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This easy Pretzel Bark recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and is the perfect sweet and salty treat, made with layers of melted chocolate, caramel and crunchy pretzels.
Pretzel Bark is the #1 Easiest Sweet and Salty Treat
Pretzel Bark is the #1 Easiest Sweet and Salty TreatIt hits all the right notes of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chocolatey, without any complicated steps (and they're easy enough for my little kids to make!). All you need is a sheet pan (here's my favorite one), chocolate chips, caramel, and sea salt.
Pretzel Bark tastes like a homemade candy bar but only uses four ingredients, and you don’t need a candy thermometer or any special tools. It's one of our favorites for the holidays or when we want a sweet and salty snack. I like to gift pretzel toffee in these cute holiday cookie boxes or plain white boxes for any time of year.
Try my other candy recipes, like Rocky Road, Graham Cracker Toffee, Chocolate Fudge, or Chocolate Covered Marshmallows!
How to make Pretzel Bark:
Melt and Spread Chocolate: Grab some high-quality chocolate chips (Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorite brands for smooth melting. Other chocolate chips wont melt properly.) and microwave in 30 second intervals until completely smooth. Spread melted chocolate on a lined baking sheet. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Add Pretzels: Gently press mini pretzels into the melted chocolate. Don’t worry about making them even, just scatter them on for a fun, rustic look.
Melt and Drizzle Caramel: I use Kraft Caramel Bits but you could also use my homemade caramel recipe if you prefer from-scratch. Drizzle the warm caramel generously over the pretzels. It acts like glue to hold everything together!
Add More Chocolate and Sea Salt: Drizzle a little more melted chocolate over the top, then finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt. YUM! Let the bark set in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes). Break or cut into pieces and start snacking!
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Recipe
Pretzel Bark Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips , good quality chocolate divided into pieces (I like ghiardelli or baker's chocolate bar best for melting)
- 8 ounces mini pretzel twists , half of a regular 16-ounce bag
- 11 ounce bags Kraft Caramel Bits , or homemade caramel
- flake finishing salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt Chocolate: Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips gently in the microwave (on low heat, stirring every 15 seconds) until smooth.12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Spread chocolate evenly over the parchment. Immediately add pretzel twists over the top (it's ok if they overlap!) and gently press them into the chocolate.8 ounces mini pretzel twists
- Melt caramel: Add caramel bits to a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water and melt according to package instructions (on high for 2 minutes). Stir well and drizzle melted caramel over pretzels.11 ounce bags Kraft Caramel Bits
- Top with remaining chocolate. Melt remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and drizzle over the caramel. Sprinkle with flake salt.flake finishing salt for sprinkling
- Refrigerate until set. Cut or tear into pieces, Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated August 2019 and November 2025.
I just made this tastes great, but I couldn’t get the Carmel chops to melt to drizzle! So I had to spread it on . Doesn’t look like yours but tastes great!
How should these be stored after cut up? Refrigerate in a closed container??
I like to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge, but they’re fine at room temperature, too.
I made three batches of this (as I was making it for staff where I work). I followed the recipe for the first but found the amounts used either too much or too little. On the second and third batches, I used 7-8 ounces of chocolate (measured in microwavable cup before melting), 6 ounces of pretzel twists (from 1.5 snack bags), and 4 ounces of caramel bits (measured in microwavable cup before melting and with just 1 Tbsp water). I did not do the chocolate over the top as they are already super sweet. Instead, I crushed (but not to a powder) 3 ounces of pretzel twists and sprinkled those all over the top, skipped the sprinkling of the sea salt, and used the bottom of a glass measuring cup to push it all down. The chocolate hadn’t hardened yet, and I was able to spread it out even more to fully fit the rimmed cooking sheet and be even. The added pretzels on the top also kept it from being super sticky, so, it was easier to pull apart and bag up.
Can I use Carmel ice cream topping?
I’m sorry, caramel ice cream topping wont work because it doesn’t harden (so the bars would be really sticky/messy).
Can add flour to it to help it thicken. I do this in a pinch when making Carmelitas.
Can you drizzle the choc over home made caramels then sprinkle seasalt? Would they hold up to “tootsie roll” wrapping. And how long would they be ok unrefrigerated?