Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes with a Pretzel Crust

I love peanut butter and chocolate. I love cheesecake. So, these little beauties are a big winner with me. I'm a little obsessed with the whole chocolatey, peanut buttery, salty, sweet, cheesecakey combo.

I decided to pair these with a pretzel crust instead of the traditional graham cracker crust. Best. Decision. Ever. You know me, I'm a sucker for sweet and salty! I love the hint of saltiness that the pretzels give. 

The pretzel crust is a bit crumbly, so expect a bit of a mess when you dig in to these. I thought about adding some more melted butter, but it seems like there's just no way around it. No worries...they are totally worth the mess! 

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes with a Pretzel Crust

Makes 6 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:
Crust
3/4 cup crushed pretzels
1/2 cup peanuts

1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup non fat, plain Greek yogurt (you could also use non fat, vanilla)
2 eggs

1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and peanuts until a crumb mixture. With the machine running, slowly add the melted butter and pulse until it just starts to come together.
Divide the crumb mixture into your mini cheesecake pan then press evenly with the bottom of a glass to create an even crust. Bake crust in the oven for about 5 minutes and let cool.
Reduce oven to 325 degrees.

Filling
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix until it just comes together. Continue to mix with a spatula until well combined.
Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. The top should be slightly puffy and lightly browned. Remove cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely.

Glaze
Combine the chocolate chips, milk, and vanilla in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Remove and stir until smooth. Pour glaze over the cheesecakes. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Refrigerate the cheesecakes for about 4 hours or overnight. Remove carefully and serve. 

Cookie Butter Granola

I've been a huge fan of Trader Joe's cookie butter for quite awhile now, but since we don't have one close to our house I rarely can get my hands on it. Until recently, that is. We went last weekend and I made sure to grab a jar (or two) of this absolutely amazing stuff! 

It’s thick and creamy like peanut butter but with the spicy flavor of gingerbread, and just a slight crunch from the ground cookies. Seriously daaaangerous! My husband and I have gone through an entire jar in a matter of days. We love just scooping it out of the jar with a pretzel...so good.
I knew I wanted to use it in a recipe before it all disappeared, and this is by far one of the best things I have made. I wanted to try to and make it somewhat healthy, so I loaded this baby up with some goodies. The quinoa, almonds, and sunflower seeds gives it great crunch and it has a nutty and super cookie buttery flavor. 

It's the perfect little snack to munch on, or you could put it over some Greek yogurt. Either way, it's pretty darn delicious. 

Looks like I can have cookie butter as a snack, for breakfast, and for dessert...that's my kind of granola! Enjoy! :)

Cookie Butter Granola
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 whole almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cookie butter
1/4 cup honey

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper,

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, sliced and whole almonds, sunflower seeds, and quinoa. Stir until combined. Add cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt. Stir again and set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl add coconut oil, brown sugar, cookie butter, and honey. Melt for about 25-30 seconds. Whisk together until combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is coated. 

Spread onto baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning. Allow granola to cool for 20 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Pretzel M&M Cookies

If you haven't checked out Sally's Baking Addiction...I highly recommend you do! She is an amazing baker and has some of the most delicious recipes. I took her chewy chocolate chunk cookie recipe and added some colorful mini M&M’s. And since you know I'm obsessed with sweet and salty, I threw in some crushed pretzels too. They add the perfect amount of crunch and salt to the cookie.

People are always asking me, "what do you do with all those treats you bake?". Well, unless we're really in the mood for something sweet, most of the goodies end up gifts to my parents, in-laws, friends, neighbors, co-workers...anyone we can get them to! So needless to say, these were perfect for our Christmas lunch at work.

Pretzel M&M Cookies
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mini M&Ms

1 cup pretzels, broken in to pieces

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch; set aside. 
• In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and both brown and white sugars.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until just combined.
• Fold in the M&Ms and pretzel pieces. Chill dough for at least one hour or overnight. 
• Use a cookie scoop to roll the dough into balls (about 3 tablespoons).
• Bake for 11-12 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

OK guys, this recipe is no joke. 

If you don't know by now, I have a weakness for a sweet and salty combo. It's pretty much the best flavor combination ever. So as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to add a pinch of salt somewhere...and honestly, what's better than salted caramel? 

