This is a great recipe for leftover chocolate candy bars. You can customize this recipe using whatever candy bars you have on hand. For example, replace the peanut butter cups with Snickers Bars, Milky Way Bars or your favorite candy bar. Just for fun, you could also use several different kinds of candy bars. If you don’t like peanut butter just omit it from the recipe! Kids of all ages love these bars.

Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Bars

1 box butter flavor cake mix
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1 large egg
8 ounces mini pretzels
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 (8 ounce) bags mini peanut butter cups (like Reece’s)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix cake mix, butter, and egg with a mixer. It will be a stiff dough. Press dough into the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch metal cake pan that has been lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Lightly press mini pretzels into dough in rows with pretzels touching each other.

Mix marshmallow crème and sweetened condensed milk with a mixer until combined.
Pour marshmallow crème mixture evenly over the pretzels. Microwave peanut butter for 20 seconds until liquid. Drizzle over top of marshmallow crème.

Sprinkle one bag of mini peanut butter cups over marshmallow crème mixture. With your hands, break  30 mini pretzels into pieces. Sprinkle pretzels over the marshmallow creme. Sprinkle second bag of mini peanut butter cups on top of pretzels.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan then store in refrigerator. The soft filling will set up when refrigerated. Makes 24 (2-inch) bars. Enjoy Friends!

Published in The News and Neighbor on October 20, 2021.