This Is the Best Christmas Crack with Pretzels!

When it comes to holiday baking, sometimes the best thing to make is one that comes in larger batches so you can share with friends and loved ones.

That’s why every year around Christmas time, I love to make this delicious crack bark for holiday parties, to gift to friends and family, or just to enjoy at home while watching a cozy movie. 

The best part is that everyone will become obsessed with this and continuously ask for more even during the nonholiday months!

Why Do You Need to Make this Chocolate Bark Recipe?

• Yummy Mix of Sweet and Salty: These bars are a perfect balance of sweet and salty with a thick layer of chocolate. It’s pretty much an explosion of flavor and textures in your mouth!
• Easy and Quick Goodness: These come together fairly quickly and with less effort than most holiday desserts, I mean all you have to do is lay your crunchy pretzels on a baking sheet top with a caramel layer then top with the semi-sweet chocolate.
• Make It Your Own and Share the Joy: One of my favorite things is that when it comes to this bark is that you can play around with the toppings, add Christmas sprinkles, nuts, or even a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. 
• Great Treat for Anyone’s Sweet Tooth: This yummy treat has so many different flavors that it could appeal to a broad variety of people’s taste buds. It’s a guaranteed hit at any gathering.

Ingredients For This Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark Recipe

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the detailed ingredient measurements. 

• Pretzels: The salty pretzels go so well with the buttery caramel and chocolate. That crunch as well as the salt really complements the flavor. You can use any shape. I love the mini pretzels for this recipe because they easily crush up into small pieces.
• Butter: You will be making homemade caramel for this recipe and butter is one half of the equation that makes caramel so thick and decadent.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar goes with the butter to make the caramel. Using brown sugar instead of white sugar for caramel adds a deeper, richer flavor.
• Semi-sweet Chocolate: You can also use dark chocolate if you want a less sweet, more balanced taste or use milk chocolate chips if you want even more sweetness.

How to Make This Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark Recipe

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full step-by-step instructions!

1. Preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray, spread the pretzel onto it in a single layer, and set it aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the sugar over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook it while constantly stirring.
4. Pour the sugar and butter mixture on top of the pretzels, spreading it around evenly. Don’t worry if you have some spots that aren’t covered with the sauce.
5. Bake it in the oven then remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips, and place back in the oven to have them melt.
6. Spread the chocolate around evenly with an offset spatula, sprinkle some sea salt on top of the bark, and then allow it to set at room temperature before chilling it in the fridge.
7. Remove it from the fridge, peel off the foil, and break apart your deliciously sweet treat, or use a knife to slice it into beautiful little squares.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

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.

The Best Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark Recipe

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