Take 5 Pecan Bars

Have you ever had a Take 5 bar? If not you literally need to get into your car right now and go buy one. Or three, cause I mean you might as well. For those of you who have had a Take 5, then you know all about the fabulous combination of crunchy salty pretzels, peanut butter and caramel all covered in chocolate. So this is my take on this delicious candy. I added Reese’s Oreos to the pretzel crust (cause I mean why not?) and chopped toasted pecans to the filling layer (cause again why not?). I accidentally may or may not have forgotten the crust layer while it was in the oven and baked it a littleeee too long – oops – but it actually made them even better in the end because it turned out like a crunchy toffee on the bottom. SO GOOD. Top that with the creamy peanut butter, pecans & peanuts, and caramel and these bars are a little piece of heaven. GO. MAKE. THEM. NOW. (after you go buy a few Take 5’s of course :) )

Take 5 Pecan Bars

Crust layer

·         1 cup crushed pretzels

·         1 cup crushed Reese’s Oreos (about 10)

·         ¾ cup butter, melted

·         ½ cup light brown sugar

Peanut Butter Filling

·         ½ cup butter, room temperature

·         1 cup peanut butter

·         2 cups powdered sugar

Caramel Filling

·         1 ½ cups granulated sugar

·         2 tbsp. light corn syrup

·         ½ tsp salt

·         1/3 cup water

·         1/3 cup heavy cream

·         1/3 cup butter

·         1 tbsp. sour cream

·         1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

·         ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

Chocolate Layer

·         2 cups milk chocolate

·         2 tbsp. heavy cream

Instructions

Crust

1.       Grease and line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.       Combine crushed pretzels, Oreos, melted butter and brown sugar.

3.       Press into prepared pan and bake 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden, then let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Filling

1.       In a large bowl beat peanut butter and butter together until smooth.

2.       Add in powdered sugar until incorporated and spread onto cooled crust.

Caramel Filling

1.       In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water.

2.       Bring to boil over medium heat, until it turns an amber color.

3.       Remove from heat and immediately add in heavy cream, butter, and sour cream. (It will bubble up a ton but don’t freak out!)

4.       Set aside to cool then add in peanuts and pecans and spread on top of peanut butter layer.

5.       Chill in fridge until ready to spread on chocolate layer.

Chocolate Topping

1.       Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream in the microwave until melted.

2.       Spread over caramel layer and chill until ready to cut into squares. AND DEVOUR :)