Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year, however it is also very hectic! With holiday parties booked every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it makes it hard to find enough time to make something delicious for every party. Therefore, I tend to stick to easier recipes that take less time to make, have few ingredients, but taste delicious!! One of my "go to" recipes is salted caramel pretzel bark. It is simple and tastes amazing! Plus, the ingredients are rather inexpensive compared to other traditional Christmas treats...it's a win-win situation! This recipe has always been a hit, and I constantly have people asking me how to make it.

Be very careful when you make this. It's so addictive that you may end up eating it all before you get to your holiday party!! 

Here's what you'll need:

2 sticks of butter

1 cup of packed light brown sugar

1 bag of small pretzels 

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

Course sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350, then line a baking sheet with non-stick foil, and lay the pretzels out in a single layer. I try to fit as many as possible and will break some in smaller pieces to fill in any gaps. I would also suggest, that if you're making this for a holiday party, to try and find holiday shaped pretzels. I found some star shaped ones last year, that made this recipe even more fun and festive. 

Melt the two sticks of butter over medium heat and then add the brown sugar. Stir until the mixture starts to boil.  Stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil for 3 minutes, without touching it. It's going to be very hard not to stir it, but resist the urge!!

Carefully pour the mixture as evenly as you can over the pretzels. Don't worry if there are some gaps, because it will fill in evenly when it's in the oven. Put the tray in the oven and allow it to bake for around 5 minutes. Remember to be very careful when handling this hot caramel, you DO NOT want it to burn your skin!!

After you remove the tray from the oven, immediately sprinkle the bag of chocolate chips over the pretzels and caramel, as evenly as you can. Allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes, until you notice the chocolate chips starting to melt/soften. Take a butter knife and gently spread the chocolate, until the entire top is covered in chocolate. Make sure to fill in any and all gaps. Sprinkle with course sea salt, and then chill in your refrigerator until it is set.

Once the bark is set, break it into small pieces and enjoy!!