Take 5 Candy Bar Pie
Between the homemade Snickers bars that I posted last Friday and today’s post, I’m starting to think that I have some sort of serious subconscious craving for candy on Fridays. Perhaps I should start a candy Friday ritual? I’ll have to give that some serious consideration. Candy once a week definitely could be a good thing. Now, let’s talk about this pie! This pie is everything that is right with the world of candy bars. It takes all of the awesome elements found in a Take 5 candy bar (pretzels, caramel, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate) and throws them all together into a pie. The result? An incredibly rich, amazingly delicious dessert that pairs wonderful flavors and textures. Creamy and crunchy. Sweet and salty. It’s all here. And it’s every kind of wonderful.
This pie starts off with a pretzel crust (drool). Ground pretzels, a little bit of sugar, and a healthy amount of melted butter are mixed together and pressed into the pie plate to form the crust, and then baked briefly.
After the crust each layer is added in succession, with a 10-minute or so trip to the fridge to set up before the next layer is added. On top of the pretzel crust we spread melted peanut butter, then homemade caramel sauce, then chopped peanuts. I could barely keep myself from taking a nibble each time I added a new layer. The fact that I didn’t is earth-shattering.
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Finally, you melt down some chocolate and pour it over the top of the pie. After a short stint in the refrigerator to let it set up, you end up with one of the prettiest pies I’ve ever seen. Sure, a sky-high meringue and lattice-top have their place, but this beauty? This one is special. Especially if you like chocolate. Or caramel. Or peanut butter. Or peanuts. Or pretzels. Or all of them, together, throwing one big happy dessert party.
That’s precisely what this pie is. One, big, happy candy bar pie party. I want to be invited to this party every.single.day.
Happy Friday! Cheers!
One year ago: Irish Brown Bread
Two years ago: Chewy Brownies
Five years ago: Mexican Rice
Candy Bar Pie
Ingredients
For the Pretzel Crust:
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) pretzel sticks, finely ground in a food processor or blender
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Caramel Sauce:
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (62.5 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
For the Pie:
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (75.33 ml) prepared caramel sauce
- ¼ cup (36.5 g) coarsely chopped peanuts
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) semisweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the ground pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill in the refrigerator until firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, Make the Caramel Sauce. Whisk the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium-size heavy saucepan until well combined. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the sugar mixture, without stirring, until it becomes a rich caramel color, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream until the caramel sauce is smooth, using caution as the mixture may bubble up. (If the sauce seizes, stir it over low heat until the hardened caramel is melted.) Whisk in the butter and set aside.
- Assemble the Pie: Smooth the warmed peanut butter evenly over the bottom of the pretzel crust. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Pour the caramel sauce over the peanut butter layer and gently spread with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for another 10 minutes. Finish with a smooth layer of melted chocolate. Refrigerate the pie until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Pie can then remain at room temperature until serving. If you have leftovers, cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I love tarts. On my birthday i got some forms – i try Your recipe, soon!
Thanks,
Zuckerwandlerin
I’m thinking of making this in bar form to make it easier to bring into the office. Does the filling harden enough to make that doable–since only the edges will have raised crust on the side?
Hi Rachel, If you refrigerate it, it will definitely harden. I would recommend refrigerating until you leave for work, and then leaving it out at room temperature so that the caramel filling can soften a tad bit.
This was fantastic! I didn’t have heavy cream so I substituted sweetened condensed milk and it was actually much better!
Hi Maria, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing the substitution you used!
Can I use a store bought caramel sauce? Just wondering if I can eliminate a step?
Yes, you could definitely do that.
If I use store bought carmel sauce, how much do I need?
About 1 cup.
Made this last night for today (Pi Day!). I really like it. I think maybe next time (there will be a next time!) I’ll use half milk chocolate as I think it would make it closer to an actual take five bar. It might make it too sweet though. I overcooked my first batch of caramel – used too wide/shallow of a pan and it went from caramel to DARK in seconds. Heads up to any caramel amateurs. :D Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe. I posted it in my facebook page yesterday, & immeditely left for the store to get the ingredients. My friend Brian did the same thing as soon as he saw my post w/the link. BOTH of us poured the cream for the caramel too fast and I almost had a fire in the kitchen. Put it this way; even if I would have set my kitchen on fire… it would have been WELL worth it. Amazing. Nice work. This recipe will be in heavy rotation.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Take 5 before, but I want one of these pies!!
This looks amazing! I love Take 5 – definitely one of my favorite candy bars – and it looks amazing as a pie!! :)
Take 5 is one of my all time favorite candy bars! And you turned it into a pie?! Genius!!
OMG!!!!!!! Take 5 is my favorite candy bar, and I have tried several times to make a bar that combined the flavors of this salty & sweet candy bar. I have to try this pie to see if it satisfies.
this looks amazing michelle. absolutely perfect! i love no bake recipes!
omygosh I need to have a slice of this pie!! This looks amazing! Take 5 bars are genius… pretzels caramel peanut butter anddd chocolate? YUM! And I absolutely love your candy bar friday idea :) I can’t get enough of your candy bar recipes!
I can pass up most commercial candy bars but Take 5 is my weakness so this pie’s right up my alley!
I love Take 5! I think this pie looks perfect!
You never fail to amaze me with all the kinds of desserts you come up with!!! This is such an exciting recipe!
Just put this pie together to take to a party. Was quick and easy to make. One hint for those who have not made it yet: be sure to whisk the cream into the hot sugar slowly or you will have the sugar seize (easy to recover from, but just adds extra time). As a seasoned cook, I knew better, but still went too fast with the cream.
Oh man I need one of these now! Too bad I am stuck in an airport. Until I have a kitchen handy I will be dreaming of a slice of this.
Wow, this looks AMAZING!!!
OMG OMG OMG how on earth did I miss this post!!! It’s amazing :) Just look at it!!! It’s got all the most delectable ingredients and flavours hehe i can imagine this candy bar pie being so rich and filling BUT i’m still going to make it!
Wow!! Looks mouth watering! Have pinned it…
Caramel AND chocolate AND peanut butter!? yum yum
Oh, I’m making this and pinning this. I cannot even handle how hungry this makes me. You’re combining chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels, three things I absolutely love together.
I love the layering! Sounds like 4x the fun of making a peanut butter pie, which is one of my favorites. Must make this asap!
I think it’s quite possible that you and I are twins separated at birth. This looks phenomenal, but the fact that we’re still working our way through the Snickers bars (I actually turned them into Milky Way bars) will keep me from making this for a bit. Yummy!
First all this pie looks amazing, secondly I have a Friday candy ritual and it is one of my favorite parts of the week, 2 hour reading time with chocolate every friday afternoon, heavenly, I highly recommend it!
That sounds wonderful! I might have to steal your idea!
Thanks to my drooling, I am now dehydrated. Just wow!
Love Take 5 Candy bars; this pie looks delicious!
i can’t think of a more perfect Friday treat! Fabulous creation!
Oh my…my heart just about stopped! I love Take 5, this pie looks ridiculous. Like, insane.
What an amazing pie recipe! I have never seen a pretzel crust but I can just imagine the saltiness would bring out the amazing flavors in the pie.. Such fabulous home baking! You go girl.
xo
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