Sweet and salty caramel drizzled over chocolate covered COOKIE DOUGH! This is probably one of the best desserts I've ever made...and the best part is that there's no baking involved!

I wanted to add a little surprise in the center of each truffle. I found these super cute mini Rolos at the grocery store and figured they would be perfect together. Man, was I right! 

Cookie dough is one of those childhood favorites that you can just never get enough of. I love this recipe because the the cookie dough is egg-free, so you don't have to worry about getting sick when eating raw cookie dough. 

Simply put...

THESE TASTE AMAZING. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Recipe adapted from Bakerella and The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
chocolate candy coating
30 mini Rolos
10-15 unwrapped caramels
1 tbsp milk

1 tsp salt
Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
• Mix in milk and vanilla.
• Add flour and salt and mix on low until combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Chill dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes until firm enough to roll or scoop into 1-inch balls. Place a Rolo inside each ball. Wrap the cookie dough around the Rolo and form into a ball.
• Place rolled balls on a wax paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes. 
• Melt candy coating following instructions on the package. Remove a couple of balls from the freezer at a time and dip in candy coating. Let any excess fall off back into the bowl.
• Place caramels, salt, and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Melt the caramels in 20 second intervals until smooth. 
• Drizzle each cookie dough ball with caramel and sprinkle with sea salt. 
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Brownies

So I was craving something sweet and salty...again. 

These brownies are a twist on the classic "poor man's" turtles. We make them every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas...you take a pretzel, place a Rolo on top, pop it in the oven until it's slightly melted, and then top it with a pecan. AH-MAZING! It's seriously the easiest dessert ever and soooo freakin' good! 

So I decided to make those delicious turtles in brownie form. The saltiness from the pretzels just adds something amazing to sweet and rich desserts! 

You start with a rich and fudgy brownie layer, topped with ooey gooey salted caramel, and then sprinkle on some crunchy pretzels and pecans. The whole thing is then drizzled with melted chocolate. YES. PLEASE. 

This recipe is a quick and easy way to jazz up a standard brownie that takes a normal dessert to the next level!

Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Brownies 

Ingredients:

1 box fudge brownie mix

1 egg

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 bag (14oz) caramels

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely crushed

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, water, oil, and egg. Spread into pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. Cool for about 5 minutes.
• While the brownies are baking, in medium bowl, microwave caramels and milk uncovered for 20 second intervals, stirring until completely melted. Stir in salt. Pour over warm brownies. 
• Sprinkle pretzels and pecans over the caramel and lightly press down so they all stick to the caramel.
• Microwave the chocolate chips for 30-35 seconds and stir until smooth. Drizzle over brownies. 
• Refrigerate brownies for at least 10 minutes before cutting. 

Peanut Butter + Pretzel Truffles

Salty + sweet. 

Peanut butter + chocolate.

These little balls of sweet peanut butter and bits of crunchy pretzels, dipped in chocolate are seriously dangerous. Dangerous and oh so delicious! Good luck eating just one, or two...or ten.

The peanut butter filling is like eating the center of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Amaaazzzing.

 Perfect bite-size pieces of heaven. You really need to make these right now. Dooo itt.

Peanut Butter + Pretzel Truffles

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1 cup whole tiny twist pretzels

1/4 cup creamy all natural peanut butter

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons peanut butter, slightly melted

Directions:

• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
• Place pretzels in a resealable plastic bag and crush the pretzels into small bits using a rolling pin; set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and powdered sugar until completely blended and smooth. Add the pretzel bits and mix thoroughly. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Shape into balls. Place on prepared pan and place in the freezer until firm, at least 15 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 20-230 seconds until completely melted. Add in shortening and still until smooth.
• Dip balls in chocolate using a spoon or a fork and place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. (I did about 3 at at time.) Keep the other undipped balls in the freezer until ready to dip.
• Once you have covered all the balls in chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate coating is set. Once the coating is set melt the peanut butter and drizzle over each truffle. Return to refrigerator until drizzle is set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Salted Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake seems to be the main ingredient in quite a few posts on this blog. It's because I'm a HUGE fan of cheesecake. Especially cheesecake bars. 

So easy to make and so versatile. I topped this creamy cheesecake with toasted pecans and salty caramel.

