salted pretzel chocolate chip cookie dough snickers bars

> This post is from last year, but it’s almost my husband’s birthday again and I’m SO making these for his treat. They’re good enough to warrant a tradition <

Sweets for my sweets

‘TIS THE season for my sweet little family to have celebration after celebration after celebration… my husband’s birthday followed by Thanksgiving followed by my oldest’s birthday followed by my birthday followed by Hannukah followed by Christmas… you get the idea. It’s a lot of cheer-making in a very short period of time.

I LOVE it all, but if I’m being super honest, my effort and excitement for the birthdays wanes a bit as the weeks come and go so that by the time it gets to mine all I want to do is order a pizza and a box of Oreos and eat them alone in bed. And because my early gung-ho efforts are usually showered on my son, my hub’s celebration is often a bit rushed and more lackluster than I’d like (his birthday is sometimes ON Thanksgiving, too, which adds to the chaos). So in an effort to make him feel even a fraction of the love and cheer that he deserves, I made him a sweet treat that speaks his dessert love language; chocolate + nuts + salt : )

EVERYTHING that Tieghan of Half Baked Harvest makes is the bomb. Seriously. I’m slowly working my way through her savory and sweet recipes and have yet to be disappointed. Her desserts are so amazing that I literally have to package them up and give them away to save myself the embarrassment of being discovered by my boys passed out in the pantry from a sugar rush smackdown. They’re just SO GOOD. I made these Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Snickers Bars for my husband’s birthday surprise (phew, that’s a mouthful, but don’t let the name slow you down, they’re actually super easy to make). Here is her recipe for easy access, but you should def check out her site. She’s super talented. Note that the butter and eggs need to be at room temp, so you plan ahead (yeah, I learned that the hard way so I want to save you the grief if you also don’t read the WHOLE recipe before getting after it).

SALTED PRETZEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH SNIcKERS BAR RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour ( I used equal amount of GF and they were amazing)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 2 (10 ounce) bags caramels, unwrapped (OMG - did you guys know that these exist?! They made is sooo easy)

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

• 12 ounces chopped semi-sweet or milk chocolate (I use these, but obvs whatever you like)

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 20-24 pretzel twists

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined and creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and baking soda, beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

• Spread the dough out in the prepared pan and bake for 23-25 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool.

• Meanwhile, make the caramel. Combine the caramels and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Melt stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Gently pour the caramel over the cooled cookies. Let set up 10-15 minutes.

• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave until liquid. Pour the chocolate mix over the peanut caramel layer. Press the pretzels into the chocolate. Transfer the bars to the fridge and chill 1 hour, until set (or 30 minutes in the freezer). Cut into bars. Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 1 week.

I have also made and had to give away her Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars and her Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Bars (hmm… starting to see a pattern here). They’re all completely insane, so if you’re still searching for the perfect holiday dessert, look no further. Just plan to wear your fanciest sweatpants to dinner. And if you love her recipes as much as I do, see below for a few more and to check out her books. They’re really beautifully shot and have lots of recipes that aren’t online. I’m also including some of our favorite packaging for delivering treats to friends because you are SO going to need to get these out of your house. xo

OOH! If you’re looking for more yummy baking ideas, check out my ‘sweets for my sweets’ Pinterest board. There are tons of recipes and some great GF and paleo options, too.

1. Half Baked Harvest Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars // 2. Half Baked Harvest Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars // 3. This Crockpot Sun-dried Tomato Penne Alla Vodka was awesome // 4. Half Baked Harvest Super Simple is beautiful and has lots of recipes that aren’t online // 5. This Half Baked Harvest Cookbook is on my wishlist // 6. Cutie washi tape with cupcakes + donuts // Her 30-minute Creamy Thai Turmeric Chicken and Noodles are divine // 8. I always have a stash of these Container Store Bakery Boxes, they’re awesome for delivering treats to friends // xo

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