Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Bars

These over-the-top delicious chocolate and salted caramel pretzel bars are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, gooey, and crunchy. They are made with just 8 ingredients. And while they take a bit of time to make, the steps are easy. These decadent pretzel bars also make a great gift.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pretzel Bars

If you like your desserts both sweet and salty, these salted caramel pretzel bars are for you!

The base crust is made with pretzels (think of a graham cracker crust but with pretzels). This is then layered with a wonderful, gooey salted caramel. And finally, they’re topped with a layer of semisweet chocolate.

It doesn’t get much better!

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bar Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these yummy chocolate caramel pretzel cookies.

• SALTED PRETZELS
• SUGAR
• UNSALTED BUTTER
• PECANS or WALNUTS
• CREAM
• BROWN SUGAR
• SALT
• SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE: Using a chopped chocolate bar will result in a prettier chocolate layer than using chocolate chips, which are made with a stabilizer. The stabilizer doesn’t impact the taste but can result in a chalkier-looking texture.

Step-By-Step Pretzel Bar Instructions

This salted caramel pretzel bar recipe has a few steps. But they are all fairly simple. Here’s what you need to do.

Start by making the crust.

PREP: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
MAKE PRETZEL BASE: In the bowl of a food processor, combine pretzels and sugar and process until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until evenly moistened.
BAKE: Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down into a compact, even layer. Bake until crust is fragrant and edges are browned, about 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and set aside until ready to use.

Next, make the salted caramel sauce.

MAKE THE SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, brown sugar and salt. Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring, until butter melts until combined. Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes.
POUR OVER CRUST: Pour over the prepared crust.
BAKE: Place in oven and bake until caramel is bubbling and has darkened slightly, 13-15 minutes.
COOL: Transfer to a rack to cool.

Finally, add the chocolate.

MELT THE CHOCOLATE: While the caramel is cooling, melt chocolate over a pot of simmering water (in a heatproof bowl in a microwave).
ADD TO THE BARS: Let chocolate cool for a few minutes, then spread evenly over slightly cooled caramel. Carefully spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel.
TOP WITH PRETZELS: Sprinkle with crushed pretzels and then let cool to room temperature.
COOL: Transfer to the refrigerator to set for 30 to 60 minutes.
SERVE & STORE: To serve, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang as handles. Then transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 or 20 squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

A Few Recipe Tips

Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe.

• CHOCOLATE BAR VS. CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Both will taste great. However, using a chopped chocolate bar will likely result in a prettier chocolate layer than using chocolate chips. That’s because chocolate chips are made with a stabilizer, which can result in a chalkier-looking texture.
• COOLING TIME: Just a heads up. Once made, these bars need 30-60 minutes to cool before serving.
• STORE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Bars

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Laura | Growing Up Cali
• Yield: 16–20 bars 1x

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Description

These decadent pretzel bars are the perfect combination of sweet, salty, gooey, and crunchy. They also make a great gift.

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Ingredients

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For the Crust:

• 8 ounces (salted) pretzels (about 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
• 4 ounces pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

For the Salted Caramel:

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chopped (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• About 2 cups pretzels, crushed

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Instructions

MAKE THE CRUST:

1. PREP: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
2. MAKE PRETZEL BASE: In the bowl of a food processor, combine pretzels and sugar and process until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until evenly moistened.
3. BAKE: Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down into a compact, even layer. Bake until crust is fragrant and edges are browned, about 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and set aside until ready to use. 

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL:

1.  MAKE THE SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, brown sugar and salt. Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring, until butter melts until combined. Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes.
2. POUR OVER CRUST: Pour over the prepared crust.
3. BAKE: Place in oven and bake until caramel is bubbling and has darkened slightly, 13-15 minutes.
4. COOL: Transfer to a rack to cool.

FOR THE TOP:

1. MELT THE CHOCOLATE: While the caramel is cooling, melt chocolate over a pot of simmering water (in a heatproof bowl in a microwave).
2. ADD THE BARS: Let chocolate cool for a few minutes, then spread evenly over slightly cooled caramel. Carefully spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel.
3. TOP WITH PRETZELS: Sprinkle with crushed pretzels and then let cool to room temperature.
4. COOL: Transfer to the refrigerator to set for 30 to 60 minutes.
5. SERVE & STORE: To serve, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang as handles. Then transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 or 20 squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from Samantha Seneviratne’s that ran in The New York Times.

• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake