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These chocolate caramel pretzel crack bars are one of my go-to Christmas treats because they’re fast, festive, and ridiculously addictive. The mix of sweet caramel, melted chocolate, and salty pretzels creates that perfect “can’t stop eating it” flavor combo everyone loves this time of year.
I make a huge batch every December to bring to holiday parties, package as edible gifts, or keep in the fridge for last-minute treats. And every single time, people ask for the recipe, even months later!
If you love easy holiday bars and bark recipes, make sure to also check out my salted caramel pretzel bark, my saltine crack bark, Christmas fudge bars, and my Starbucks sugar cookie latte syrup.
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I feel like every year around the holidays I end up with a few random bags of pretzels in my pantry… and instead of letting them go stale, I turn them into this chocolate caramel pretzel crack. It’s one of those holiday treats that takes almost no effort but gets ALL the compliments. I made a batch the other night for a movie night and immediately regretted it because I could not stop “taste-testing” it. It’s that dangerous.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark
This recipe is a holiday staple for a reason:
- The perfect sweet + salty combo – Crunchy pretzels, buttery caramel, and melted chocolate give you the most satisfying bite.
- So fast and easy – All you do is layer pretzels, pour caramel, melt chocolate, and chill. That’s it!
- Customizable – Add sprinkles, nuts, white chocolate drizzle, peppermint, whatever fits the season.
- Feeds a crowd – This bark breaks into tons of pieces, making it amazing for gifting or holiday platters.
- Always a hit – People request this recipe ALL year long, not just during Christmas.
Ingredients You’ll Need
(Full measurements in the recipe card below.)
- Pretzels: Any small pretzels work, minis, twists, squares. They add crunch and the salty contrast.
- Butter: Part of the base for making the rich homemade caramel.
- Brown Sugar: Creates a deep, toffee-like caramel flavor that pairs perfectly with the pretzels.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: They melt into the smooth chocolate layer on top. Dark chocolate also works if you want less sweetness.
How to Make Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Crack
Scroll to the recipe card for detailed steps.
- Prepare the baking sheet – Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and spray lightly. Spread the pretzels into an even layer.
- Make the caramel – Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan. Boil until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Pour caramel over pretzels – Spread it as evenly as you can, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Bake briefly – This helps the caramel bubble and cling to the pretzels.
- Add the chocolate – Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, return to the warm oven, then spread until smooth.
- Add toppings – A sprinkle of flaky sea salt, nuts, or festive sprinkles makes it extra special.
- Set and break – Let it cool, chill in the fridge, then break into pieces or slice into neat squares.
Recipe Variations
Here are fun ways to customize this Christmas crack:
- Swap the caramel: Use dulce de leche, butterscotch, or toffee sauce.
- Use different chocolate: White chocolate, milk chocolate, or a swirl of both.
- Add mix-ins: Crushed candy canes, chopped nuts, mini M&M’s, sprinkles, pretzel pieces, or even peanut butter drizzle.
- Make it extra salty: Add flaky sea salt on top, it makes the flavors pop.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
People call it “Christmas crack” because it’s incredibly addictive, the sweet caramel, melted chocolate, and salty pretzels make it a treat everyone keeps coming back for. It also breaks into “crackly” pieces once set.
You don’t have to refrigerate it, but chilling helps it set faster and keeps the caramel firm. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge if you like it extra snappy, or keep it at room temperature for a softer bite.
It stays fresh for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to a month in the freezer. Just thaw for a few minutes before serving.
Absolutely, yesmini twists, squares, rounds, or even pretzel sticks all work. Smaller shapes give you more crunch in every bite, but the flavor stays the same.
How to Store the Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark?
Storing your pretzel crack bars is very easy. All you need to do is place them in an airtight container and either store them in the fridge or freezer. You can take it one step further by wrapping them in plastic wrap before putting them in the container.
How to Make a Vegan Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark?
You can quickly turn this recipe into a vegan recipe in two simple steps.
You could use vegan butter, which is essentially just emulsified plant-based oils and is even considered one of the healthier options because of its healthy fats. If you do use vegan butter, you should add extra flavorings such as vanilla beans paste or vanilla extract once you make the caramel. This will help add so much more flavor.
Secondly, just make sure that the chocolate chips you are using are vegan or specifically dairy-free since most chocolate chips contain some dairy products.
Recipe Variations You Could Make
- Instead of Caramel: You could use butterscotch, toffee, or dulce de leche for a different flavor if you end up making this recipe a few times. Which I’m guessing you probably will once you taste it for the first time.
- Instead of Chocolate Chips: White chocolate chips add a pretty color and nice Christmas theme. Peanut butter chips or spread would be a great addition to add with the chocolate chips and caramel.
Pretzel crack bars
Ingredients
- 4 cup pretzels
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F then line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray then spread the pretzel onto it in a single layer and set aside.4 cup pretzels
- In a medium pan, melt the butter and the sugar over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil then boil it for 3 minutes while constantly stirring.1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar
- Pour the sugar-butter mixture on top of the pretzels, trying to drizzle some on top of everything. If you have some spots that aren't covered with the sauce, no worries it will spread as it bakes.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips, and place back in the oven for 1 minute.3 cup chocolate chips
- Spread the chocolate around evenly, sprinkle some sea salt on top then allow it to set at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before chilling it in the fridge.
- Remove from the fridge, peel off the foil, and break apart your delicious sweet treat or use a knife to slice it into beautiful little squares.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
awesome tasty and oh so easy…my children will love this
Aww I’m happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Can I use parchment paper instead of tin foil? Thanks!
Hi Carolyn,
You sure can!! Hope you love them as much as we did!
Tried this recipe with a twist. Added pretzels in a sheet pan layer with Graham cracker cookies. Then followed the recipe for bark with pretzels. Super delicious.
That’s a great idea!
So delicious ! Way Better than using plain crackers or graham crackers for the base , only thing I can say is you need double the amount of chocolate to cover it all and I also find that the chocolate chips don’t melt properly next time I will melt them on the stove top in a pot with some coconut oil and spread it on the top. Making 2nd batch now 😛
If you want the chocolate to spread more, swap out the chocolate chips for a chopped-up chocolate bar. There’s less stabilizers and will spread easier 🙂
I had the same problem with the chocolate chips not melting. I’ll use chocolate bars next time.
I’ve made this recipe twice and I’ve been disappointed both times. I followed the basic recipe to the T. When I go to cut my bark a crumbles. The caramel and chocolate layers separate from the pretzels. Some of the caramel sticks to the pretzels, but then the chocolate falls off. What am I doing wrong?
The first time I use larger pretzels and broke some up to fill in the gaps. The second time I broke the same larger pretzels up so they weren’t quite as large thinking that more of the sweet goodness would get down and hold everything together. Not the case.
It sounds like the caramel and chocolate aren’t bonding to the pretzels. Try letting the chocolate chips fully melt on the warm caramel before spreading, gently pressing the layers together, and cooling at room temp before chilling. This helps everything fuse so it doesn’t crumble when cut.