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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!
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated August 2019 and November 2025.
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!