No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars

We've been eating gluten free for almost two years now. Thus, I haven't eaten pretzels in almost two years. When I started my Whole Foods journey and completed the 21 Day Sugar Detox, I was able to finally balance my blood sugar. Before that, I had no idea my blood sugar was out of whack! Looking back now...I found that when my blood sugar started to dip, I would reach for pretzels or crackers. At the time I didn't realize that I was only making my blood sugar more unregulated. What I needed was a balanced snack! I have learned so much in two years, by focusing on how to balance my plate! So I've slowly started adding foods back into my diet, on occasion, that I used to eat all of the time. I'm experimenting and observing how my body reacts to these foods since I have been mainly eating whole food products. Last week I saw that Snyders brand carried a GF pretzel. I bought some and they were very good! I wanted to make a treat for Thanksgiving that included the pretzels. At first I was going to make chocolate covered pretzels. Then, I thought I'd add peanut butter to the chocolate. And then... I remembered a crushed pretzel strawberry bar that my mom used to make when I was younger. Ta da! I decided  to crush the pretzels and mix them  into the peanut butter with chocolate chips. But then decided on a chocolate layer on the top. If I do say so myself....these turned out great!!

By: Kristi

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cuisine: American Dessert

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups gluten free pretzels (you can use regular pretzels)

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (I used dairy free)

1/8 teaspoon salt (for dusting the top of the chocolate before refrigerating)

Instructions:

1. You will need an 8 X 8 glass baking dish. I did not grease.

2. In a food processor or blender, crush the pretzels to where you can still see some chunks.

3. Add the peanut butter and honey (or maple syrup) to a bowl and thoroughly mix.

4. Add the crushed pretzels to the bowl and combine.

5. Transfer the Pretzel and pb mixture to the baking dish.

6. Over low heat, add the chocolate chips to a pan and melt.

7. Pour the chocolate over the mixture in the baking dish.

8. Sprinkle with the salt and place in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours.

9. When ready to serve, take out of the refrigerator and let sit for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting. If not, the chocolate will crack more easily.

10. Enjoy!!