My brother and I have what I assume most people would call an ordinary brother-sister relationship. Being three years older than me, we didn’t like any of the same music or television shows--aside from The Simpsons--and we never shared any of the same friends. We rarely had conversations that weren’t around the shared dinner table about who’s turn it was to do the dishes. In fact, my brother was so responsible, he often acted like the third parent in my household, to my eye-rolling dismay. My brother is the complete opposite of my loud, silly, frilly, bookish nature; he’s a quiet, internal, street-smart guy who loves fast cars, loud bass, and video games. Now that he has two young girls of his own, I catch him parenting in that stern, serious tone and the reverberations of our youth echo in my ears and bring a knowing smile.
One of the things we always agreed on is the pairing of peanut butter and chocolate. From our love of Reese’s peanut butter cups and Moose Tracks ice cream to trying to make our own delicious treats by freezing a spoonful of peanut butter dunked in Hershey’s syrup, there’s nothing to fight about when you combine these two ingredients.
Although my brother and I still don’t have a lot in common and are now living far apart, when his birthday rolls around, I know that I can go to my kitchen and bake something more useful than a gift card.
CRACK BITES
Adapted from: What Megan's Making
I first saw these a few years ago on this blog, and have been making these quick, no-bake treats as gifts or an easy, party dessert. The first time I made them for my brother’s birthday he hid the large tub of these from his family under the guise that they were his gift and he was not interested in sharing.
Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzels
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.