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Home » Sweet & Snacky » Christmas Pretzel Candy

Christmas Pretzel Candy

Baking· Sweet & Snacky

11 Dec

Crisp mini pretzels with a delicious baked toffee center, covered in a thin layer of chocolate. The perfect blend of sweet and salty for the holiday season!

Christmas Pretzel Candy is another version of what we know as “Christmas Crack”, the delicious and irresistible saltine cracker based candy that is popular at this time of year.

This recipe swaps out pretzels for the saltines, offering the same salty contribution but somehow make this treat a little lighter. A cute festive and fun treat for the holidays when topped with red & green M&M’s!

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Why make your own Holiday Treats?

The holiday season always makes me feel grateful for my friends and family. All year long we travel along doing our thing and we never really stop and appreciate what we have. As the end of the year approaches, no matter what holiday you may be celebrating, another whole year has come and gone.

Holiday treats are a way of doing something nice for your friends, neighbors, coworkers, family members, really whoever you want, to show them that you appreciate them!


How to make Christmas Pretzel Candy

Christmas Pretzel Candy is another festive and fun holiday treat that is perfect for sharing and parties. Salty pretzels, crisp, buttery toffee and a layer of chocolate all together in a delicious bite!

Mini pretzels laid out on a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Spread the mini pretzels evenly over the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, covering as much of the baking sheet as possible.

Melting butter and combining with brown sugar in a saucepan.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the brown sugar, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to bubble.

Making the toffee for the Christmas Pretzel Candy, three stages.

Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. The color will lighten and the mixture will thicken.

If you cook the mixture for too long or at too high of a temperature, the mixture will get too thick and not spread out properly in the oven. Set a timer – three minutes is perfect!

Adding vanilla and sea salt to the toffee mixture for Christmas Pretzel Candy.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt.

Toffee poured over the pretzels on the Christmas Pretzel Candy

Pour the mixture over the pretzels immediately, spreading out as evenly as possible.

The heat from the oven will thin out the caramel mixture and it will allow it to spread across all of the pretzels so don’t worry too much about areas without any caramel.

Pretzels and toffee in the oven for Christmas Pretzel Candy.

Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in the 350 degree F oven.

Close up Christmas Pretzel Candy before chocolate covering.

Bake for 6-8 minutes until the caramel mixture begins to bubble and has spread out to fill the holes between the pretzels.

Chocolate chips spread out over the warm toffee and pretzel layers.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate chips become slightly shiny and soft.

Spreading the warm chocolate chips over the toffee and pretzel layers.

Remove from the oven and using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel layer.

Topping the melted chocolate with festive M&M Candies.

Sprinkle M&M’s over the melted chocolate.

Please Note: It doesn’t have to be M&M’s. It can be whatever you want to sprinkle – or nothing at all! Some options include crushed candy cane, nuts or sprinkles. Whatever you have!

Setting the Christmas Pretzel Candy in the refrigerator.

Chill in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours until set.

Cut into pieces or break apart into chunks. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a week. Enjoy!

Finished Christmas Pretzel Candy on a plate.

Other Fun Holiday Treat Recipes you may like

Christmas Pretzel M&M Hugs – These festive holiday treats are so easy and brighten up any table or holiday tray!

Rolo Turtles – these little bites of sweet and salty with a pecan half on top are perfection in one bite!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies – A sweet maraschino cherry surprise in the middle, surrounded by a cookie base and a rich chocolate topping.

Brown Sugar Candy – this is a childhood favorite of mine! Only during the holidays though. Chocolate covered or not, it’s a special treat!

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies – cakey chocolate cookies rolled in chopped pecans, filled with caramel and then drizzled in chocolate.

Christmas Pretzel Candy

Crisp mini pretzels, a delicious baked toffee center covered in a thin layer of chocolate – this is the perfect blend of sweet and salty for the holiday season!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 25 pieces
Calories: 241kcal

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • 4 cups mini pretzels
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup M&M candies
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Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  • Spread mini pretzels evenly over the baking sheet in a single layer, covering as much of the baking sheet as possible.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the brown sugar, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to bubble.
  • Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. The color will lighten and the mixture will thicken.
  • Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt.
  • Pour the mixture over the pretzels immediately, spreading out as evenly as possible.
  • Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in the 350 degree F oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the caramel mixture begins to bubble and has spread out to fill the holes between the pretzels.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels.
  • Return the baking sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate chips become shiny.
  • Remove from the oven and using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel layer.
  • Sprinkle M&M's over the melted chocolate.
  • Chill in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours until set.
  • Cut into pieces or break apart into chunks. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a week. Enjoy!

Nutrition *

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Have you tried this recipe? Post a pic and mention @TheRecipeBandit or tag #therecipebandit!

  • Michelle Mundy

    As a busy working mom with kids on the go, I know how important it is to be able to make simple and delicious meals using everyday ingredients. The recipes shared here are family friendly with easy to understand step by step instructions. Tried and true, from our family to yours. Welcome to The Recipe Bandit! Click here to read more about me.

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About Me

  • Michelle Mundy

    As a busy working mom with kids on the go, I know how important it is to be able to make simple and delicious meals using everyday ingredients. The recipes shared here are family friendly with easy to understand step by step instructions. Tried and true, from our family to yours. Welcome to The Recipe Bandit! Click here to read more about me.

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