3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark Recipe

Chocolate bark, whether French or American, lands firmly within a category of food that tastes far better than it looks. Typically made with chocolate and a mixture of sticky, crunchy ingredients like toffee and saltines, the thin sheets of cookie are haphazardly broken into pieces that look a bit like broken glass (albeit coated in creamy chocolate). It's a dessert that, when first introduced, doesn't seem very promising, but once tasted, tends to go fast. After all, what's not to like about a combination of sweet and salty, especially in a crunchy bite-sized form?

Chocolate bark is not very hard to make, and our 3-ingredient version is easy enough to put together in just a few minutes of cooktime. In this recipe, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, crunchy toffee bark is transformed into a salty-sweet equivalent by replacing the saltines with pretzel thins and the toffee with creamy peanut butter. The result is a sweet and crunchy snack you can't put down, which tastes much more complex than it looks. A treat that quickly becomes an easy favorite, save this peanut butter pretzel bark for the next time you need dessert in a pinch — and don't need it to look like the work of a pastry chef.

For the outer layers of the bar, you'll need chocolate, and we recommend using dark chocolate for the rich flavor that pairs well with salty pretzels and nutty peanut butter. You'll need pretzel thins next, which are pressed-flat pretzels that work well for layering into thin pretzel bark. Finally, you'll need peanut butter, which can be either crunchy or smooth — but keep in mind that with crunchy peanut butter comes added texture, which may be harder to spread thinly into the bark.

Line a sheet tray with wax paper, leaving extra to hang over the edges.

Bring a small pot with 1 inch of water to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the chocolate chips to a heat-proof bowl and place it over the water. Stir constantly until the chips are melted and completely smooth.

Pour half of the melted chocolate onto the sheet tray and smooth it into a single layer.

Layer the pretzel crisps on top of the chocolate in a single layer.

Melt the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, until it's loosened into a thick liquid consistency.

Pour the peanut butter over the pretzel crisp layer, using a spatula or offset spatula to smooth into a single layer.

Pour the remaining chocolate onto the peanut butter, using a spatula to smooth it into an even layer.

Add the tray to the refrigerator to set, for about 30 minutes.

To serve, lift the wax paper out of the sheet tray and onto a cutting board, then cut or break it into 3-inch pieces.

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The beauty of bark is that it needs very little to be delicious. By melting and chilling the peanut butter and chocolate into a thin, layered cookie, you can create plenty of flavor without any frosting or decorating at all. Bark doesn't have to be super simple, though, and although there are a few ingredients you shouldn't add, it can handle any extra layers or toppings you wish to include. Besides swapping the smooth peanut butter for crunchy, you can also add nuts to the top layer, sprinkling crushed almonds, pistachios, or pecans on top of the chocolate layer before it sets. You can also sprinkle with flaky salt for an even saltier bark.

You can also add full extra layers, such as a white chocolate layer or a toffee layer. We recommend adding toffee to a middle layer, such as spreading it across the pretzels or on top of the peanut butter, rather than on top, where it will not harden. Chocolate can be added on top or swirled into the existing layer to harden and help seal in the layers. You can also try caramel sauce swirled onto the top layer for added sweet flavor. Finally, for a simple addition that adds color, you can top with sprinkles right after spreading the chocolate.

The easiest way to make pretzel bark is in the microwave, where you can melt each layer quickly and spread it while heating up the next layer's ingredient. It is also easy to melt the chocolate on the stove, where you can stir it constantly and avoid any seized chocolate, especially with such a large batch. You could technically make this in the oven, too, which doesn't take much longer and can be an easy process if you don't want to dirty any extra bowls.

To make bark in the oven, first start by covering a sheet tray in parchment paper instead of wax, then sprinkling it with chocolate chips. Add the tray to a preheated 350 F degree oven for a few minutes, until the chocolate is glossy and beginning to melt. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate into an even layer, then arrange the pretzel crisps on top. Dollop the peanut butter next, add it to the oven to melt, and then spread it as you did the chocolate. Sprinkle on the final layer of chocolate and return the tray to the oven to melt, then spread again and chill to set.

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