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This simple, no-bake, sweet and salty pretzel toffee is a fun twist on the classic cracker toffee. Only a few simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep gives you the perfect treat everyone loves! This recipe uses dark brown sugar and dark chocolate for the richest flavors but can easily be varied! It’s a perfect addition to the Christmas cookie tray and more.
Holiday treats are my favorite and when it comes to no-bake recipes, I always love them that much more!
This pretzel toffee is so perfect for Christmas, but honestly it’s an amazing sweet and salty treat to enjoy all year round!
Try these other favorite holiday treats: 5 Ingredient Amaretto Truffles, Christmas Puppy Chow, Christmas Golden Oreo Balls, Peppermint Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Sweet and salty dessert recipes are my very favorite. My aunt made the BEST cracker toffee growing up, and I thought I would take it up a notch by using pretzels and a variety of toppings!
This Christmas pretzel bark is:
- so simple to make
- made with a few simple ingredients and pantry staples
- great for gifting
- easy to vary with lots of different toppings
- a great make-ahead recipe
Hope you love this one so much!
Ingredient Notes
See full list of ingredients below in recipe card with exact measurements.
- You can use light brown sugar instead of the dark brown sugar if preferred. The richness of the toffee flavor will be a bit lessened, but it is still amazing!
- We use dark chocolate chips to balance out the sweetness of the toffee when making this Christmas pretzel toffee. You are welcome to use milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, etc.
- I found that the best pretzels are the “snaps,” ones shaped like a checkerboard as they line up very nicely. Mini pretzels like twists will work or you could even break up mini pretzel sticks–use whatever you have!
Ways To Vary This Recipe
The easiest way to vary this recipe is to switch up the toppings! There are so many options: chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, holiday M&Ms, crushed peanuts, pistachios, Reese’s pieces, toffee bits (ha, too much?!), dried cranberries, and more!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 2: Add the brown sugar, butter and sea salt to a saucepan. Melt the butter and sugar together over low or medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Once melted, shift to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Step 3: Boil for 3 minutes stirring continuously–it will thicken and turn a nice rich amber color. (If using a candy thermometer, you want 270°F-290°F degrees.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Step 4: Pour the caramel mixture over the pretzels and spread evenly. If the pretzels shift its ok, you can use a spatula or offset spatula to spread the caramel that will help even them out a bit.
Step 5: Bake for about 5-6 minutes. The caramel will be vigorously bubbling (300°F-310°F with thermometer).
Step 6: Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over top evenly. Allow to sit for about 4-5 minutes or until you can easily spread and the chips are melted. If they don’t seem to be melted after a bit, pop them in the oven for 1-2 minutes and then spread.
Step 7: Once the chocolate is spread to cover the caramel, add your favorite toppings.
Step 8: Allow the pretzel toffee to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few hours.) Once completely cooled, break the toffee apart or use a sharp knife to cut into small pieces. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
I prefer lining the pan with parchment paper, but a lot of recipes suggest foil. You are welcome to use that instead if desired, or if you don’t have parchment on hand.
Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet to avoid a big mess of caramel dripping off the sides.
Storage
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to about 5 days. You can refrigerate for about 2 weeks. Freeze this pretzel toffee for about 2 months–layer with parchment to keep pieces from getting stuck together.
Troubleshooting/Common Questions
This is most likely due to the caramel mixture not boiling long enough. 3 full minutes is the magic number to get it to the right temperature. If you are worried about this, you can use a candy thermometer for more exact measurements so as not to ruin it!
The other possibility is that you used margarine or a reduced fat butter–none of these will work!
This likely happened during the boiling stage in which some of the sugar crystalized. Make sure to stir the mixture regularly and scrape down the sides to keep all the sugar melted in the caramel. Using too high of heat could also cause this which is why I suggest not heating any higher than medium heat.
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Pretzel Toffee
Ingredients
- 88 pretzel snaps, approximately 5 cups
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, 225 grams
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 227 grams
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c dark chocolate chips
- toppings: chopped pecans, sprinkles, flakey sea salt, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper–we use a jelly roll sized sheet pan, 10 inch by 15 inch.) Arrange the pretzel snaps in 11 rows of 8. The pretzels will shift a bit and that is ok!
- Add the brown sugar, butter and sea salt to a saucepan. Melt the butter and sugar together medium/medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil for 3 minutes stirring continuously–it will thicken and turn a nice rich amber color. (If using a candy thermometer, you want 270°F-290°F degrees.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the pretzels and spread evenly. If the pretzels shift its ok, you can use a spatula or offset spatula to spread the caramel that will help even them out a bit.
- Bake for about 5-6 minutes. The caramel will be vigorously bubbling (300°F-310°F with thermometer).
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes and then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top evenly. Allow to sit for about 4-5 minutes or until you can easily spread and the chips are melted. If they don't seem to be melted after a bit, pop them in the oven for 1-2 minutes and then spread.
- Once the chocolate is spread to cover the caramel, add your favorite toppings. Allow the pretzel toffee to cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few hours.)
- Once completely cooled, break the toffee apart or use a sharp knife to cut into small pieces. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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