Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites “Buckeyes”
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These no bake peanut butter pretzel bites are like an easier, crunchier buckeye—sweet, salty, and chocolate dipped. Perfect for cookie trays or make-ahead holiday treats. Just mix, roll, dip, and stash in the freezer!
These treats are perfect for cookie trays, party snacks, freezer stashes, or bribing your kids to clean their rooms (I’m just saying…). And if you’re from Ohio, you already know, buckeyes are practically a way of life.
Why You’ll Love These Buckeye Pretzel Bites
- Delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Flavor– Sweet, salty and oh so good! The peanut butter filling sandwiched between pretzels is such a delicious combination of salty and sweet flavors.
- Easy Recipe To Make– No rolling perfect balls like traditional buckeyes. Just mix, sandwich, and dip these treats! These feel fancy but come together fast, just like my easy two-ingredient peanut butter fudge.
- Perfect For Dessert Trays– These little bites look so fun on a dessert tray, and are perfect for sharing with family and friends, at potlucks, or at parties.
These are the kind of treats we make for teacher gifts or stash in the freezer to add to cookie trays. My daughter loves helping squish the pretzels together, but quality control is a little shakier if I let her do the chocolate dipping.
Ingredients For Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- butter unsalted butter, softened
- peanut butter creamy peanut butter or a crunchy peanut butter but you need the no stir version. I do not recommend using a peanut butter where the oil separates for this recipe.
- vanilla
- powdered sugar
- mini pretzel twists use regular mini pretzels, square pretzels, circle pretzels, or other pretzel shapes. (I’ve seen snowflake-shaped pretzels at the holidays which would be fun.)
- chocolate chips I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but dark chocolate is also delicious. Milk chocolate or white chocolate also works.
- coconut oil
Making this treat for a holiday or party? You can add your favorite sprinkle for a pop of color right after you dip the pretzels in chocolate. You can also sprinkle with sea salt at the end if the pretzels aren’t quite salty enough, it’s best to taste test.
How To Make Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine together peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add vanilla and mix gently until combined.
- Add one cup powdered sugar, mixing first on the lowest setting and then on medium until combined. Add the remaining half cup powdered sugar and mix until a thick, shaggy dough forms and it is easily rolled to become the creamy peanut butter filling.
- Scoop one teaspoon balls of dough from the peanut butter mixture and roll into small balls. Press between two pretzel twists and place in a lined baking sheet. Repeat and place the baking sheet in the freezer for twenty minutes.
Baking With Kids Tip
Have little hands help press the sandwiches together. Just be ready to lose a few to snacking!
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30-second bursts until smooth.
Use a smaller, deeper bowl for dipping. It’s easier to get the chocolate to cover the pretzel, and less mess to make this easy holiday treat.
- Dip the pretzel bites halfway in the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off then place each piece on parchment.
- Place baking sheet in the freezer for twenty minutes or until the chocolate sets, then enjoy!
What Makes These Buckeyes?
Buckeyes are a favorite Ohio treat, creamy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate to look like the nut of the buckeye tree. They’re really popular around the holidays, often found on cookie trays. This recipe adds a salty, crunchy twist with pretzels.
Buckeye flavor treats are also common. I’ve enjoyed peanut butter squares (aka Buckeye Bars), a Buckeye Milkshake, peanut butter rice krispie buckeye balls and even buckeye pie!
To learn more about buckeye treats, see my buckeye recipe here.
FAQ And Tips
You can try heating the chocolate in the microwave for an additional 30-60 seconds at half power. Sometimes heating the chocolate a little more helps to smooth it out. You can also add an extra teaspoon of oil to the chocolate to help it thin a little bit more.
Be careful not to get water or other liquid in the chocolate. Water or other liquids can cause the chocolate to seize, which will make it grainy in texture quickly. If your chocolate has seized you can use these tips.
It is easier to dip these chocolates if you use a heatproof bowl that is a little deeper and not as wide. This helps you to easily get half of the peanut butter pretzel dipped easily. If you opt for a drizzled buckeye pretzel, drizzle the warm chocolate using a fork.
