Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter & Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies

I shared a few healthy snacks during January and while I’m still trying to be good (most of the time), with Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought we might need a sweet treat to share with loved ones!
I’ve made these dipped cracker sandwich cookies a few times in the past using just peanut butter as the filling, and they’re quite delicious like that! But I’m little obsessed with a peanut butter/caramel combination, so I wanted to add a little extra goodness to these simple no-bake cookies. And with the addition of salted caramel, and sea salt sprinkled on top – these were amazing! I also decided to try dipping them in white chocolate as well as milk and dark – I just couldn’t decide which would be best, so of course, all three needed to be tried. I loved them all, but probably liked milk & dark chocolate dipped the best.Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter & Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies

Salted Caramel:
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter
pinch or two of sea salt flakes
1/3 cup heavy cream

Melt the sugar over medium high heat in a large pot. Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and a pinch of sea salt flakes and stir until melted. Pour in the heavy cream (mixture will foam) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps but keep stirring until they have melted. Remove from heat and let cool. (This will be a little bit thicker than normal salted caramel sauce, so it’s hopefully not too gooey in your cookies). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Dip:
2 cups chocolate chips (can be milk, semi, dark, or white)
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

butter crackers, such as Ritz
sea salt flakes

Prepare caramel first and set in fridge to cool. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and powdered sugar. Spread some peanut butter mixture on a cracker. Top with a bit of salted caramel and sandwich together with another cracker. Place cracker sandwiches in fridge to set while you prepare chocolate.
Place chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl. Drizzle vegetable oil over the chips and stir to coat. Microwave on medium high for one minute. Stir. Continue heating in 30 second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate can be stirred smooth. Make sure not to overheat it – that can cause it to clump. When the chips are all just about melted, but you can still see some unmelted chips, keep stirring and the few unmelted ones should melt while you stir.
Once the chocolate is melted, using a pair of forks, dip the cracker sandwiches into the chocolate, completely covering them. Gently shake off any extra chocolate, and set on a piece of wax paper. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and allow chocolate to harden. Or once chocolate has hardened, dust cookies with powdered sugar. Store in a cool place in an airtight container.
Any favorite treats that you like to enjoy on Valentine’s Day? These Valentine Snack Cakes are another favorite of mine! And if you’re looking for something that’s a little healthier, you should definitely try these Graham Cracker Conversation Hearts!

– Manda