Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars {If you love a savory, sweet treat YOU NEED THESE!} (2024)

If you love a sweet & savory treat, these Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars will hit the spot! A pretzel pecan crust is topped with dark chocolate chips, caramel and topped with more dark chocolate for an amazing savory, sweet treat. Chocolate pretzel bars don’t get much better than this!

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Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars – the Ultimate Sweet & Savory Treat!

If you love a good, salty sweet treat, pairing chocolate, caramel and pretzels is heavenly. These pretzel bars are simple to make, and only the crust needs baking. Everything else is easily done in the microwave, making these bars come together in minutes!

Here’s a quick-reference shopping list of the ingredients you’ll need to make these chocolate pretzel bars (the full recipe is at the bottom of the post):

• pretzel twists
• pecans
• light brown sugar
• flour
• baking soda
• butter
• dark chocolate morsels
• caramel – chunks or bits
• milk

Step 1: Make the Pretzel Pecan Crust

The bottom crust is made with pretzels and pecans which are pulsed together in your food processor or blender. Once these are broken up to a rough, gravel-like consistency, stop the food processor. Next, add the brown sugar, flour and baking soda, which will bind the crust together to form the crunchy base of these bars. Lastly, add the melted butter to combine.

What if I don’t have a food processor to make the crust?

You can certainly add the pretzels and pecans to a resealable plastic bag. Seal well, then crush with a rolling pin or bottle of wine that is rolled over the top of the bag.

Step 2: Bake the Crust

Line a 9×9″ pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Once you’ve combined the crushed pretzels and pecans with the brown sugar, flour and baking soda with the butter, firmly press into the lined pan to form the crust. Bake. (Make sure you reference the recipe below for exact ingredient amounts, oven temperatures and bake times.)

Step 3: Top with Caramel and Chocolate Layers

Once the crust has baked, sprinkle on a portion of the chocolate chunks.

Next, add the layer of melted caramel. In the microwave, melt the caramels along with the milk on short increments stirring after each increment. (Reference package directions further caramel melting instructions.)

The last layer is the melted chocolate that is spread over the top of the caramel.

Once you’ve got that amazing layer of chocolate on top, add a pretzel twist to each square.

A couple tips for working with the chocolate and pretzels:

1. Have your pretzels ready to go BEFORE you melt and spread the chocolate. The chocolate will begin to cool soon after you spread it, and you don’t want to be digging though the bag of pretzels for just the right twists. 🙂
2. After spreading the chocolate, use a toothpick to drag lines where you will cut the squares so you have an idea of where to place the pretzel.
3. Once you know where you are placing the pretzels, work swiftly. The chocolate will set up quicker than you think.

As you can see, the layers of goodness in these bars are spectacular! They’re wonderful when they’re still warm and gooey, just be sure to have a napkin handy, as you’ll have goodness all over your face.

Love cookie bars? Check out some of our other cookie bar recipes:

• Funfetti Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Cake Mix Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
• Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Bars
• Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Stars and Stripes Sugar Cookie Bars

As you can see, the layers of goodness in these bars are spectacular! They’re wonderful when they’re still warm and gooey, just be sure to have a napkin handy, as you’ll have goodness all over your face. 🙂

If you love anything with pretzels, be sure to check out some of my other pretzel recipes:

• Peaches and Cream Pretzel Salad
• Cherry Jello Pretzel Salad
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark
• Slow Cooker Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix
• Jumbo Chocolate Covered Pretzels

If chocolate and caramel is your thing, be sure to check out these decadent, gooey, delicious recipes:

• Chocolate Caramel Cashew Clusters
• Starbucks Copycat Salted Caramel Mocha
• Turtle Poke Cake
• Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake

Here’s the full recipe for my Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars:

Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel Bars

Yield: 16 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Anyone that loves a sweet & savory treat will love these bars! A pretzel pecan crust is topped with dark chocolate chips, caramel and topped with more dark chocolate and a pretzel.

Ingredients

• 2 c. pretzels, plus 16 more for topping
• 1 c. pecans
• 1/2 c. light brown bugar
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 (10 oz.) bag, Dark Chocolate Morsels, divided
• 10 oz. caramels (chunks or bits)
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with foil and spray with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, add 2 cups of pretzels and the pecans. Pulse a few times to break up the pieces. Add the brown sugar, flour and baking soda and pulse several times to combine completely. Pour out mixture into a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter and stir to combine. (You can also pour in the butter while the food processor is still running to combine.) Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
3. While crust is baking, melt caramels with 2 tbsp of milk in microwave. Heat at 1 minute at 50% powder. Stir. Heat for 30 seconds at 50% power and stir. Repeat until completely melted and smooth. In a separate bowl, melt 1 cup of dark chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Melt in microwave the same method as the caramels.
4. Once crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle on 1 c. unmelted chocolate chips. Pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips. Next drizzle the melted chocolate over the caramel, and spread evenly. Lastly, top with whole pretzels, four accross and four down, for 16 equal squares.
5. Let bars set before slicing. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 2657Total Fat: 125gSaturated Fat: 71gCholesterol: 269mgSodium: 2069mgCarbohydrates: 384gSugar: 299gProtein: 24g

These bars are a perfect treat with your afternoon coffee, a great snack to share with friends and neighbors, and also makes a great pot-luck dessert to share at a gathering.

Anytime you’re craving salty-sweet, try these Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel Bars. They’ll satisfy your cravings and having you coming back for seconds!

Enjoy,

Erin