Haaaaappy Friday!
There’s gotta be dessert on Friday, though I may have been eating way over my limit all week. I just got back from Phoenix last night. One of my fave spots was Citizen Public House in Scottsdale. They gave us a platter of nearly every single dessert on the menu and one of them happened to be a semifreddo peanut butter PUSH POP with chocolate brownie stuffed inside. Um, yes. Did you see that on my insta story or Snapchat? (Can’t remember which one I freaked out over that on!) And it was better than it even sounds.
But since it’s the weekend and I know you’ll be baking (we’re kindred spirits), here’s a new dessert to try. I may have freaked out over these as much as the peanut butter push pop ordeal. Imagine that
Think of these salted caramel pretzel crunch bars as a homemade twix bar but with crunchy pretzels stuffed inside. And the caramel is salted. And the chocolate is semi-sweet. And there’s sea salt on top. So really this is a homemade candy bar skyrocketing into the same top-notch delicious land that only apple pie and carrot cake reside in.
Here are the layers we’re working with:
- Homemade shortbread-like crust
- Pretzels
- 4 ingredient salted caramel, homemade of course
- Melted chocolate + sea salt
The shortbread-ish crust is just like shortbread, but with an egg yolk added. The egg yolk helps prevent any sandiness texture and really helps create a solid (and soft) base for the layers on top. It’s really easy and while you’re mixing, it will be super crumbly. If you get your hands in there, it will all come together like pie crust or dough. See above left (crumbly) and right (togetherness).
You’ll press broken pretzel pieces into the top of the shortbread dough and bake for about 20 minutes. This is the only bake time for these bars. Next? The salted caramel. Easily the best part of these salty sweet bars. Have you ever tried my salted caramel sauce before? I hardly talk about it. Sense the sarcasm. I love the stuff!
The salted caramel is just sugar, butter, cream, and salt. Takes a few minutes on the stove. It’s surprisingly simple; just make sure you don’t walk away from the pan while you’re *supposed* to be stirring. Your sugar will burn, smoke, resemble tar, and set off the fire alarm. This exact scene didn’t happen in my kitchen last weekend or anything.
Feeling these pour shots!
The chocolate is the easiest part. Melt it with some coconut oil on the stovetop or in the microwave. The coconut oil keeps the chocolate on the softer side so the bars are easier to cut. I like to use pure chocolate baking bars (found in the baking aisle) but chocolate chips work too—see my recipe note. You can even melt down chocolate chips with a little peanut butter to truly make this the best dessert to ever grace any of our kitchens.
The one thing about this recipe? You have to wait for each layer to cool before adding the next. Hot caramel will melt the baked crust. And melted chocolate poured on hot caramel will create a mess too. You won’t be able to spread it and the two layers will morph together. Still tasty, but not what we’re going for! All I do is place the layers in the fridge for 45 minutes as I go. Do something else around the house, come back, etc. You can even start the night before—see my make ahead tip. 🙂
For clean cuts, use a super sharp knife and wipe it off with a paper towel between cuts. Slice the bars as large or small as you want. I liked a smaller bite-size version as I was testing this recipe. Because you can fit the whole thing in your mouth and grab 4 more in your hand as you exit the kitchen. This exact scene also didn’t happen last weekend or anything.
Not feeling the pretzels? Add nuts instead. I’m thinking pecans for a turtle-like dessert experience. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 16 large or 20-24 smaller bite-size bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Shortbread, caramel, pretzels, and chocolate meet to create these completely addicting salted caramel pretzel crunch bars.
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, slightly soft (see important note!)*
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (141g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (290g) salted caramel sauce (the full recipe)
- 1 cup (50–60g) chopped pretzels
- 6 ounces (170g) chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips)*
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- optional: sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy—about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until crumbly. Get your hands in there to make the dough come together. Press tightly into prepared pan. Press pretzel pieces evenly on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding the caramel (I stick it in the refrigerator to speed this up).
- Prepare the salted caramel and wait for it to cool until it slightly thickens. Pour/spoon over crust. Allow to cool and set completely before topping with chocolate. Again, I stick it in the refrigerator to speed it up.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 15 second increments, stopping and stirring until completely melted. Pour over cooled caramel. Top with sea salt. Stick in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are many ways to start ahead on this recipe. You can prepare and bake the crust through step 2 a day or 2 ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until ready for the caramel. You can also prepare the caramel a day or 2 ahead of time. Warm it just until it is spreadable (but not totally liquid), then pour over crust and allow to set. Continue with step 4. Prepared bars can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula
- Butter: Butter that is too soft could ruin the crust. I always let butter sit out of the refrigerator for only about 10 minutes when making this crust. It’s still a little firm and cold, but that is what you want for a shortbread-like crust.
- Chocolate: If using chocolate chips in the chocolate layer, melt down with 1 teaspoon of oil so it thins out and is easy to pour and spread. Careful melting in the microwave. Stop every 15 seconds to stir until melted. You can even melt it down with 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter for an extra dose of delicious.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made these and they were absolutely amazing. Brought them to a party and people were obsessed. After reading other comments I made some slight alterations to avoid issues other folks had.
