Featured Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps

Name: Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps
Prep time: 18 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 13 min
Yield: 28 servings
Ingredients: 27 Ritz crackers or salted round crackers; 1 cup creamy almond butter instead of peanut butter; 3/4 cup powdered sugar; 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided; 2 tablespoons cacao nibs optional twist for crunch

By Kate

Created on 20 January 2026

Crunchy crackers sandwiched with a thick peanut butter and powdered sugar filling, dipped in rich, tempered chocolate. Twists with almond butter swap and cacao nib crunch. Chilled to set filling and coating, these snacks marry salty with sweet and creamy with crisp. 28 crackers, not 30, to balance filling distribution. Melt chocolate with care; avoid burning. Chill must firm up peanut butter or it seeps out. Use wax paper or parchment to prevent sticking. A quick freezer blast tightens up the sandwich before dipping. Melting chocolate halfway, then stirring in more—temper technique keeps glossy sheen and snap. Tap fork gently, excess chocolate drips off to keep the coat thin, tidy. Don’t rush chilling—takes about 35 minutes to really set. Stored airtight lasts a week, if you can hold off that long.

Prep: 18 min

Cook: 50 min

Total: 1h 13min

Serves: 28 servings

snacks desserts chocolate

Introduction

Work with almond butter here; peanut butter can be oily and runny, messing filling integrity. Powdered sugar binds, stabilizes; not enough means gooey mess. Cracker choice matters; salty round ones hold shape and aren’t too thick. If too thin, filling shows through, too thick and bites get clunky. Use parchment—wax paper is safe but sticky and not ideal. Tempering chocolate matters. Microwave bursts with stir prevents overheating and graininess. Melting half, then adding the rest off-heat tempers somewhat giving glossy finish and better snap. Dipping one at a time prevents chocolate from cooling too much on utensil. Pressing cacao nibs is optional but adds complexity visible and crunchy. Chill times aren’t precise; look for firmness in filling and dull matte in chocolate surface. Skip over-chilling or you risk cracking chocolate coat when biting. Storage airtight, low moisture prevents sogginess.

Ingredients

27 Ritz crackers or salted round crackers

1 cup creamy almond butter instead of peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided

2 tablespoons cacao nibs optional twist for crunch

About the ingredients

Almond butter replaces peanut butter here for less oil bleed and a softer sweetness note. Powdered sugar controls texture; too much makes it dry and crumbly, too little too runny. Using salted Ritz crackers adds balance to sweet filling but you can swap for unsalted if you adjust the salt elsewhere. Semi-sweet chocolate chips melt reliably and taste balanced. Avoid bittersweet chips unless you like sharp contrast. Cacao nibs add mild bitterness and crunchy surprise if sprinkled or pressed on top before chocolate sets. Always measure carefully; too much chocolate thickens coating and weighs down crackers. Parchment paper preferred to wax for ease of removal. Use microwave in short bursts to avoid scorching chocolate; watch color and smell closely. When mixing almond butter and powdered sugar, go slow; the right thickness is key to keeping filling inside cracker sandwich.

Method

Line a 17x12 sheet pan with parchment paper. Avoid wax paper if possible; it clings.

In a small bowl, mix almond butter with powdered sugar stirring until thick but spreadable. Thick filler keeps shape; too loose and it oozes out.

Place 27 crackers face down on pan spaced evenly like a grid but leave room to handle.

Using a tablespoon measure, dollop almond filling smack in the middle. Don’t smush to edges—gives room for pressing without mess.

Top each with a cracker, face up. Press gently but firmly. Feel for filling near edges but no squeezing out visible. Stop pressing if filling starts to leak.

Pop the tray into the fridge for 30 minutes minimum. Texture should transition to firm and slightly dense to avoid breakdown when dipping.

Meanwhile, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat 2 cups of chocolate chips for 20 seconds at a time. Stir after each burst. Watch carefully; chocolate scorched smells acrid and grainy, useless.

Add remaining 1/2 cup of chips off heat and stir gently until melted chocolate turns shiny and silky. This off-heat addition lowers temperature preventing thick clumps. This method simulates tempering to control setting texture.

Right before dipping, sprinkle cacao nibs on parchment. They add a bitter crunch if you want to tap cookies in or press nibs on chocolate after coating for texture contrast.

Take chilled sandwiches out. Using two forks or a chocolate dipping fork, one lifts cookie into chocolate and flips it over to coat fully.

Tap the fork on bowl edge gently to drip excess chocolate. Too thick coat loses snap and looks clumpy.

Place dipped cookies back on parchment. While still wet, optionally press cacao nibs onto surface.

Chill for 35 minutes or until chocolate coating feels firm but not brittle. Visual cue: chocolate surface should be matte and resist finger indentation.

Store cookies in airtight container between parchment layers in fridge or cool pantry if humidity low; moisture ruins texture.

Technique Tips

Place crackers face down first; makes the bottom sturdy. Dollop filling in center to limit spreading. Pressing must be gentle not to squish filling outside edges. Refrigeration firms filling; critical step ignored and filling leaks during chocolate dip. Chocolate melting technique—heat half chips in short intervals, stirring well after each; add remaining chips off-heat. This prevents thick clumps and graininess. Dipping one at a time with forks allows better control; tapping fork on bowl edge ensures thin chocolate coat preventing clumps or drips. Chocolate must be warm but not hot or it cracks after setting. Final chill keeps chocolate from melting on touch. Watch surfaces: matte, firm chocolate signals readiness. Store in airtight container layered with parchment to keep cookies crisp. If chocolate blooms (white powdery patch) store errors occurred like excess humidity or unstable temperature during storage.

Chef's Notes

💡 Use almond butter; less oily. Prevents leaks. Adjust sugar too; keep filling thick, too runny it oozes. Spread filling right—don't let it escape. Stick with salted crackers. They add balance to sweet filling.
💡 Microwave cautiously; short bursts only. Stir, watch color. Scorched chocolate ruins your coating. Temper method crucial—heat half then add more off-heat. Smooth, glossy finish you need. Keep chocolate just warm for dipping.
💡 Chill filling well. Texture matters; firm but not brittle. Too soft and filling leaks, too hard, chocolate cracks. Crisp texture from chilled cookies, helps with coating. Use parchment, not wax; less sticking.
💡 Dipping technique—you lift with forks, get a full coat. Tap gently; excess chocolate should drip off. Too much chocolate weighs down cookies. Thin coat maintains snap and crunch. Chill time isn’t short; let chocolate set.
💡 Storage matters; airtight containers prevent sogginess. Layer cookies with parchment; keeps them crisp. If blooms appear, humidity during storage is culprit. Keep cool and dry. Enjoy at their best while fresh.