These simple, 4-ingredient Salted Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars will quickly become your new favorite sweet and salty treat! No bake and no candy thermometer needed.
Salted chocolate caramel seems like the latest trend, and honestly, I am completely on board! Chocolate plus caramel with a little sea salt- i'm not sure it gets much easier, or TASTIER. These Salted Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars are the best homemade candy bar ever! And the best part is that it's only FOUR ingredients, and you don't need a candy thermometer or any special equipment. It's pretty much fool-proof, and fail-proof.
How to make salted chocolate caramel pretzel bars:
First, melt your chocolate. Good quality chocolate chips are a must! I like the ghiardelli brand of chocolate chips, for melting, or you could even melt a a couple of Hershey's chocolate bars. Next, Smooth the melted chocolate onto parchment paper. Throw on some pretzels (they don't need to be in an even layer). Then, drizzle the pretzels generously with melted caramel and top the bars with some more melted chocolate and a little sprinkle of sea salt–YUM!
The caramel is what makes everything stick together! I like to use these Kraft Caramel Bits rather than wrapped caramel cubes because you don't have to unwrap them (thank goodness)! The melted caramel is also the perfect texture. There's nothing worse then hard, sticky caramel, right?! ALSO, if you prefer to make the caramel FROM SCRATCH, use this homemade caramel recipe.
These are the perfect treat for pretty much any occasion. I sent them with my husband for his work cookie exchange during Christmas and his office friends went crazy for them. (Kind of embarrassing considering how EASY they are, but they didn't need to know that 🙂 )
They'd also be perfect for Valentine's day. But let's be honest, you really don't need any excuse at all–just a sweet tooth and a few minutes of your time. Enjoy!
CONSIDER TRYING SOME OF MY OTHER FAVORITE DESSERT BARS:
- Butterfinger Cookie Bars
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Perfect Lemon Bars
- Oreo Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Salted Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips , good quality chocolate divided into pieces (I like ghiardelli best for melting)
- 8 ounces mini pretzel twists , half of a regular 16-ounce bag
- 11 ounce bags Kraft Caramel Bits , or homemade caramel
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate chips gently in the microwave (on low heat, stirring every 15 seconds) until smooth.
- Spread the chocolate evenly over the parchment. Immediately add the pretzel twists over the top (it's ok if they overlap!) and gently press them into the chocolate.
- 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 the melted caramel over the top of all of the pretzels.
- Melt remaining 4 ounces of chocolate and drizzle over the caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Refrigerate until hardened.
- Cut or tear into pieces, Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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Do yourself a solid and try a 50/50 combo of melted choc & butterscotch chips and add a layer of melted peanut butter under the caramel ❤️
Delicious and so easy to make.
Is it possible to use caramel ice cream topping instead of melted caramel?
Hi! I’m SO excited to try this recipe! I would like to add mini marshmallows to these and make them more as clusters than bars. Any hints on doing this? I’m thinking I could mix the marshmallows and the pretzels in with the caramel, drop spoonfuls of chocolate on the sheet, then top with the caramel mixture, and top it off with a chocolate drizzle. Obviously proportions would be a bit different with the added ingredient, but I would like to try this. What do you think?
How far ahead can you make these? Will they keep in the refrigerator or can you freeze them? Thank you
Yes, they will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, and you could freeze them in an air-tight container.
I had printed out this recipe in 2017, but never made it until today. Big mistake. I could’ve been enjoying these for the past 5 years!!! I used a 9×12 pan with parchment paper. They turned out great tasting. Next time, I’m going to use 18 oz of chocolate, split 12 & 6, just because I like a thicker base. But the base, as written, is definitely easier to cut once they’ve chilled… Because of the size pan, I was scared to put more than about 6 oz of pretzels in – but I was using Snyder square Butter Pretzels because I couldn’t find the twists, so that may have taken up a little more space. The caramel bits were perfect, but again, I’m a hog so I’d probably put in 12-14 oz of those. LOL. Once the bars were done this far, mine didn’t look as pretty as the picture… Sooooo, oink that I am, I melted about 12 oz of Ghirardelli White Vanilla Melting Wafers and spread it over the whole thing, immediately topping with some sparkly gold sprinkles. Then chilled. They were awesome!! The sea salt is really good in this recipe. I was generous to myself there as well. I’ll definitely be making these again! Note to Melisa: Even after being chilled for several hours, my caramel filling was still soft and chewy. I did put the 2 Tbsp of water into the bowl with the caramel dots. I noticed that the caramels wouldn’t really “melt” unless I stirred them in the bowl. That seemed to be a crucial factor in mine – ya gotta stir them, and not just let them melt….
I was not successful in making these treats. The caramel became super hard and crunchy after cooling. What did I do wrong? Was 2 minutes too long in the microwave? I’d like to try it again.
Oh my gosh, these are amazingly quick and easy to make. They are so delicious my husband (and I) have a hard time leaving them alone! We like dark chocolate, so I make these with “special dark“ chocolate chips.
Great Recipe! Thank you!
For those asking about the pan size, if you look for her Equipment list, you’ll see a baking sheet listed. If you click on it, it will take you straight to Amazon & show you the pan she used, including size.
Hello,
Is there another substitute for the caramel bits or homemade caramel? Could I simply cut up the regular caramel squares, or are these bits a different consistency?
Caramel squares would work!