One of my favorite candy bars is the Hershey Take 5 bar. It is peanut butter, caramel, pretzels, and peanuts covered in chocolate. It is a great combination of crispy, crunchy, gooey, salty, and sweet all in one delicious treat. I recently decided to try to make up my own recipe incorporating the same flavors and textures, and I think it turned out quite yummy. This recipe does not require any baking and is really simple to make.
Bottom Layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
Add powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and peanut butter to the melted butter and stir until well blended. Press mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.
Middle Layer:
1-11 ounce package Kraft caramel bits
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 ½ cups crushed pretzels
Melt caramel bits with whipping cream in microwavable bowl for approximately 1 to 2 minutes, making sure to stir every 30 seconds or until caramel starts to melt. Stir until smooth. Add in crushed pretzels and mix well. Spread mixture over bottom layer and cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
Top Layer:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
¼ cup chopped peanuts
Melt together the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter in microwavable bowl, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread mixture over the caramel layer. Top with chopped peanuts. Cool until set, about an hour, and cut into bars.
These bars are very rich so I recommend cutting them small. I was able to get approximately 4 dozen bars by cutting them into smaller squares.
Enjoy!