Mama Mia - how about these for a hump day treat?
I remember the first time I tried a buttery, salty pretzel crust underneath a dessert. Oh gee, it must have been over a decade ago. I admit, at first I was skeptical, but from the first bite, I was hooked. The saltiness from the pretzels adds something amazing to sweet, rich desserts, and you can use this easy crust to dress up so many different sweets.
I used Pretzel Crisps for both the crust and to top these brownies. I like 'em because they are flatter and crispier than a typical pretzel, so biting through the crust and topper is super easy. They also show up really well on the top and make a cute decoration!
This version of these brownies uses a homemade brownie recipe, and also a made-from-scratch caramel. If you're in a pinch and need to whip something together more quickly, you can absolutely use your favorite brownie mix and pre-made caramel sauce. If you can't find Pretzel Crisps (check the deli section of your grocery store - that's where they are at my local grocer!) then regular pretzels will absolutely work as well!
These brownies are an excellent reason to try our homemade caramel sauce that we shared earlier this week - you will only need to make half of a recipe to cover your brownies, but there are many uses for caramel, so don't be afraid to whip up the whole batch and experiment!
PrintCaramel Pretzel Crunch Brownies
- Total Time: 27 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups crushed Pretzel Crisps
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ recipe of homemade caramel sauce (link in post)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8 glass or light metal casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Crush Pretzel Crisps however you like. You can use a food processor, or you can place them in a ziploc back and relieve a little stress with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer. I like to crush the pretzels in two parts, making one part almost a powder, while keeping some small pieces in the other part. This'll help the crust stick together.
- Combine melted butter with pretzels and press into the bottom of baking dish. Press evenly into the bottom. If pretzels seem loose, drizzle a bit of extra melted butter.
- In a bowl, beat together ½ cup of butter with sugar until fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Mix until combined.
- In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined.
- Use a spatula to spread brownie batter over the top of the pretzel crust.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean (you want the brownies to be fudgy, not dry)
- Allow brownies to cool, and then drizzle with homemade caramel, top with an additional Pretzel Crisp, cut into bars, and serve!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 22 mins
Pretzel Crisps Giveaway!
Now for something fun!! We're giving away a lil prize pack! All the info about the loot and how to enter can be found below!
ENDS: 11:59pm Monday, July 22nd, 2013
Use the nifty little widget below to enter! There are 5 different ways to enter to increase your chances of winning - good luck!!
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Sand
I would love to try these!
Linda W.
I love sweet and salty.
Vikki Billings
I would love to try these because I love pretzels!! Thank you
J Krazekatlady Spencer
Yum! I love sweet and salty together.
Sara Wood
I love pretzel bites!
manda
Love the product!
zenetta
Thanks for the recipe.
Christine
my favorite combination
Karrie Millheim
These look delicious
Laurie Emerson
I love the sweet and salty recipe. It just looks so good!
Deb S
These are so good.
meredith
these look yummy!
Laura Ari
I like chocolate and pretzels so this would be awesome!
Anthony
these looks good
Kyl Neusch
love these
Eileen Burke
I love the combo of sweet and salty!
Annemarie Z.
I would love to try the Pretzel Crisps!
David
I love chocolate/pretzel combos because of the salty/sweet contrast.
Michelle
I would love to try Pretzel Crisps.
nicole korson
Love the recipe idea- Thanks 🙂
Nicole Korson
Love the recipe idea- Thanks 🙂
liz l
I want to try the pretzel chips
ky2here
As I said on FB (in case it's double posted), I like living in a world with pretzel crunch brownies. I want these and they will be inhaled!
Kyhere Here
I like living in a world with pretzel crunch brownies. I want these and they will be inhaled!
Stephanie Larison
These are so good, I esp love the buffalo flavored.
Sarah W
I;ve seen these in the store and haven't tried them. I bet they would be delicious with a garlicky dill dip!
Yona
This product looks like something my household would like - we'd like the thinness.
Jenny M.
That recipe looks so good!
deana c
I love Pretzel Crisps. Thanks for the chance!
Monique Rizzo
This sounds really good. It would pair nicely with a salted caramel mocha.
Thanks for the chance.
[email protected]
Jennifer Matt
I have had these Pretzel Crisps before, they are awesome. Would love to win this!
Kelly A
My mouth is watering & I think I just heard my stomach growl when I saw the pic of those yummy looking brownies!! Bookmarked the recipe so we can make those at our house SOON! Thanks for the giveaway chance!!
Natalie yeoman
Fingers crossed awesome giveaways
Courtney
We love Pretzel Crisps! The brownies look yummy!
Mihaela D.
I would love this.
Cynthia C
I would love to try Pretzel Crisps. The recipe looks tempting!
Katie K
sweet and salty? my favorite combination!
diane Baum
I can't wait to try the caramel, pretzel brownies
Tarah
We LOVE Pretzel Crisps! 🙂
Tari Lawson
My kids love Pretzel Chips.
Allie
This looks amazing!
Angela M.
These sound delish! I would love to try them!
Shannon Baas
I would love this.
Kara
Mmmmm...sweet and salty. Love pretzel crisps. Clever use of them in a crust.
Remi
Umm....holy crap. Yes please.