Peanut Butter Pretzel and Toffee Bonbons

Today is Mama B's birthday! Say it with me now...

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA B!" :-)

Kate and I, of course, asked if Mama B had any requests for a blog post celebrating her birthday. Of all the treats she suggested - and there were many, as Mama B is a respected member-at-large of the Sunday Treats baking team her request for truffles was the most enticing.

 

"Mmmmmmm, what kinda truffles, Mama B?", I asked.

"Oh, you know, those chocolately ones."

"Um, Mama B, all truffles are made with chocolate..."

"You know - those ones you always make! With the oreos!"

Well, as much as I wanted to please Mama B for her birthday, we've already posted the recipe for the awesomely easy and spectacularly tasty Oreo Truffles for all you Sunday Treats readers.

So Kate suggested these little pretties. Technically speaking, they're bonbons and not truffles, but then again, the oreo truffles are technically bonbons, too, so, technically, we stuck with Mama's B's original request for something along the lines of "those chocolately truffles", which, though she didn't know it, are technically not truffles but bonbons.

And technically, that last sentence was horribly grammatically incorrect due to its run-on-ness and overuse of the word 'technically'.

 

Back to my point.

Oh Mama B! How I wish you could apparate to New York and taste one of these. Believe me, a cross-country, interdimensional voyage on your birthday would be worth it. Biting into one makes me feel like everything in my life is going to be just fine.

Know who else makes me feel like that? You.

Happy birthday, Mama. We love you!

 

Peanut Butter Pretzel and Toffee Bonbons

Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

Makes approximately 6-7 dozen bonbons

*Note: To chop the pretzels, place several large handfuls in a ziploc bag, release the extra air and seal, and roll over the top with a rolling pin until the pretzels are crunched up into 1/8-inch pieces. You could also use K&B's preferred method: stomping on the bag! Measure the crumbs and continue the process until you have 2 cups.

8 tablespoons butter, softened to warm room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups peanut butter

1 cup toffee bits

2 cups crushed pretzels

1 pound chocolate (semisweet, milk, bittersweet)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Toffee, chopped nuts, chocolate jimmies for garnish

1.    In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until evenly combined. Add the peanut butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the toffee bits and pretzel pieces by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

2.    Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the lined baking sheets. Freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm. At this point, the balls can be transferred to a sealed container or freezer ziploc bag and frozen for up to 2 months.

3.    Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely melted and smooth. Alternately, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. If chocolate is very warm, allow it to cool for a few minutes. You want it to be smooth and thin, but not too hot.

4.    One by one, toss a peanut butter/pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and using a fork, cover the ball with chocolate. Lift the covered bonbon out of the chocolate with the fork, then gently shake the fork from side to side to remove excess chocolate. Scrape the bottom of the fork along the edge of the bowl and then, setting the bonbon very close to the parchment paper, use a knife to gently scoot the bonbon off the fork and back onto the baking sheet (or, use a new parchment or waxed paper lined sheet). Immediately sprinkle with your garnish of choice. Refrigerate finished bonbons until ready to serve.