1) I cooked the caramel to firm ball, using a candy thermometer to bring the caramel just to 250 degrees F.
2) I halved the salt in the caramel to prevent over saltiness.
3) Added even more pretzels and then pressed them into the shortbread half way through baking.
I haven’t made them exactly by the recipe so can’t speak to that; I just made changes based on comments and personal preferences. Having done a fair amount of baking though, using a thermometer whenever you make caramel makes life so much easier and less stressful.
My daughter and I make these every year double the recipe and they’re always gone in a couple of days. So delicious! Make sure you’re actually using the pure sugar or the salted caramel sauce will separate.
The flavor combination is fantastic but the caramel came out a little too soft and the chocolate too hard so if shattered when trying to slice. Think will use a softer chocolate glaze or ganache topping next time.
I’m a pretty experienced baker but this was a disaster. Caramel sauce never set despite being refrigerated overnight. I thought it might still taste good but it was just too salty and honestly didn’t taste like caramel at all. Glad I tried this before Christmas Eve! Think I’ll improvise with a denser shortbread crust, pretzels, butter and brown sugar mixture with chocolate on top.
Absolutely addictive!
Made this for my partners birthday and we have been forcing ourselves to not eat it all in one sitting!
1000/10 will make again
I usually love Sally’s Baking Addiction recipes, but this one didn’t turn out. My dough was too wet and very crumbly and dry after baking. My butter may have been slightly too soft, but it wasn’t room temperature. My caramel wasn’t overly runny like others mentioned, but I would recommend boiling it for a little more than a minute so it holds its shape better. The pretzels, unfortunately, became soggy rather than staying crunchy. My biggest issue, though, was the flavors—it was way too salty for my liking.
Hi! I plan to make two separate batches of caramel. However, would it be possible to double the shortbread recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan? What would the recommended bake time for this be?
Hi Anna, that should work just fine! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, though, so be sure to keep a close eye on it.
Used a 9×9 inch pan, perfect amount of caramel. Probably wouldn’t use all the caramel with an 8×8 inch pan. Shortbread was very good and easy to make.
I have made this recipe many times and it is always a huge hit! It is now my family’s go-to dessert. They are dangerously addicting!
This is our new favorite recipe! I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but couldn’t resist these.
Is it possible to make a double batch & double the salted caramel, or would it be best to make the caramel in 2 separate batches?
Hi Julie! It is best to make batches. So glad you love these bars!
The flavours are good, but the salted caramel sauce didn’t set – it was oozing out of the sides and forming a puddle while cutting, even after several hours in the fridge, and the chocolate cracked despite adding the suggested amount of butter. I gave up halfway through cutting and put the rest in the freezer to try and salvage it! I saw the comment about letting the caramel boil a bit longer, but it didn’t seem to help me. I could very well be at fault, based on the other reviews, but I wouldn’t serve these to anyone with how messy they look! I’d try the coconut oil instead of butter for the chocolate if I tried again, and might need to make an adjustment to the caramel. Maybe the hot and humid weather interfered with it setting properly?
Hi Katherine, the caramel shouldn’t be too gooey, but warm/humid weather could prevent it from staying set. Cooking it a bit longer should help, and you can also try slicing them a bit sooner (before the chocolate gets too hard/completely set). This will make slicing a bit easier. Thank you for giving these a try!
Can you use a store bought sauce?
Hi Stephanie, you can try it, but it’s hard to know whether the sauce will set enough to be able to cut into bars. It may end up being overly soft and gooey.
I made these once to get rid of some extra pretzels I had around the house and now my friends and family request them all the time. They’ve become one of my go-tos when I sign up to bring a dessert somewhere!!
I am wondering if anyone has tried this with gluten-free flour yet? Baking is not my Forte as it requires patience so I hate to “experiment ” and have it fail My son-in-law has Celiac and I’d love to make these for him!
Hi Courtenay, we haven’t tested it, but perhaps another reader could chime in if they have. Let us know if you do try it!
Would butter or another oil work to melt the chocolate with?
Hi Meagan, yes, you can use butter instead of coconut oil. Enjoy!
Do I have to use nuts or pretzels as a layer? Can I just leave that layer out. Or maybe use graham crackers?
Hi Betty, you can leave that layer out!
These sound amazing and I want to bring to Thanksgiving. Is it ok to use a larger egg yolk?
I have many jumbo eggs)
Hi Rhonda, that should be fine! If you weigh your ingredients, egg weights can vary but usually large eggs in the shell are about 57g, and 50g out of the shell. A yolk weighs about 18g. I hope this helps!
I feel like I failed miserably with this recipe. The squares taste great but they are not even close to being squares. My crust was not crumbly as others have said (butter was not too warm), my chocolate did not want to cut and the caramel oozed everywhere. I would not be able to serve these and will try again.