The Best Pretzel Christmas Crack

This pretzel Christmas crack is going to become your new favourite holiday treat. The combination of salty pretzels, sweet caramel, and dark chocolate blend perfectly to make this the most delicious dessert. It's so easy to make and only requires six ingredients. You'll love that it's no bake and can be made vegan, gluten free and paleo too!

Why you will love this recipe: 

• This dessert has the most incredible flavour! The combination of salty pretzels, sweet caramel and dark chocolate blend perfectly to make this the most delicious treat. It's perfect for the holidays, or anytime!
• It's so quick and easy to make with only six ingredients.
• It's a no bake dessert and only has a few minutes of hands on time.
• While I would never say any dessert is healthy, this Christmas crack is refined sugar free and I've included options for making it dairy free, gluten free, vegan and paleo.
• It stores really well in the fridge or freezer.
• This pretzel crack recipe is a fun twist on a classic xmas crack recipe.
• If you love Christmas crack you will also love graham cracker Christmas crack.

Taste and texture:

These pretzel Christmas crack squares are the perfect combination of sweet, salty and chocolatey. The dark chocolate contrasts perfectly with the sweet caramel and the pretzel layer adds a nice crunch and saltiness.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

• Pretzels - to form the salty crunchy base of this Christmas crack - these are the pretzels I use but you can use any type of pretzels that you like including pretzel crisps, pretzel twists, pretzel squares or pretzel sticks.
• Butter - to make the most delicious rich caramel. I've also included options to make this without butter in the recipe directions. You could also use a vegan butter if you are vegan or dairy free.  
• Coconut Sugar - combined with the butter to make the most dreamy caramel layer - you can easily use brown sugar instead. 
• Dark Chocolate - the key final ingredient to this Christmas crack - these are the dark chocolate bars I use. 

How to make this recipe: 

Step one:

First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pretzels on it in an even layer.

Step two:

Next, add the caramel ingredients to a pot on the stove and turn the burner on to medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and then turn down the heat to keep the ingredients at a simmer, stirring regularly for 4-5 minutes until the caramel thickens.

Step three:

Then pour the caramel over the pretzels and spread until even. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step four:

Now, just before you take the pan out of the freezer melt the chocolate by placing the chocolate in a microwave safe dish and heat on high in 30 second intervals until melted.

Step five:

Next, take the pan out of the freezer and pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer. Place the pan black in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Step six:

Lastly, cut the dessert into pieces and then enjoy!

Chef's tips:

• Square shaped pretzels are the most ideal for making this recipe as they form a more stable base layer but any type of pretzel will do - these are the square pretzels I used for making this recipe.
• Run the blade of the knife under hot water for a few seconds before cutting these bars into pieces as the heat will help cut through the frozen layers more easily (just be sure to dry the knife after running it under the hot water). 

Variations and add ins:

• To make it vegan: use vegan butter and vegan chocolate (this is my favourite vegan chocolate which I used to make this crack).
• To make it gluten free: use gluten free pretzels.
• To make it paleo: use ghee instead of butter, use paleo friendly pretzels (these Quinn grain free pretzels are my favourite) and chocolate that is dairy free and soy free. 
• To make it dairy free: use the dairy free caramel option that I've included in the recipe card notes instead - this dairy free caramel doesn't use butter or ghee so is also great if you are following a vegan or paleo diet.
• Instead of coconut sugar you can use brown sugar. 
• For the chocolate layer you can use chocolate bars or chocolate chips.

How to store:

Store this Christmas crack in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 7 days.

Nutrition info:

One serving of this dessert has approximately 96 calories, 11 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 10 grams of net carbs, 1 gram of protein and 5 grams of fat. This recipe is not low carb or keto but it can easily be made gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

Frequently asked questions: 

Other desserts you will love: 

• Apple Pie Bars
• Christmas Crack
• Chocolate covered Rice Krispie Treats
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Nut Butter and Chocolate Crunch Bars
• Turtle Cookies Bars
• Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

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