Bacon Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolates !

1#pound of bacon...

1#pound of chocolate...

a handful of pretzels 

and a little peanut butter...

hands down...call your mama...

shut the front door...

absolutely one of the BEST BITES i have made all year. 

CHOCOLATE...

my newest obsession.

i think this holiday season you might be seeing a lot of chocolates.

i've already made 5 different chocolaty morsels and i can't stop myself from dreaming up new ones.

i'll be posting about the others, but...

this is one of those...stop and take a moment type of unbelievable bites.

BACON PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL CHOCOLATES

what you'll need...

1#pound of good chocolate...61% works well.  couverture chocolate is preferred.

1#pound bacon...cooked, CRISPY...chopped to small bits

NOTE...bacon is 1# before cooking

small pretzels...for this i used the Snyder's peanut butter pretzel sandwiches because they are small and round... twisted in half.

Jiff creamy peanut butter...natural PB is too runny.

smoked finishing salt, like Maldon 

small cupcake papers.

 mini muffin tins just to help hold the cups.

NOTE...i also made a few GLUTEN FREE by using small gluten free pretzels.

for tempering chocolate...

you'll need a medium glass bowl, digital thermometer and a clean spatula...at no time should ANY moisture touch the chocolate.

check HERE @ Serious Eats for great info on tempering  chocolate

or HERE for Alton Browns microwave method

i use Alton's method quickly explained below.

put 3/4 of your chocolate in the glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  STIR.  microwave again for 30 seconds.  STIR.  do it one more time.  STIR.

microwave 3-5 more times, stirring well between each time until it reads 100 F degrees.  STIR.

now microwave for 10 second intervals stirring between each time until it reaches 115 F degrees.

remove from microwave and stir.  stir in the 1/4 pound of chocolate (this is called "seeding").  if you have some 100% cocoa butter, stir in 5 grams of that as well. Alton uses the 100% cocoa butter method instead of seeding with chocolate.  i used both.

keep stirring until all chocolate is smooth and it reaches 90 F degrees for dark chocolate...88-85 F degrees for milk chocolate.

while your chocolate is coming down to the 90 F degrees (don't forget to stir!), get everything ready.  prepare pretzels with a small dollop of peanut butter...approximately 25-30 pieces.  make sure they will fit in your cupcake papers.  place paper cups in the muffin tins.

add bacon to tempered chocolate.  keep bowl warm by placing it in a larger bowl lined with a cloth towel so it will be snugly and warm while you work.

add a small amount of bacon chocolate to your paper cups...only do 3-5 at a time.  place the pretzel, peanut butter side down, in the cup on the chocolate you just put in.  push it in slightly.  now add another small amount of bacon chocolate to cover the pretzel and fill the sides.  sprinkle a little smoked salt on top before it starts to harden.  proceed with the next 3-5 cups...

when you have finished 1 muffin tin full, gently knock it a few times on the counter to settle everything...then refrigerate for about 10 minutes...they should set by then.  take them out of fridge and keep in a cool dry place.

keep working quickly until you have filled as many as possible.

i got 25 pieces.

NOTE...i am not a professional chocolate person!  please check links given and seek out any other information necessary.  this is how i do it and my chocolates have been good and snappy for over a week...no blooming, no streaks...i don't have the shiny sheen down yet, but i will soon.