Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I've been home in New Jersey since Saturday and I have been sick since Saturday. My body knew that I would be getting a long break and finally gave up on me. I guess it's better that I'm sick now than when school is in session.

The last day of school before break was pretty crazy. Most of the students didn't even come to school and I just showed a movie, Lean On Me with Morgan Freeman. Everyone was roaming around campus and sharing food, which is what I did because I had so much Zucchini Bread and Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites.



Last Friday was also crazy in terms of my outfit:



There was a competition on which teacher had the tackiest Christmas sweater and this was what I put together. I bought the brightest neon colored ornaments and safety pinned everything on. I'm not surprised I had the guts to wear this at school in front of all the students, but I am surprised I had the guts to wear this out in public. I grabbed dinner with a friend before heading to the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton to watch A Christmas Carol all while wearing this sweater. But it was worth it - I won the competition and my sweater got a lot of attention from the actors (I was even sitting on stage).

As for these treats, very well received as is anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate. Plus, easy to make! I was sad that Walmart didn't have any Christmas-shaped pretzels, so I had to use plain ol' square pretzels. I used a bit more powdered sugar than originally listed to make the filling workable. I also added shortening to the melted chocolate chips to make it easier to dip the pretzels into. I'm pretty sure 1 cup was enough, but if not, just melt 1/2 cup more.



Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
From What Megan's Making

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzels
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp shortening

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.