I have always been a big fan of salty sweet desserts, from salted caramel to grapes and cheese and even to these miso chocolate chip cookies. Salt brings out the flavors of sweet desserts yielding a fuller, more well rounded flavor. If there’s anything that a good toffee can benefit from, it’s a generous sprinkle of salt in the form of crunchy pretzels. In this way, we find ourselves with this delicious melt in your mouth stack of Salty Sweet Toffee Pretzel Bark AKA Toffee crack.

This Salty Sweet Toffee Pretzel Bark is a pleasure to eat and downright dreamy. Flavors of butter, vanilla and sugar meld seductively to form a delicate snappable brittle. The candy easily shatters then warmly dissolves when eaten making you grab another piece, then another, then…you get the picture.

The beauty of making toffee at home is being able to choose how thick you want it to become by using a bigger (thinner bark) or a smaller pan (thicker taller bark). A thinner bark is great for achieving a delicate subtle butterscotch layer over the pretzels (keep in mind you may need to lay down more pretzels for a bigger pan and vice versa) while a thicker bark has a more pronounced toffee flavor due to its higher ratio in comparison to the pretzels. As a guide, the pictures here are made following the recipe below where I state the pan size.

If you are new to candy making, do not worry. The great thing about candy is that you will 100% be rewarded if you follow the steps diligently. The process is straightforward and comes together rather quickly which is why it’s best to prepare everything you need before placing that pot on the stove. Before starting, have your pan lined and pretzels laid out on the pan. If you plan to add other mix-ins, measure them out and keep them close to the pan for easy reach. Next, prepare a small plate to rest your whisk and thermometer then grab some oven mitts just in case you will need them. When all this is done, you are ready to go! All of this takes less than 5 minutes and saves you some unnecessary agitation once you start cooking.

I guess now would be a good time to mention as well that you have to keep an eye on the hot toffee. Things can change from perfect to disastrous in a few moments so try to avoid looking away. Conveniently, this won’t be long since the whole process is practically a 10 minute affair and you’ll be done faster than the time it takes to choose what to watch on Netflix.

Whether you are new to candy making or have made toffee before, this toffee is attainable for any level of baker and will quickly be your favorite candy. Make a large batch and gift some to your loved ones. There was never a time that a box of homemade toffee didn’t put a smile on someone’s face. After all, we all need a little bit of TLC every now and then.

Just A Few Tips

• A candy thermometer is key for this straightforward recipe. It’s very difficult to depend on visual cues when making candy so having a thermometer is a must.
• Use a whisk when cooking the sugar. This ensures all the ingredients are incorporated well.
• Use a heavy bottomed pot and avoid drastic changes in temperature. You can start off with high heat then turn it down to medium/medium high once the butter has melted. Maintain this level, making slight adjustments if you need to. This keeps the temperature even and will prevent your butter from separating.
• Stir the mixture but do not stir too fast. I know this sounds quite vague. If you stir too little, the butter might separate. Stir too much and well you guessed it, the butter might separate. A good rule of thumb is to whisk at a leisurely pace and your arm shouldn’t get too tired. The toffee will be bubbling but this is normal.
• If your butter does separate, remove it from the heat and keep stirring. If this doesn’t work, add warm water a tablespoon at a time while stirring slowly (to avoid splashing) up to 1/4 cup.
• Cook the butter sugar mixture until it reaches 285°F/137°C (soft crack stage). This is crucial in achieving that melt in your mouth sensation that makes this toffee so great.

Let me know if you try making this Salty Sweet Toffee Pretzel Bark by leaving a rating/comment down below! Can’t wait to see what you cook up!

Print Recipe

Salty Sweet Toffee Pretzel Bark

Flavors of butter, vanilla and sugar meld to create a melt in your mouth salty sweet toffee bark filled with pretzel crisps.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British, Contemporary

Keyword: Candy, Easy, Vegan

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 102kcal

Ingredients

• 80 g (2 cups) pretzels
• 125 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) brown sugar
• 125 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) white sugar
• 8 g (½ tbsp) agave ,sub with maple or golden syrup
• 120 mL (½ cup) soy milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

• Line a 9×13" pan with parchment paper or silpat then arrange the pretzel pieces evenly to the edges. Set aside.
• Add the rest of the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot and place on medium/medium high heat. Whisk everything together. Keep stirring and after a few minutes the mixture will start bubbling. If it starts splattering too much, lower the heat slightly. Place the thermometer in the pot and stir until it registers 285°F (137°C).
• Quickly pour the toffee over the pretzels, using an offset spatula to smooth the mixture to the very edges. Once the toffee has started to harden, place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes or more. With your hands or a mallet, snap the toffee bark into desired sizes. Eat and enjoy!

Notes

*This recipe can be doubled or tripled if serving to a larger group. 

*Make this vegan by using vegan block butter and plant based milk. I find soy milk works best. Even water will work in place of the milk albeit slightly less creamy.

Recipe adapted from Loving it Vegan

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