Christmas Crack with Pretzels

Name: Christmas Crack with Pretzels
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 3 cups mini pretzels; 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips; 1 1/2 sticks butter; 3/4 cup packed brown sugar; 1 tsp. flaky sea salt

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Salty pretzels covered in a melted butter-brown sugar mixture and topped with melted dark and semi sweet chocolates and then a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Christmas Crack with Pretzels is the ultimate cross between a candy and a christmas cookie that is 100 percent delicious.

pretzel christmas candy on a green plate

You may have heard of "christmas crack" candy with saltine crackers or ritz crackers (both delicious) but I am here to share a christmas crack recipe with pretzels! The pretzels are a crunchy first layer that is then topped with a buttery brown sugar caramel sauce and lots of chocolate chips. These christmas crack pretzels are the perfect pretzel caramel chocolate combo and are an easy dessert will be the hit of any holiday party!

For another tasty holiday treat, try baci di dama, a classic italian shortbread cookie or thumbprint kolacky cookies.

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Ingredient Notes
Variations
How to make christmas crack with pretzels
Recipe Tips
Recipe FAQs
Christmas Crack with Pretzels

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for candy on a white background

Christmas pretzel crack candy is SUPER simple-- only 5 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!

Pretzels: Mini pretzels are best here, they are the perfect size and not too hard when you go to take a bite.
Butter: So rich and smooth, the melted butter is a perfect base for the sweet sauce.
Brown Sugar: Use brown sugar (light works great!) instead of white sugar when making your caramel sauce for a richer molasses taste. Trust me, brown sugar is the way to go here.
Chocolate: I used semisweet and dark chocolate chips, but use whatever your favorites are!
Sea Salt: This final step of adding flaky sea salt offsets all of the sweet flavors for the perfect sweet and salty bite. Similar to these Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.

Variations

Instead of pretzels, try this with saltines. This recipe would substitute well with 40 saltine crackers.
This pretzel christmas crack is great with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. For another salty topper, try chopped salted nuts. Add them when the chocolate is still wet so they will stick.

How to make christmas crack with pretzels

butter and brown sugar in a small cast iron saucepan

Step 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar.

butter and brown sugar that has been melted

Step 2. Stir, and allow mixture to come to a boil and then cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring so that it doesn't burn.

mini pretzels spread on a covered cookie sheet

Step 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out mini pretzels in an even layer over the covered cookie sheet.

Step 4. Pour the melted butter brown sugar mixture over top of the pretzels.

Step 5. Place in preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the brown sugar mixture is bubbling.

chocolate chips sprinkled over top of pretzels

Step 6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Let sit for ten minutes until the chips are melted. You will know it's ready when the chocolate chips become completely shiny.

Step 7. Use a dull knife or a pastry spreader to carefully spread the melted chocolate in an even layer across the top of the caramel pretzel layer. Optional: Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.

frozen pretzel bark candy on a baking sheet

Step 8. Put baking sheet in the freezer (make sure it's completely flat) and allow to cool and harden for 30-45 minutes. Once cooled, gently peel bake the aluminum foil. Break apart the chocolate caramel pretzel bark into portions.

Recipe Tips

Covering your baking sheet is a really important step that makes the whole process much easier and cleaner. Once the christmas crack candy with pretzels has been chilled in the freezer, you can carefully peel back the aluminum foil and gently break apart the bark. No sticking or big mess to deal with.
This chocolate toffee pretzel bark is great because it actually does not dirty many dishes or make a big mess at all. One of the ways this recipe further cuts done on mess is by melting the chocolate right on the caramel pretzel bars. You simply have to leave the chocolate chips for a few minutes to melt from the residual heat of the hot caramel sauce and spread it with a pastry blade.
Use whatever your favorite chocolate is. I used a combination of dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, but feel free to use your preference, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate (I think this would be AMAZING!), white chocolate (This may be too sweet, consider combining with a regular chocolate as well)

foil being peeled back from chocolate pretzel candy

Recipe FAQs

What chocolate should you use for christma crack?

I used a combination of dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, but feel free to use your preference, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, even white chocolate.

What is the best way to store christmas crack?

Store christmas pretzel bark at room temperature for up to a week (if it lasts that long). If you want, you can place a sheet of wax paper in between layers. It also freezes well and can last several months in an airtight container in the freezer.

If you tried this Christmas Crack with Pretzels Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.