Halloween is less than a week away! This month flew by incredibly fast. When October 1st hit, I had fantasies about all the Halloween themed desserts I’d be making. I even went on a Pinterest pinning marathon adding tons of adorable themed recipes. I never quite got around to making all those awesome spooky treats. BUT, I finally found time to make these creepy Peanut Butter Pretzel “Jack-o-lanterns.”
What’s great about these jack-o-lanterns is that they are just a spin on my Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Treats! So, I didn’t have to spend hours or days perfecting a whole new recipe. In fact, MOST of the ingredients and steps are exactly the same. The few differences about this recipe is that I used white chocolate and food coloring to design the jack-o-lanterns. I used orange food coloring for the body, green for the stems and black for the faces of the jack-o-lanterns.
Everything about this recipe is really easy from dipping the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate to using a pastry bag for drawing on the faces. These treats can be a cute addition to your next Halloween party! They will really bring your dessert table to life and I’m sure your guests will be surprised when they find out they’re edible. 😉
So go ahead and blast that Monster Mash jam, get in the Halloween spirit and have fun making these deliciously spooky treats!
Chocolate Covered ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ Peanut Butter Pretzel Treats
Course: Dessert, Holiday/Themed RecipesDifficulty: Medium20
treats1
hour1
hourThese easy Jack-O-Lantern treats can be a creative dessert idea for your next Halloween party! Crunchy peanut butter and crushed pretzels covered in decorated chocolate!
Ingredients
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 cups crushed pretzels
24 oz white chocolate bark
1 tsp orange food coloring
½ tsp black food coloring
½ tsp green food coloring
Directions
- Crush pretzels in a plastic bag using a rolling pin or you can use a food processor
- Combine crushed pretzels and peanut butter in a bowl. Mix well until evenly blended
- Place the mixture in the freezer for about 20 minutes
- Remove from freezer and roll into about 20 balls that are about 1 ½ inches thick. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the balls side by side on there
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for another 20 minutes
- Remove from freezer and firmly roll the balls in your hand, squeezing until they are packed tightly. Add a toothpick to each ball if desired (this will make it easier for dipping later)
- Return to freezer for another 30 minutes
- Once that time is up, place HALF the white chocolate bark in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Stop when the chocolate is melted smooth without being too thick. I did two 30 second intervals and one 15 second interval, stirring the chocolate in between each interval. This will prevent the chocolate from burning
- Add the orange food coloring and slowly stir until the chocolate is a nice orange color. You can add more food coloring as desired
- Remove the balls from the freezer and start dipping them into the chocolate. Make sure to get a nice thick coating on each ball by rolling it in the chocolate. Use a spoon if needed.
- Return the coated balls to the cookie sheet to dry
- While the chocolate is drying, start preparing the OTHER HALF of the white chocolate which will be used for the green stems and jack-o-lantern faces
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in the same way you did earlier. Once melted, split the chocolate into two separate bowls. Add the black food coloring to one bowl and the green food coloring to the other bowl. Mix both well until they’re the desired colors
- Put the black colored chocolate into a pastry bag with a small tip. Use that to pipe the faces unto the balls in whichever design you want
- For the stems, mix the green chocolate until it is cooler and starts to thicken. Then you can mold the stems with your hands into whichever shape you desire and secure the stems on top of each jack-o-lantern ball
- Once all the treats are decorated, you can start eating right away, OR store in an air tight container for later. It’s OKAY to leave them at room temperature once they’re coated. Enjoy!
