Let me backtrack. After a week of the flu and another week recovering from the flu, I’m still waiting for my appetite and taste buds to return to normal. The flu is evil in so many ways, but I never expected it to alter my eating this dramatically.
Pretty much, I’ve wanted two things since the fever broke: sushi and truffles. When the fever was raging, all I wanted was Coke Slurpees. So basically, any healthy eating habits have gone right out the window.
As I try to build back my love of veggies and anything that’s not sushi, I’m tapping into my biggest love, peanut butter with chocolate, to see what happens.
These babies are inspired by one of my childhood food loves. Every morning for breakfast, I used to eat Ritz crackers with peanut butter along with a cup of Ovaltine. It was a breakfast of champions, and I still love that particular meal. It’s perfect for anyone young, or young at heart.
Now, to these: they’re made up of egg-free peanut butter cookie dough, which is generously sandwiched between two Ritz crackers and then dipped in chocolate. So basically, it’s the candy version of my favorite cracker sandwich. If you want to up the peanut butter ante, you’ve gotta go with cookie dough. And egg-free dough means you can eat as you build these happy bites of joy!
When you dip, you’ve got to use melting chocolate. I used the Ghirardelli brand, but any brand will do. If you use regular chocolate, it could seize up. Plus, it’s very hard to dip delicate Ritz crackers into thicker chocolate.
The outcome here is a snack that any kid or adult will love. As for me, all this is in the pursuit of getting back my pre-flu taste buds. I can’t think of a better way to go!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and beat again. Finally, add the flour and the condensed milk, stirring until just combined.
- Using about a tablespoon of dough, lightly spread the cookie dough on a Ritz cracker and sandwich it with another. Take a knife and run it along the outside of the cracker sandwich, evening up the edges. Repeat the process until you are out of crackers.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the cookie dough is chilled and firm.
- Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Using a spoon and a fork, dip each cracker sandwich into the chocolate, letting the excess drip from the tines of the fork as you swipe the bottom of the fork with your spoon. Place carefully on the cookie sheet.
- When you're done, allow each Ritz sandwich to harden. Store in an airtight container when not serving.