No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

National Pretzel Day on April 26^th recognizes one of America’s favorite snacks.  

Whether you’re snacking on a bag of pretzels or getting creative with your favorite recipes, the mighty pretzel should be your go-to choice on April 26^th. I’ll be snacking on Mikesell’s because they’re family-owned and operated, based in Dayton, OH and they put quality first… not to mention, they’re nostalgic. There’s nothing better than when food takes us back to our most important memories.

What are some foodie fun facts for National Pretzel Day?

• National Pretzel Day began in 2003 when Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared April 26 “National Pretzel Day” to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state’s history and economy. There is also a privately owned Pretzel Museum in PA.
• According to The History of Science and Technology, pretzels were first invented in 610 A.D. by an Italian monk, who folded strips of bread dough to resemble the crossed arms of someone praying.
• Hard pretzels originated in the United States in 1850.
• The United States pretzel industry is worth over $550 million, annually.
• The average American consumes about 1.5 pounds of pretzels per year.

I had the chance to catch up with my good friends at WKYT today to share this delicious no-bake pretzel bar recipe with powdered sugar topped with chocolate, oh my!

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Refrigerate: 1 hour
Makes: 20 bars
Kid-Friendly: ABSOLUTELY!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups of Mikesell’s Mini Pretzel Twists, crushed and divided
• 1 cup of butter, melted
• ½ cup of peanut butter
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp. of coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Set aside ½ cups of Mikesell’s Mini Pretzel Twists and finely crush the other ½ cups
2. Mix together butter, peanut butter, crushed pretzels and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
3. Line a baking pan with a baking mat and press peanut butter mixture onto the pan.
4. In a microwave, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir until smooth at 20 second intervals, careful not to overheat
5. Spread stirred, melted chocolate over your peanut butter mixture on your baking pan
6. Spread your reserved ½ cup of Mikesell’s Pretzels over top and cover… refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. After it hardens, cut into bars
8. Enjoy!