Chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter filled pretzels, chocolate and peanut butter… the list of delicious combination possibilities with these three favorites (of mine at least) is long. So I decided to make a recipe using all three, and that’s how Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel “Cake” Pops were born!
I call these “cake pops”, but there is no flour, no baking, and no fuss like with baking a traditional cake. Why do I call them cake pops? Because they have a dense and moist cake-like texture and the chocolate glaze is like a *healthy* frosting.
Sweet + salty never tasted so good
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cake Pops recipe details…
For this easy recipe you’ll need the following:
- cashews
- dates
- cacao
- peanut butter
- flaxseed
- plant milk of choice
- dark chocolate
- pretzels
For the cashews, I recommend raw or dry roasted yourself (350° for about 10 minutes).
For the dates, I always go with medjool. These are the most delicious and freshest dates, and I always buy with the pits and remove them myself. This helps with the freshness factor.
Cacao powder, if you are unfamiliar, is raw unprocessed cocoa. Meaning it is dry roasted cacao beans ground into a fine powder. Think cocoa powder in it’s true form, sans sugar. I like the brand Navitas.
For the peanut butter, use any brand you love, just look for one with only one or two ingredients. i.e. roasted peanuts and maybe a little salt with no palm oil or added sugars.
Go with gluten-free pretzels if you prefer
My favorite peanut butter is the dark roasted one made by Santa Cruz.
I use unsweet almond milk for my plant milk, and for the chocolate I always default to my favorite Theo 70% dark chocolate.
And last but not least, the pretzel topping! If you are gluten-free, Quinn Snacks makes several varieties of GF pretzels.
All of these ingredients can be found at Whole Foods and most grocery stores.
Toss everything in a mini food processor and blend cake pops “batter”
Ok now that you have your prep list, let’s talk details!
As I mentioned, this is an easy recipe. In fact, most of the recipe is made right in a small food processor or blender.
First, blend your cashews to a fine meal. Then add your pitted chopped dates, cacao, peanut butter, flaxseed and a pinch of salt.
Next, give the food processor a few whizzes to start the blending. Then add almond or other plant-based milk one tablespoon at a time until “batter” comes together. You want it sticky but not too wet to be able to form cake pops.
TIP: add another chopped date if your batter needs to be more sticky, and you can also pre-soak your dates for a few minutes if they are dried out (just blot dry with a paper towel)
Once the batter comes together, form into six bite-size cake pops. You can chill your batter in the freezer for 20ish minutes to firm up for easy rolling if preferred.
Then you’ll melt your dark chocolate to dip the pops into or simply drizzle over top. Chop your chocolate and melt in a double boiler or in 30-second increments in the microwave.
Note: you can prepare the cake pops up to this point and store in the refrigerator (saving pretzels for adding last minute).
Last step ~ the best part of the recipe! Crush up a handful of pretzels to sprinkle over top of cake pops. Or, if preferred, top with flake salt, crushed roasted peanuts or even cacao nibs.
Alternative toppings include flakey sea salt, crushed peanuts or cacao nibs
Serve right away once you add the topping to maximize the crunch factor. And once you serve, these guys will likely disappear fast!
If you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites be sure to let me know how they turn out! You can comment below or tag me on Instagram with a pic.
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Are you a chocoholic? You’ll love these recipes…
Salted Chocolate Cashew Clusters (vegan, GF)
Everything Chocolate Cups (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 minute |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1/2 cup raw cashews or dry roasted
- 5 each medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 3 tbsp cacao see blog post for notes
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tbsp flaxseed
- 1 pinch pink salt
- 4 tbsp unsweet almond milk *or as needed
- 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate see blog post for brand rec
- as needed crushed pretzels for topping
Ingredients
|
|
- in a small food processor or blender add cashews and pulse to a fine meal; then add dates, cacao, peanut butter, flax and a pinch of salt and pulse a few times to start the blending
- add almond or plant milk of choice one tablespoon at a time until “batter” comes together (it should be sticky but not too wet to be able to form cake pops, and you can add another date if needed)
- optional: pop batter into freezer a few minutes at this point to firm up for easy rolling, then form into 6 round bite-size pops
- melt chocolate: in a double boiler or microwave, gently melt chocolate to a drizzling/dipping consistency
- if dipping, use two forks to dip pops in chocolate; alternatively, place pops on a parchment lined plate and drizzle chocolate over (you can prepare the cake pops up to this point and store in the refrigerator, saving pretzels for adding last minute)
- if serving right away top pops with a handful of crushed pretzels; alternatively, you can add flake salt, crushed roasted peanuts or cacao nibs
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com