This Pretzel Crack Recipe is one of the best. It's a simple dessert, a great snack, or an easy recipe to make and give as edible gifts. The texture of the crunchy pretzels paired with the delicious melted chocolate makes this a sweet and salty combination that everyone will love.
A lot of people think of this as a fun holiday treat. But I tend to make this pretzel Christmas crack recipe all year long. Why deny myself that extra salty-sweet crunch when I can whip up a batch anytime the craving strikes? The salty pretzels and buttery toffee layer work really well together.
Be sure to try my Pecan Caramel Candies and these Fudgy Chocolate Cookies for two other flavorful desserts.
Ingredients
- Pretzels - You can use any type of pretzels, from regular to mini pretzels, but we like to use pretzel chips.
- Brown sugar - Brown sugar adds sweetness and a caramel flavor.
- Salted butter - If you have unsalted butter, you can add a pinch of salt.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla enhances the other flavors in the recipe.
- Salt - For extra saltiness.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are best - milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips may make it too sweet.
- Roasted salted pecans - Using roasted and salted nuts gives the most flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make this Pretzel Crack Recipe
Add parchment paper to a large rimmed baking sheet.
Step One: Cook the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it's simmering.
Step Two: Let it simmer for about 4 minutes. You want the caramel mixture to thicken and turn golden brown.
Step Three: Remove and add the salt and vanilla extract. It will bubble.
Step Four: Stir until the vanilla and salt are completely mixed in.
Step Five: Put the pretzels in the pan in a single layer. It is helpful to do this ahead of time.
Step Six: Pour the mixture over the pretzels.
Step Seven: Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. It will get darker and more bubbly.
Step Eight: Take out and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Let it rest for a couple of minutes so the chocolate melts, then spread it out.
Step Nine: Sprinkle the top with the chopped pecans.
Step Ten: Let cool completely. You can speed this up by putting the tray in the fridge. Break into pieces.
Top Tip
As the pretzel bark cools, it'll harden. You can then break them with your hands, use the bottom of a large spoon to smash them into pieces, or cut them apart with a knife.
Variations
- Topping - If you don't want to use pecans, you can swap in other chopped nuts such as walnuts. Alternatively, you can simply top with flaky sea salt. If you're making this during the holiday season, crushing up candy canes would be super fun as well and would turn this into a great gift for the holidays.
See this Pecan Bark for another option to make and enjoy.
Equipment
To make this full recipe, you'll need a rimmed baking sheet, a pot for the stove, and parchment paper for the bottom of the pan.
Storage
Once this pecan pretzel bark is made, you need to store leftovers in an airtight container. It can be kept at room temperature or in the fridge.
You can also freeze any leftovers to enjoy later as well by adding them to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Common Questions
A lot of people do that! If you swapped out the pretzel base and used saltine crackers, you'd get another great recipe. Ritz crackers and graham crackers also work.
It's hard to tell why something didn't turn out correctly in a recipe, but one possibility is that you didn't cook the butter and brown sugar mixture long enough on the stove. Another possibility is that, if you're talking about leftovers, the container they're stored in isn't airtight, and that little bit of air has softened the bark in the process.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Pretzel Crack Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz pretzels we prefer pretzel crisps
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup roasted salted pecans chopped
Instructions
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the pretzels in a single layer on the pan.
- Cook the brown sugar and butter over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.
- Simmer for 4-5 minutes. It should be thickened and golden brown.
- Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and salt.
- Pour over the pretzels.
- Put the pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Let rest 2-3 minutes for the chips to melt. Spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with pecans, if using.
Nutrition
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