How to make chocolate covered Ritz crackers with peanut butter. This quick and easy no bake treat uses just 3 simple ingredients, and it’s the perfect bite-sized candy for holiday parties and New Year’s celebrations!
Ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in chocolate are another one of our favorite treats during the holiday season, and I’ve made them for years. My family can’t go a Christmas without making Ritz cookies or chocolate peanut butter buckeye balls. They make great Valentine’s Day and Easter candies too alongside chocolate covered strawberries too.
My mom would make this recipe every single Christmas when I was a kid. I remember we’d store these crunchy little Ritz cracker peanut butter cups in the stairwell of our old farmhouse because there was no heat and they’d stay nice and chilled there. My bedroom was at the top of said stairwell, so of course, I’d help myself as I climbed past on the way to my room.
Why You’ll Love Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers Dipped in Chocolate
- They’re deliciously sweet and salty, pairing rich, decadent chocolate with all that creamy peanut butter goodness.
- This is a 3-ingredient recipe, and it’s budget-friendly too.
- Ritz cracker cookies are easy to make, and they’re no bake.
- Make a double or triple batch of this festive treat for your Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, or treat your significant other for Valentine’s Day. They’re also perfect for Easter, and I can’t think of a better sweet snack for Game Day!
- This recipe is kid-friendly. My kids love to dip peanut butter Ritz crackers in chocolate. Pair them with a glass of milk, and set them out on a plate for Santa this Christmas Eve!
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes
Ritz cracker cookies are so easy to make. All you’ll need is 3 simple ingredients to make this recipe…
- Ritz Crackers – Of course, you’ll need Ritz crackers. If you’re gluten free, use these gluten free crackers instead…
- Peanut Butter – I prefer creamy peanut butter. You can use chunky peanut butter too, but beware when using “natural” peanut butters. They sometimes have an oily layer on top that can make your Ritz cracker cookies extra greasy.
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – I use dark chocolate melting wafers to drip my Ritz crackers with peanut butter. You can also use chocolate chips, chocolate baking bars, or almond bark. And it can be milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or even white chocolate too! It’s totally up to you.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers With Peanut Butter
First things first, you’ll need to prep by placing a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Then…
- Use a butter knife to spread peanut butter between 2 Ritz crackers, sandwiching the peanut butter crackers together.
- Set each Ritz cookie on the wax paper covered baking sheet, in preparation for dipping.
- Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup; and melt, starting at 30 seconds, then stirring every 15-20 seconds, ’til melted and smooth.
- Using 2 forks or tongs, dip each cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate.
- Then shake any excess chocolate off before placing back on the wax paper to dry. If using, add the nonpareil sprinkles to the top of each sandwich cookie before the chocolate has dried. They’ll stick better.
- When all the Ritz crackers with peanut butter have been dipped in chocolate, chill them in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Alternative Ways to Melt Your Chocolate
I melted my chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave as shown above. But there are other ways to melt it depending on what kind of chocolate you used.
- In addition to the microwave, you can melt your chocolate using a double boiler on the stove – The double boiler method is basically a pan inside of another pan with boiling water in the bottom pan, allowing the steam to rise and heat the pan with the chocolate. It allows for more even melting without burning, and it also keeps the chocolate warm for dipping.
- Or enlist the help of your family, and use a fondue pot for dipping.
Also, depending on the type of chocolate used (chocolate almond bark, candy melts, or chocolate chips), some people like to use shortening or paraffin wax, adding it into their chocolate as it melts. This allows for a thinner coat and stretches the chocolate a little further.
But I like the chocolate melting wafers for Ritz cracker cookies, because they’re so much easier to work with, and they have fantastic flavor. A high quality chocolate can cut out a lot of the extra work.
How to Serve Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers With Peanut Butter
You can serve and enjoy your chocolate peanut butter Ritz crackers once the chocolate has hardened. For storage, I recommend placing them between 2 layers of wax paper in an airtight container or in a festive Christmas tin. They store best in the refrigerator, usually up to 2 weeks.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can use a different nut butter. If you are allergic to peanuts, almond butter or cashew butter make a great peanut butter substitute.
Store between two layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge. They can be kept out at room temperature, but they won’t keep as long as they will if you keep them in the fridge or freezer. Kept chilled, they’ll last up to 2 weeks.
Yes, you can! Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container in between layers of wax paper, to avoid freezer burn.
Optional Add-Ins & Recipe Variations
- Add a layer of marshmallow fluff, along with peanut butter, for an even creamier treat.
- Dip the cracker sandwiches in melted white chocolate chips, melted butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, mint chocolate chips, etc. The sky’s the limit.
- Instead of peanut butter, place Rolo or Snickers candies in between the crackers. You’ll want to place the cracker sandwiches in a 350ºF oven for a few minutes to slightly melt the candies before dipping in chocolate.
- Drizzle melted white chocolate or dark chocolate on top. You can also dip half of each cracker in chocolate and half in white chocolate… You get the idea.
More Christmas Candy Recipes
If you love this Ritz cracker cookies recipe as much as I do, you’ll love these recipes too…
- Craving more chocolate peanut butter treats? Check out these chocolate peanut butter bars and rice crispy peanut butter balls.
- You and your family will really enjoy candy cane bark.
- Quit spending so much money on bought fudge when you can make homemade fantasy fudge and microwave peanut butter fudge right at home!
- Did you know you can make hot chocolate cookies with hot cocoa mix?!
- If you like dipping Ritz cracker cookies, you’ll love these chocolate dipped cherries.
- These chocolate covered almond coconut trees are to die for…
- Last but not least, my friend Kelly at Eat Picks has a very yummy recipe for homemade Thin Mint cookies.
And check out my list of favorite Christmas and Holiday Recipes!
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 sleeves Ritz Crackers
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 20 ounces chocolate melting wafers (or chocolate chips)
- Nonpareil Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Start by lining a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Use a table knife to spread peanut butter between 2 Ritz Crackers, sandwiching the crackers together.
- Set each Ritz cookie on the wax paper lined baking sheet, in preparation for dipping.
- Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl; and melt, starting at 30 seconds, then stirring every 15-20 seconds, 'til melted and smooth.
- Using 2 forks or tongs, dip each cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate; shake any excess chocolate off before placing back on the wax paper to dry. If using, add nonpareil sprinkles to the top before the chocolate dries.
- When all the Ritz crackers with peanut butter have been dipped, chill them in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove them from the freezer, and store your Ritz cracker cookies in between two layers of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Can you use savoy instead of ritz?
Mel, I can’t see why not. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
How long can you freeze these or is it best to just refrigerate?
Yes, they can be frozen so long as you store them in an airtight container.
I have made these every Christmas for the last 20 years and they are awesome coated in almond bark.
That’s so cool, Debra! Thank You for sharing.