Sweet Tooth: Take 5 Bars

Whew! It's been a few since I've had a post...but don't worry, I still have been baking and munching since my last post :)  In college, the most amazing candy bar was created: The Take 5 Bar.  This puppy had a pretzel with caramel and peanuts all surrounded by chocolate.  It clearly has it all: The sweet, salty, chocolate-peanut buttery treat that makes you feel like a million bucks! Sadly, I don't think they make this any more :(  But luckily I was so hooked I made a bar version to fill the void!  These puppies are so gooey and delicious and easy to make...just promise me you'll try em!

That's right, these puppies are so caramel-rific and gooey that my spatula is literally dripping caramel :)

Take 5 Bars
Approximately 3 cups slightly crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 T packed brown sugar

1 package caramels (or go the easy route and get the caramel drops for easy melting!)
2 T water

Roasted Peanuts
1 package chocolate chips
A generous dollop of creamy peanut butter (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Gently crush the pretzels into the baking pan.  Mix the melted butter and brown sugar together and pour evenly over the pretzels, stirring slightly to coat.  I don't bother to try and get the butter and brown sugar completely combined, I just drizzle the more buttery portion evenly over the pretzels and then the more brown sugary portion and stir it up :)  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While pretzels are still in the oven, melt the caramels and water together in microwave according to caramel package directions.  The water helps the caramels from hardening up too much later on so use it!  Drizzle caramel over pretzel crust.  Sprinkle peanuts over caramel.  Combine chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 1 minute, stir.  Microwave and then stir at 15 second intervals until just melted, being careful not to scorch chocolate.  Drizzle over bars and spread slightly with a spatula to cover bars.  Note: These directions will make a somewhat thinner bar with a thin chocolate frosting...by all means you can use a smaller pan and more of whatever you want to make them your way!

Let these puppies cool! Pop em in the fridge a little if you like, but let the caramel and pretzel crust calm down a bit.  Then dig in!