Salted Caramel Pretzels

Salty and sweet is one of the most irresistible flavor combinations to me. Melty caramel turns into the perfect coating when baked to allow the caramel time to harden around the pretzels. 

These caramel coated pretzels combine two of my favorite foods: pretzels and caramel. Although normally I coat my pretzels in peanut butter or chocolate, I was definitely excited to take on these Salted Caramel Pretzels! 

Caramel is a finicky ingredient, and I would highly recommend not making it on a rainy day. Sometimes the humidity has made my caramel somewhat grainy. And let's be real. No one wants grainy caramel. The clear, sunny day today the perfect day to make the caramel pretzels! After a nice outdoor adventure, I settled into the kitchen to prep the pretzels. With a few simple steps you can toss together some salted caramel pretzels for a fun treat!

A few simple steps gives you pure gold ready to eat. Yum. Salty and sweet goodness right there.

Start with some  pretzels of your choice (I prefer Rold Gold as they are a bit crunchy), light corn syrup, light brown sugar, salted butter, baking powder, and salt. 

 Start by melting your butter in a heavy medium saucepan. A heavy saucepan is important so the caramel cooks evenly and not too quickly!

Add in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, or until around 240F. Once the mixture starts boiling, DO NOT STIR. You'll have a mess on your hands. Trust me. I've made that mistake before. It wasn't pretty.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Stir lightly while adding the vanilla to minimize splattering. Beware of splatters!! Add in baking powder and stir until smooth.

Pour caramel sauce over pretzels. This step gets to be the least precise of them all! The caramel will spread over pretzels when you stir while baking.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread pretzels on parchment paper. Be sure to separate clumps while it's still hot otherwise you'll have to break apart your beautiful pretzels!

Let cool then enjoy and share with others!! They won't last long!

Recipe:

Feeds: Makes about 4 cups of coated pretzels ~ Prep: 10 mins (inc. caramel) ~ Cook time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pretzels (I prefer Rold Gold as they are thin and crunchy)
• 1 cup salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. baking powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250F
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan 
3. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt
4. Stir to combine
5. Once caramel starts boiling, set timer for 2 minutes
6. While the caramel is boiling, spread pretzels in a baking pan (9x13 is a good size)
7. Remove caramel from heat
8. Add vanilla and baking powder
9. Stir rapidly for a few strokes until combined
10. Spread caramel over pretzels
11. Bake for 1 hour, stirring lightly every 15 minutes
12. Remove from oven and spread around parchment paper
13. Break up clumps before the pretzels cool
14. Let cool then enjoy!

Happy Snacking :)