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.
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I accidently got the Ghirardelli baking bars….will those melt like the chocolate chips would? I would assume I just use less?
They should melt fine! I’m not sure how many you bought but 1 for the bottom layer would probably be fine.
I had problems with choc melting also, stirred in a tsp of shortening to make it workable. Next time it’s Ghirardelli for me.
These turned out really good. I had no problem with anything sticking to the parchment paper and I used Kraft caramel chips with sea salt. Thank you for sharing!
Went well. Great recipe.
Does the caramel harden enough that they can be stacked? or does it stay soft and kinda sticky?
It hardens enough to hold it’s own–If stacking them, I’d store them in the fridge 🙂
Excellent! And I followed the home-made caramel sauce.
These are fantastic! I thought I should double it just in case…it made a ton 😉 But I don’t have any doubt they’ll be the hit of my holiday treat selection. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely make again next year!
Hi, making these today….after reading all of these comments, and problems with sticking, have you ever tried making
these with a Silpat lined cookie sheet? I’m thinking of using that to prevent any problems, and also drizzling the candies from ziploc bags. I’m making these for gifts and want them to look pretty!
Hi Val,
I haven’t tried silpat mat but I’d love to know if those worked well for you. I have not had problems with sticking as long as parchment paper (not wax paper) is used. You could also spray the parchment paper before adding the chocolate.
I hope they turn out beautiful for your party
How do you keep it from not sticking on the parchment paper?
It shouldn’t stick on the parchment paper….
It shouldn’t stick on the parchment paper….
I’m sorry–that’s probably either because the brand of chocolate chips wasn’t good (too waxy) or it was melted at too hot of a temperature, so it seized. I use Ghirardelli chocolate chips.