Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Victory tastes so sweet!  My beloved Georgia Bulldogs beat up on the defending National Champions, the Auburn Tigers, to continue our quest to win the SEC East (Sorry, Melissa!).  All that stands between us now is a W over the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday.  Go Dawgs!

Ryan and I spent the day in Athens tailgating and cheering on our team with dear friends and family. (Hi, Liz & Lindsay!)  A special thanks to my brother for providing an unfailingly fabulous tailgate setup.

What did I bring to share?  After careful perusal of my Pinterest boards Friday, I decided to make these sweet treats: Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies.  They were delicious! The recipe made 65 cookies -- and there was not a crumb left by game time.  I guess that means everyone agreed with me?

(Side note: I actually discovered that I pinned the recipe twice...I guess that means they really sounded good to me.)

The original recipe was on the always delicious baking blog, Two Tiny Kitchens.  I pretty much followed her recipe exactly (though a little less sugar).  One thing to note if trying this out, I made the cookies the night before, and they definitely tasted better the next day.  I am not sure why -- I guess that the flavors needed to meld together.

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar (give or take)
3/4 cup brown sugar (give or take)
Pretzels (you will need about 130 pretzels)
1 bag  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Step 1:
Combine peanut butter and butter in a large bowl with whisk a stand mixer.  Add the sugars and mix to combine.  If the filling rolls easily into balls without sticking to your hands (note: roll in your palm rather than your fingertips to reduce stickiness), you are ready for Step 2.  If not, add a little more of each sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.

Step 2:
Roll filling into small balls (approximately 1 tsp), then sandwich them between two whole pretzels.  When all the balls are rolled and sandwiched, place the tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Step 3:
Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted.  (Note: You will need the entire bag.)  Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each cookie into the melted chocolate.  When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely.  Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

Yum!

Want to see what others brought to share?

My mom made this incredible (seriously, I could not stop eating it...notice the missing bottom right corner of dip?  Whoops!) 7-Layer Greek Dip she found on Pinterest.  (She substituted Tzatziki sauce for the cream cheese base.  Delish.)

 

My friend Liz brought this tasty Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips.   The fresh, crisp flavor of the fruit was such a nice change from your regular tailgate fare.  I ate quite a bit of this too... 

(Note: I am not sure if that's the exact recipe Liz uses -- but it is very similar.  She says she uses all sorts of different fruit depending on what's in season.)

 

Food, football, and friends?  An all together great weekend.  What's your favorite tailgate recipe?