Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers

Descriptions

This salty sweet combo is irresistible. Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with peanut butter is such a simple recipe with pretty results. You can make this as a quick snack at play dates, or treat to take home from birthday parties. Easy treat to make for class celebrations or school bake sales. This recipe yields about 20 crackers.
Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter

Ingredients

  • 1 jar of peanut butter (you will only use about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 Box Ritz Crackers (50 crackers) Have a few extra as there are usually a few that are broken.
  • 10 ounce bag of Nestles Premium White chocolate morsels or Nestles Milk Chocolate morsels (NOT semi sweet or dark chocolate. The sweeter chocolate complements the peanut butter better.)
  • Sprinkles of your choice. It could match your theme or a holiday. Crystals don't show up as much unless it is on white chocolate.

Materials

  • Parchment lined cookie tray (recommended for easy removal and clean up)
  • Silicon spatula or fork to lift crackers out of the chocolate.
  • Butter knife to spread the peanut butter onto the crackers.
  • We like the boiler pot method because it keeps the chocolate warm and we did not have to reheat it. Other options are to use a small Microwave Safe Bowl or a Chocolate Melter.

Steps to Make Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers

  • Spread a layer of peanut butter on the bottom on half of the Ritz crackers. Place the bottom of the other onto the peanut butter. We liked to put the peanut butter on the bottom sides of the Ritz crackers. This made the crackers "fit" better together because of the slightly flatter surface and gave the top a nice rounded edge..
  • Have all of your crackers put together and ready to dip and the sprinkles ready to use before you melt your chocolate.
  • Melt your chocolate in the method that you choose. It does take some time to dip all of your crackers so we really liked the double boiler. We kept the stove on a low heat which kept the chocolate smooth and easy to dip until the last cracker. Whichever way you choose to melt your chocolate, the chocolate should be warm, but not hot.
    • Chocolate scorches very easily and will taste burnt if heated too long. If you are microwaving, start with 60 seconds on 50% power, stir well, and repeat 30 seconds at 50% power until melted. Add up to a teaspoon of Crisco shortening if it feels like the chocolate needs to be a little smoother. Do not add more or you may find, the chocolate doesn't harden well.
  • Gently drop a Ritz cracker into chocolate. Flip it over using a small flat silicone spatula, slotted turner or fork. Let excess drip off and we gently shook the spatula to let the chocolate settle smoothly on the top of the cracker. Place the chocolate covered Ritz cracker on parchment paper on your lined cookie sheet.
  • Add sprinkles right away. We found it helps to have a decorator and a dipper for this recipe.
  • Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or longer until ready to serve. We stored in the refrigerator until use.
Chocolate Ritz Crackers on Parchment

Tips

  • Do not get any water in your melted chocolate, this will cause the chocolate to "seize" and ruin it. So if you are using a double boiler, be sure not to splash water into your pot or use a spoon/fork/spatula that is wet.
  • Milk chocolate pairs much better with the Ritz crackers and the peanut butter. We tried the dark chocolate morsels and it didn't bring out the peanut butter as much as the sweeter chocolate.
  • If you use white chocolate you can add a few drops of food coloring to change the color to match your party theme.
  • If you want to use multiple types of chocolate or chocolate disks, melt one color/flavor at a time for best results. Chocolate can harden quickly especially if you are using a microwave to melt the chocolate. Reheating chocolate tends to make it stiffer to work with.
  • If you want to use colored crystal sprinkles, chocolate needs to cool a little or else you will not see the "sparkle". It will simply sink or dissolve in the warm chocolate.

Storing for Later Consumption

    Store these in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you need to stack them on top of each other, place a piece of parchment paper in between each layer so they don’t stick together.

Serving

    These are best served on a platter in a single layer so they don't stick together. If you need to stack due to space, then line with parchment paper between each layer. Keeping them refrigerated until serving will also help keep them from sticking and being less messy to eat.