If the dough is too sticky you can add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time up to a 1/4 cup until the dough rolls easily like playdough. Peanut butter can vary, which can occasionally cause a sticky dough.
I strongly recommend using a no-stir variety of peanut butter for this recipe. The oil in natural peanut butter (the type with the oil on top) separates, which can cause the treats to separate. Using natural peanut butter you may need more powdered sugar to keep the dough together because the amount of oil can vary a lot.
Yes! Just use gluten-free pretzels and check that your chocolate and peanut butter are gluten-free too.
Coconut oil helps thin the chocolate for dipping, but you can swap with vegetable oil or shortening in a pinch.
Holiday Customization Ideas
Sprinkles – Adding sprinkles right after dipping the pretzels in chocolate is an easy way to customize these treats! Try red and green sprinkles for a no bake Christmas dessert, or red and pink for Valentine’s Day!
Colored Chocolate – Other colors of chocolate is another fun way to customize. Pink chocolate for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, pastels for Easter or red and green chocolate for Christmas. These can be found in craft stores and cake decorating sections, and are sometimes called melting wafers.
Shaped Pretzels – Football shaped pretzels hit stores for the big game, and I’ve seen snowflakes in the winter time. Use fun seasonal shapes for making this buckeye candy with pretzels.
Candy Eyes– Make these a little spooky like I do with my monster oreo balls, just add a few candy eyes for Halloween!
How Long Will Peanut Butter Pretzel Buckeyes Last?
Expect these peanut butter balls to easily last 2-3 weeks if placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Honestly, they are usually eaten or gifted by then in our house!
Can You Freeze Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites?
Yes, you can totally freeze these peanut butter pretzel buckeyes. In fact freezing these treats is a great way to prepare ahead for a party or the holiday season.
They will taste freshest if eaten within 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container but can last even a little longer than that in the freezer.
I suggest layering parchment paper, freezer paper or wax paper if you need to layer the peanut butter truffles in the container. Try making a batch of my cookies and cream fudge too, it also freezes well and now you have a gift box or dessert tray ready to go!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Buckeyes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter unsalted, softened
- ½ cup peanut butter creamy no stir version
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 80 pieces mini pretzel twists about 3 ounces
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips about 20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and mix gently until combined.¼ cup butter, ½ cup peanut butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Add one cup powdered sugar, mixing first on the lowest setting and then on medium until combined. Add the remaining half cup of powdered sugar and mix until a thick, shaggy dough forms and it is easily rolled.1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Scoop one teaspoon balls of dough from the peanut butter mixture and roll into small balls. Press between two pretzel twists and place in a lined baking sheet. Repeat and place the baking sheet in the freezer for twenty minutes.80 pieces mini pretzel twists
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30-second bursts until smooth.1 ½ cups chocolate chips, 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- Dip pretzels in the melted chocolate covering them about halfway. Let the excess chocolate drip off then place each piece on parchment.
- Place baking sheet in the freezer for twenty minutes or until the chocolate sets, then enjoy!
Notes
My Peanut Butter Dough Seems Too Sticky
If the dough is too sticky you can add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time up to a 1/4 cup until the dough rolls easily like playdough. Peanut butter can vary, which can occasionally cause a sticky dough.Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter For This Recipe?
I strongly recommend using a no-stir variety of peanut butter for this recipe. The oil in most natural peanut butter (the type with the oil on top) separates, which can happen in your treats also if you use natural peanut butter for this recipe. Using natural peanut butter you may need more powdered sugar to keep the dough together because the amount of oil can vary a lot.Use A Smaller But Deep Bowl For The Chocolate
It is easier to dip these chocolates if you use a heatproof bowl that is a little deeper and not as wide. This helps you to easily get half of the peanut butter pretzel dipped easily. Dip a fork in the chocolate to drizzle it over the top of the pretzels.Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
