What's a salt river bar?
I have no idea.
But as far as I can tell, it's a famously sold confection in Gilbert, Arizona's Liberty Market, somewhat close to the Salt River... either that, or they get their name from the "rivers" the chocolate makes as it begins to melt. And, you know, the salt.
Or maybe Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Crunch Bars was too long of a name.
Like I said. No idea.
But I do know that they're decadent, rich, life-changing, and dangerously addicting.
No really.
Three layers of buttery crackers, peanut butter chips, and brown sugar caramel, topped with a thick, fudgy layer of melted chocolate, sprinkled with sea salt.
I might have just died a little.
These are similar to the chocolate almond cracker candy & the Christmas s'mores I posted about in December... but better.
Because there's three deliciously sweet layers.
Of peanut butter.
My work here is done.
Printable Recipe
1 box Club crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Coarse sea salt
Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil, allowing the edges to hang over the side, and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Place 15 crackers in the bottom of the pan (3 rows of 5). For three layers, divide the peanut butter chips into thirds and sprinkle 1/3 over the crackers.
Melt butter and brown sugar in a pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and smooth and a creamy caramel color, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the peanut butter chips and crackers, then add another layer of crackers, peanut butter chips, and caramel, then repeat again for the third layer, topping the last layer with crackers.
Melt the chocolate chips and pour over the crackers, spreading evenly.
See? Chocolate rivers.
Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top.
Allow chocolate to being setting up in refrigerator (about 20 minutes), then lightly cut through the partially-set chocolate (to make it easier to cut after it cools completely). Place bars back into the fridge. Once cooled completely, gently remove bars by lifting out foil. Cut accordingly and serve.
See? Chocolate rivers.
Allow chocolate to being setting up in refrigerator (about 20 minutes), then lightly cut through the partially-set chocolate (to make it easier to cut after it cools completely). Place bars back into the fridge. Once cooled completely, gently remove bars by lifting out foil. Cut accordingly and serve.
*If you want to make this in a 9x13-inch pan, add about a half more of everything in measurements.
Good heavens, Bakergirl! You're killing me with deliciousness! A pan of these babies wouldn't be safe for one day in my house.
ReplyDeleteThese have a Paula Deen flair about them...which is tempting!!! Great photos, makes me hungry :)
ReplyDeleteYum! You must be reading my mind. I was just thinking I needed to make something cracker-y and caramel-y and chocolate-y!
ReplyDeleteMmm!! Salty and sweet goodness!! I can't wait to try this recipe!
ReplyDeleteYUMMY!!!
ReplyDeleteThese bars look amazing. and addicting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Oh my heavens!!! Saving these right now, I love salty sweet!
ReplyDeleteOkay, these look ridiculously amazing!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I am the biggest fan of crackers, peanut butter and chocolate! It must be that salty sweet combo I crave. This looks like a great recipe and I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing! I can't wait to try them :)
ReplyDeleteYou just changed my life! I live by Liberty Market and so desperately want/NEED this recipe! People do not believe me that these are life changing...until they try one and get hooked!
ReplyDeleteCrystal: I've never been to Liberty Market so let me know if these are similar to their salt river bars! I'd never heard of them before & couldn't find much information on them when I googled them. I hope they're close!
ReplyDeleteWow, do these look good. I love the layers in the finished bars. This is a definite must-try for me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese look absolutely dangerous...which is why I'll be making them tomorrow! :)
ReplyDeleteYum is all I have to say about this.
Mmmm...I couldn't find any square crackers in my house so I used circle crackers and put them in a muffin tin!
ReplyDeleteThey're setting now and I cannot wait to bite into them. Yumm!!!
Rachel- That's genius! I would never have thought of making them in muffin tins. Let me know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteWow wow wow. These look amazing!!!! I love the sweet and salty combo!
ReplyDeleteThe best part about this recipe is I have everything already in my house! I love recipes like that and I will definitely try these=)
ReplyDeleteOne layer of peanut butter is usually enough to get me hooked...but THREE. Girl you are playing with fire. These look amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh my god I LOVE the salt river bars at Liberty Market!! I will definitely be trying this recipe.
ReplyDeleteI just had a Salt River Bar at Liberty Market last night, and came home determined to find a recipe...thank you, BakerGirl! I've just made a batch following your recipe, and am anxiously waiting for them to set. I used butterscotch chips instead of peanut butter, as that is the distinct taste I experienced last night. And I am wondering about melting them into the caramel next time. The Liberty Market cookie has very thin layers, and you cannot see any whole chips in there. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteNora- I've never been to Liberty Square so I was wondering what their salt river bars were like. Butterscotch chips sounds delicious! Let me know how they compare. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteMy mother and I just shared one of these at Liberty Market today, and we couldn't agree on the ingredients, so I asked =). They said the layers are peanut butter, caramel, and butterscotch. Hope this helps! And I can't wait to try this recipe to see how it compares!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Misty! I'll have to try them with butterscotch chips next time.
ReplyDeletethese have come to be known in my house as "chocolate lasagna" perfect for summer nights when my roommates won't let me turn the oven on. :D
ReplyDeleteI made these for work, and I think they need more caramel, but they are really addictive and delish!
ReplyDeleteI just tried this recipe tonight and since I didn't have foil I just greased the pan really good. I really hope that they turn out good and I can save some that will look good enough to share with friends at work. Other then that they look very yummy and I can't wait till they set up in the fridge!
ReplyDeleteAs a whitewater kayaker, rafter, and guide living in Arizona for the time being, I could guess that these might have started as a mish-mash thrown-together desert on a Salt River whitewater rafting trip. The kind of trip where access to ovens is fairly minimal, and you carry things like clubhouse crackers, chocolate chips, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter and combining those things sounds really good at the end of a multiple day rafting trip...
ReplyDeleteI might be totally off, but it could be a good story.
I found these on pinterest and I'm glad I did. Your cookies/goodies all look amazing and I will probably try some for this holiday season. I think you are very funny and I love the whitty comments you put in here. I will definately be following you!!
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing!
ReplyDeleteI've had these bookmarked for months and was very excited to make them. Unfortunately, they didn't work for me. They fell apart when I cut them, which may have been my fault for cutting too soon, but they were just way too sweet, and that's not something I EVER say.
ReplyDeleteI am in the process of trying this, but the picture does not jive with the directions as the chocolate should top the last layer of just crackers and not the sugar/peanut butter chips. I'm hoping for the best
ReplyDeleteI'm making these again tonight. For the 10th time in the past few months.
ReplyDeleteLove at first bite!
These bars look delicious. They look fairly simple to make. I am giving them a try. Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteCan I make these with less butter, or does that affect the taste, texture, etc.? I'm about to start my holiday baking so I'm definitely making these! Thanks. =)
ReplyDeleteI made these and they were falling apart as I cut them! What's wrong?
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ReplyDeleteI made these and they are delicious but falling apart as some others said happened to them. Do you press the crackers down a bit after laying them down? Also, your recipe says to lay the last layer of crackers down then spread the chocolate chips over that. The picture shows you spreading the melted chocolate chips over the caramel mixture...I am thinking it would have also stayed together a bit more if I skipped the last cracker layer. Is this what you do? Thanks in advance for your input!
ReplyDeleteI made these this year and they were out of this world. Everyone LOVED them and I will definitely be making them again. I will say that I made two batches, the first with more expensive Ghiradelli and higher percentage Cacoa in them, and the second batch with cheaper Hershey's chocolate chips. I had the problem others did with the falling apart with the Hershey's chips. I think spending the extra $$$ for the Ghiradelli chips was worth it.
ReplyDelete