Crispy, Crunchy Peanut Butter Bark Is Only 3 Ingredients Away

There are seemingly endless sweet-and-savory snack combos available in the grocery store, from kettle corn mixes that combine cheesy and caramel-covered kernels to chocolate-covered nuts and salty cookies. However, none of these snacks are quite as satisfying as the ones you make yourself. Although it might seem like it's a lot of effort to create a "swalty" snack, there are several recipes that only call for three ingredients and open up the opportunity for endless customizations; chief among them is our peanut butter pretzel bark. 

This recipe takes the idea behind so-called "Christmas Crack" and turns it on its head, instead calling for thin layers of pretzel chips (not regular pretzels — we're talking about the extra-thin ones), melted chocolate, and peanut butter. The chocolate perfectly encases the pretzel crisps and peanut butter layer, resulting in a sweet and savory bite that satisfies. Once the chocolate has solidified, the bark can be broken into pieces and enjoyed. And if you can hold off eating it all in one sitting, you may want to try gifting it to friends and family.

Since the combination of ingredients in this recipe is so simple, there are endless ways to play with them to change the flavor of the bark. Our recipe uses dark chocolate chips — the bitterness helps offset some of the richness of the peanut butter — but you could use milk or white chocolate chips, if you prefer. If you don't want any chocolate essence, consider using colorful candy melts and adding a handful of sprinkles on top of the bark before it sets for extra color. We also recommend using creamy peanut butter for this recipe, as it's easier to spread, but if you like a little crunch, you may want to add some chopped peanuts to the bark. For extra complexity, try sprinkling on seeds, shredded coconut, or candied fruit.

If you like the simple flavor combination of this bark recipe, rest assured there are other simple snacks that you can make that highlight the iconic chocolate and peanut butter duo. Roll up peanut butter balls made with softened butter and powdered sugar, before chilling and coating them in melted chocolate for a four-ingredient take on truffles, better known as buckeyes. You can also whip up a simple peanut butter fudge with canned frosting and a jar of peanut butter; once it's set, drizzle on your melted chocolate and add a sprinkle of sea salt. Otherwise, drizzle some melted chocolate over our two-ingredient peanut butter cookies.