Peanut Butter Pretzel Snowballs {Laura’s Bakeshop 2015}

I wanted something with peanut butter. So I made something up and this is the result.  These are sweet with a touch of salt… creamy with a bit of crunch… classic holiday flavors with a twist.  And so pretty!Last year, around this time, someone gave me a little plate of holiday treats.  One of the treats was a homemade white chocolate peanut cluster.  Such a simple thing, with only 2 ingredients, but it tasted so stinkin’ good that I still remember exactly where I was when I ate it.  I’m not sure if I was just really hungry at that moment, or if that little peanut cluster really was that incredible.  Either way, I’m clearly still thinking about it….

Or maybe I was just really surprised.  When it comes to white chocolate, it’s always my 3rd choice, dark being first, of course.  If there had been a dark chocolate peanut cluster, I obviously would have chosen that option.  But, there wasn’t, and so I came to learn that day how well the smooth sweetness of white chocolate complements the salty crunch of peanuts.It was my memory of that little peanut cluster that inspired these truffle-like bon-bons.  Starting with a base of creamy peanut butter, I added crushed pretzels for a bit of saltiness and crunchy texture.  Rather than the classic milk chocolate coating, I went with white chocolate for two reasons:  1) see above – I wanted to recreate the flavor profile of that peanut cluster, and 2) if you want to call something a ‘snowball’, it pretty much has to be white.  And, voila!  There you have it – Peanut Butter Pretzel Snowballs.