Category: Best Bar Cookie
Winner: Seton Rossini
Take-a-Break Bars Makes 12 bars
3 heaping cups mini pretzels
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons
granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream,
at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups of high-quality
semisweet chocolate chips
Sea salt flakes (such as
Maldon), for topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels, peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar until the pretzels are crushed and the mixture clumps together. Press mixture firmly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Keep the oven preheated. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir remaining cup of sugar and water until sugar fully dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil sugar, without stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the color begins to darken. Carefully pick up the saucepan and tilt to swirl caramelized sugar to mix and continue to cook for another minute, or until it's a medium-amber color. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla. (It will bubble violently, so stir carefully!) Whisk until it stops bubbling, then set aside to cool. Pour caramel over the pretzel crust, then evenly top with chopped peanuts. Cover the peanuts with the chocolate chips and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the oven and use an offset spatula or knife to smooth out the chocolate while it's still warm. Sprinkle sea salt flakes on top of the chocolate and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for a couple hours, or until chocolate hardens. Slice into bars and serve.