After moving into our new house back in September, we couldn't wait to host Christmas this year. We have had a full house since last Friday and I've loved every minute of it! My family came over for Christmas Eve dinner and this was the dessert of choice. 

I wanted to make something with a sweet and salty contrast. My mother loves pecans, and pretty much anything covered in caramel or any sort of sauce, so this was perfect. She actually ended up eating dessert before dinner! (Now you know where I get it from!)

Salted Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup caramel sauce

Topping:

1/4 cup chopped pecans

12-15 Kraft caramel candies

1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and butter; press into the bottom of a foil lined and lightly greased 8x8-inch baking pan.
3. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.
4. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Combine sugar and flour; gradually add to cream cheese, beating just until blended. Add sour cream and caramel sauce.
5. Add egg, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over prepared crust, spreading evenly to edges of pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle pecans over cheesecake. Chill for at least 2 hours.
7. Place caramel candies, salt, and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake. 

Saltine Toffee

I've been on this sweet and salty kick lately, and let me tell you this is some seriously good stuff. 

I think the salt on the crisp crackers combined with the rich, semi-sweet chocolate and crunchy, buttery toffee makes for the perfect candy, no matter what time of year it is. 

It's probably best to make this during the holidays, but I won't tell if you make an entire batch just for yourself!

Saltine Toffee
Recipe adapted from the Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans

16 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Lay 16 saltine crackers in a foil lined 8 inch square pan. Boil 1 stick butter and both sugars, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Pour over the crackers

Bake for 5 minutes until the toffee becomes bubbly.

Top with chocolate chips;bake 1 more minute, then spread the chocolate evenly.

Sprinkle with pecans. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, then cut into squares.

Salted Caramel Shortbread

I've recently become obsessed with Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha and as soon as I saw this recipe my mouth started watering! There’s just something about that unique flavor that keeps you wanting just one more bite. If you haven’t tried it yet because you think salt on a dessert is weird, don’t worry I completely understand. I used to feel that way too. 

Many of the recipes I saw also had a thin layer of chocolate on top. I have opted to forgo the chocolate since the caramel is very RICH and DECADENT. But, by all means, feel free to enhance these salted caramel bars in any way you like. And trust me, just one small bite will totally satisfy that sweet tooth! 

Recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot
For the shortbread layer:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

For the caramel layer:

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp sea salt

To make the shortbread layer, preheat the oven to 325° F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed blend in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden.  (If the crust puffs up a bit while baking, just gently press it down while it is cooling.)  Let it cool completely.

To make the caramel layer, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly.  Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture turns an amber color and thickens slightly.  Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer, smooth the top, and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool completely in the refrigerator and set before cutting.

Baked Apple Chips

I love apples. What I love more is the fact that you can find them year round. Since apple season is in full swing now, I've been trying to put them in anything and everything. We went to Whole Foods last Sunday and their produce section was lined with every apple variety you could imagine. So naturally I bought a ton of them. As we were checking out I saw a bag of baked apple chips and I thought these would probably be pretty easy to make...and I figured they would taste even better fresh. Boy was I right. They were DELISH. This is the perfect healthy treat, and plus they make your house (or apartment) smell amazing! :)

Apple Chips

• 2 gala or granny smith apples
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
• Don't worry about coring the apples, just slice them super thin and remove the seeds. (A mandolin would definitely be easier to slice the apples, but I didn't have one. Patience and a steady hand are key!)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the apple slices on the sheet. 

• Sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and salt.
• Bake for about an hour until the apple slices are crisp. If they are still soft after an hour, continue baking for another 30 minutes to an hour. Depending on the thickness of each slice it may take a little longer. 

Nutella Pretzel Bars

My search for nutella infused food continues...I stumbled upon this yummy recipe on one of my absolute favorite sites: Gojee.com

I love the combo of sweet and salty and the crunchy pretzels with the creamy nutella is perfection. The best way to eat these is warm out of the oven with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. AH-MAZING!
The original recipe can be found at: Dula Notes

Recipe:

Makes about 16 bars.

• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup crushed pretzels (broken into small pieces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with a sheet of parchment leaving a 2″ overhang on both edges. Butter parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and Nutella until it becomes smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not over mix). Fold in 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread in an even layer with a spatula. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels.

Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It should take about 20-30 min. Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift bars from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.