottom with nonstick cooking spray before adding a sheet of parchment just long enough to come up the sides and create a sling.
• Add toppings. Why stop with the layer of peanut-butter chocolate? Consider adding crushed nuts, toffee pieces, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, crushed chocolate cookies, pretzel twists, or mini candy bars to top the bars.