Take 5 Candy Bar Pie
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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.
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[/donotprint]
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!
Made this for my daughters birthday. It’s a keeper!! I love so many of your recipes. Thank you browneyedbaker👩🏻🍳
OMG!! This looks amazing! I HAVE to make them sometime! Btw, I looooove your blog!!! <3
I pretty much doubled the pb and caramel layers and halved the chocolate layer. Awesome!!!! Thank you SO much for sharing this awesome dish.
The pie crust never stays up on the sides it al settles on the bottom while in the oven, am I missing something?
Make sure that you are actually getting the pretzels ground to fine crumbs, and not merely crushed. It makes a big difference in the texture and might be why your crust isn’t cohesive and staying up the sides of the pie plate.
Sounds delicious–thanks for sharing the recipe!
I was thinking of making these for a friend! If I were to make these into custard cups (making them into mini pies) and needed to bake the crust, how long would you suggest to bake it for?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t done it, so I’m not certain how long you’d need to bake them, but I’d start checking around 5 minutes just to be safe.
I just found what I’ll be bringing to my family’s Thanksgiving!
I made this for an event last night. Fan-freakin-tastic. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Is there an alternative to the corn syrup for those of us living outside the US?
I’d imagine honey could work, or perhaps maple syrup or molasses but that may be too rich.
Hi Shir, I have never used a substitute in caramel sauce, but maybe something like agave nectar or golden syrup could work?
Thanks! I’ll give it a try.
my caramel was too thin…any suggestions? If the heavy cream didnt thicken it enough, I was at a loss for how I could get it thicker?! It tasted great at least! :)
Delicious but the chocolate was a bit thick. I think next time I make it, I will split the chocolate into two layers and add a layer of marshmellow and/or rice crispy.
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
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/
I am drooling at the sight of this. Take 5 is one of my favorite cady bars! This has quickly moved its way up onto my list of baking adventures! Can’t wait to make it!
This just can’t be true!!! It looks awesome!
Oh my goodness, I am recovering from some minor surgery but I absolutely have to try this today.
You just made every 5-year-olds dream.
WOW!!!!!!! I’m adding this one to the list, YUM!
I have never had a Take 5 candy bar, but this pie version sounds great. Last weekend my husband and I stopped at a gas station and were going through the candy aisle. I have never been much of a candy bar eater (I was always to busy eating goodies like cookies, cake, and brownies!) and he was amazed at all the kinds of candy bars I have never had. I guess I have some candy eating to do!
My teeth almost hurt from looking at your photos (in a good way of course)! Take 5 is my favorite candy bar!!!
I love your Friday Candy Cravings! This looks fantastic! Super Yum!!
Take 5 is an all time favorite candy bar of mine, I need to try this pie!
OMG!
this sounds AMAZING!
baking ASAP & will be @ the gym forever!!
What a beautiful pie and it I bet it tastes way better than it looks! Yum :) I pinned this recipe right away, can’t wait to try it out!
Yummmm. I love those Take 5 candy bars, so I know I’d adore this! Now if I could just get my bf on board with the sweet and salty combo so I’d have someone to share it with…
More for you! :)
This pie definitely does make it a very happy Friday indeed. It looks absolutely perfect!
omg are you even serious right now? Take 5’s are only like my favorite candy bar in the history of, um all candy bars. I feel like it would be wrong NOT to make this.
Take 5 is my absolute favorite candy bar, love this take on it!
No Bake desserts have a special, permanent place in my heart! So great to keep a handful of these recipes around for when you forget to have dessert prepared for guests.. insta-pie!
Oh my goodness, this looks awesome! I’m definitely going to have the best pie for Pie Day
Wow! That layer of chocolate looks particularly thick, I thought it might be fudge at first. Which brand of chocolate did you use?
I used Ghiradelli baking bars.
Awesome!! This sounds delightful!
Pi day is next week and I’m thinking of surprising my older son’s class with this yummy deliciousness! YUM
Ah, such a great idea! I’m thinking of other candy bars that can inspire treats now. If you have any ideas for a Zero bar (caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with a layer of white fudge), please pass ’em along. It’s an obscure bar, but a favorite from childhood.
Awesome idea! I will add this to my list!
Seriously how do you not weigh like 500 lbs!? I gained weight just looking at the picture!! looks very yummy, will prob. have to try this one ;-)
Absolutely in LOVE with this pie!!
Oh man, I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet and am already drooling! ;) That looks beyond amazing. Just the consistency of the filling… YUM!
Oh, wow! NEED THIS!
“Creamy and crunchy. Sweet and salty”. That says it all for me! :) Have a nice weekend!
I bring freshly baked goodies into the office every Wednesday and this is exactly what I needed for Pi Day next week!
This is pretty much heaven in a pie crust. Stellar looking! That chocolate is just begging for some teeth marks in it :)
no. no. no. did this really just happen? sweet jesus.
Every time you listed another of the key elements of this pie, I drooled a little bit more. This sounds incredible and I can’t wait to try creating it. I love the layers of melted peanut butter and caramel. Yuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm!!!