I had an inspiration to create these incredible bars when my husband became obsessed with their salty, sweet attraction years ago. I was too intimidated at the time to attempt replicating something that seemed so complex. Fast forward to a year into this blog and I’ve gained some courage and wisdom in the cooking arena. WHile my taste buds were highly pleased by the replication, the presentation and ability to eat the bars was fairly unimpressed. Next time I think I will attempt to make the chocolate layer with butter and chocolate, like a ganache and crush the pretzels into finer bits to create a firmer texture. I would also recommend either buying a very firm caramel or making your own so it firms up appropriately in the layers. Mine was much too runny and the chocolate topping was overwhelmingly sweet. While not a complete failure in my book, I will look forward to making the changes I mentioned. If you try any of those alterations, let me know how it goes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine pretzels & butter in the bottom of a 8x8 non stick pan & bake for 9 minutes (or until pretzels begin to brown slightly). Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar & salt over double boiler or in microwave for one minute until mixture is smooth.
Pour the peanut butter over the pretzels & spread carefully until evenly covered. Chill for an hour or until peanut butter has hardened.
Next, whisk (constantly) the evaporated milk & eggs in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat until it thickens (do NOT boil). Place chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl & slowly add in the hot milk mixture. Stir until chocolate is melted & smooth.
Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the chocolate layer has had time to cool & firm up.
