Chocolate Pretzel Crack

A tiny bit like Christmas crack - - you know, that crazy Christmas candy that people make with Saltine crackers?  Same idea... but better more interesting shape and more salt when you use pretzels.

I found this recipe online on a cute little blog and was immediately intrigued and wanted to try it myself. I give the credit for the recipe to her, however, I know that this same basic recipe exists in a lot of family homes already.  I just never tried it before the other day.

Hey, I know it's not Christmas, so make this for Valentine's day or something.  
No one, just no one will say NO to this candy treat because it isn't Christmas.

Makes quite a lot...

Ingredients

2 stick butter (1 cup)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 bag pretzels (reg size bag- you'll use 2/3 bag)

12 oz chocolate chips

sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Preheat the oven to 400.

Line a large bar pan with parchment paper, cover with pretzels. (you can see I didn't use parchment, but I suggest you do! I had a time getting it off my pan once it was cold!)

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When it begins to bubble add the brown sugar. Stirring occasionally let the butter/sugar mixture meld together and brown. This should take about 3-4 minutes. It doesn't look like its going to bind together at first, but it comes together. Do NOT let it boil. When you have a nice, brown caramel pour it over the pretzels, slowly and evenly. 

You can then use a spatula to spread it out, you have to work quickly and gently. It hardens fast so even pouring is the best method. Don't worry too much about gaps, it will spread out more in the oven.

Bake the sheet for 5 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the whole bag of chocolate chips evenly over the mixture.

Place back in the oven for less than one minute. Chocolate burns so don't leave it in there too long.

Remove from the oven and use a silicone spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the top. Don't worry too much about getting it on every single piece, as it can be tricky to do as the caramel below is hot and keeps shifting around as you try and "spread" it around.

Sprinkle with sea salt (if desired) and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Break into chunks and store in a tin.  It's best to give it away right away before eating too much of it yourself.