tom petty peanut butter-pretzel truffles

I've been having a Tom Petty summer. It seems like every time I get in the car, I'm listening to "Breakdown" or "Mary Jane's Last Dance." And Petty is really kind of like a drug.

This is like my edible ode to the guy.

And these things - they’re really a lot like a drug, too.

So addictive…

It’s a Martha Stewart recipe, with a few tweaks. But I did give it a sweet new name.

This is peanut butter at its best -- just a little sugar and salt to bring out its natural beauty.

Pretzels add some crunch, too, and a little salt of their own.

Then all of those little balls of peanut butter bliss get covered in melted chocolate.

This is now my favorite peanut butter dessert.

It's awesome, easy and delicious. Whip it together one night and see if you don't eat two or three or eight.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Candy

adapted from Martha Stewart

makes about 12 to 15 balls

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup crushed pretzels

• about 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I used about 3/4 cup Hershey's special dark chocolate chips and 1 Hershey's milk chocolate bar)

• sea salt, for sprinkling

Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in pretzel pieces.

Form filling into tablespoon-sized balls and place on foil-lined baking sheet. (If the peanut butter mixture is too soft to form balls, pop the mixture into the freezer for a few minutes to allow it to firm up a little first. My balls were more like rounded mounds.)

Chill peanut butter balls in freezer for 30 minutes.

Carefully melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds, until smooth.

Dip peanut butter balls in melted chocolate and place back on pan. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on each ball. 

Chill the pan of chocolate-covered balls in freezer or refrigerator until chocolate is set.  Store in refrigerator.