How was your Halloween?! I have a genuine love-hate relationship with Halloween. On the one hand, cute costumes are right up my alley, I adore any opportunity to hang out with old friends and party, and I barely need any excuse to hit the kitchen and bake, but I totally welcome one. The slightly embarrassing flipside of this is that I am a total wuss when it comes to anything scary, spooky or even slightly creepy.
Recipe and photos by contributor Sarah Coates of The Sugar Hit
The scariest movie I’ve ever sat through was Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, with Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken – I played it in a fit of pre-teen bravado at my 12th birthday, and then lay awake long after the other members of my sleepover party had fallen into peaceful sleep, just waiting for that headless horseman to burst through the window. Not cool.
Since then I have studiously avoided any and all scary movies, and I even have to admit to quickly flipping the channel if a scary trailer comes on. And then, if I see the trailer too many times, I have to google it and find out what happens – I just can’t stand not knowing. So, to conclude, what I’m saying is that I’m the worst. BUT I’m totally down with the cute kids and even though trick or treating isn’t really common in my neighbourhood, I like to make sure I have a ready supply of treats to hand out just in case.
Enter, these Peanut Butter Pretzel Candies! They have everything that I want in my post-Halloween treats. Peanut butter? Check. Something salty? Check. Chocolate? BIG CHECK! Wrap these in a little wax paper and they’re the perfect alternative to cheap Halloween candy. Or, let’s be real, to eat in my PJ’s while I watch something totally not scary, like Kill Bill for the 4 millionth time, and eat them one by one. Whichever way you do it, you’re definitely having a good time.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Candies
Makes 18-20
Ingredients:
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 cup pretzels
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- Optional: 1-2 tsp coconut oil
- 6oz dark chocolate (or milk, if you prefer)
- Extra crushed pretzels or peanuts, to decorate
Place the peanut butter, pretzels and sugar into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together in a sticky dough, the pretzels should be almost completely ground down, with a few small pieces still visible. If the mixture isn’t coming together, you can add a tiny bit of coconut oil (and I mean a tiny bit, like ½ tsp) and pulse again until it comes together, adding more if required.
Scoop the mixture out in 2 tsp sized balls and place on a lined tray. Place the tray into the fridge to firm up, while you melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water – be sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool slightly, and then dip the candies into the chocolate one by one, letting the excess drip off, before placing them back onto the tray. Sprinkle the still wet candies with crushed pretzels or a peanut to decorate, and place back in the fridge to set. Serve!
