Salty pretzels, buttery toffee and rich chocolate are layered into this easy to make candy. The combination is irresistible. I’ll be sending the rest of this toffee to my husband’s office tomorrow, because I can not stay out of it!
This will keep nicely in the refrigerator for a few weeks, provided you can resist eating it. Toffee is one of my favorite food gifts to make for the holidays.
You know what else is great about this toffee? It requires NO candy thermometer. The only special equipment you need is a brown paper bag.
Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Kitchen Tip: I use this saucepan, this tray, and this spatula to make this recipe.
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Toffee
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla truly optional, I forget it at least half the time and the toffee is delicious both ways
- 60 small pretzels*
- 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
*Gluten Free Alternative
- 60 gluten free small pretzels
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed skillet (NOT a non-stick skillet), over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, water and salt. As the butter melts, stir a few times with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Bring to a boil and then don’t stir or touch the mixture again until it is caramel colored. Set a brown paper bag near the stove and let the mixture boil until it matches the bag in color. This takes between 18-20 minutes and I ALWAYS set a timer. Just in case I find myself distracted, the timer prevents me from letting the candy burn. It will go from amber colored to burnt in about 30 seconds, as soon as it turns light brown, pull it off the heat.
- While the toffee is boiling, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silpat mat. (Do not use waxed paper, it will melt.) Line the pretzels up touching each other to cover most of the baking sheet. Once the toffee is caramel colored, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Quickly pour the toffee over the pretzels. Let it cool completely. I like to set the pan in the refrigerator to speed up the process, but it will also cool at room temperature.
- When the toffee is cool, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. The chocolate can also be melted in a microwave at 50% power, checking and stirring every 60-90 seconds. Spread the warm chocolate across the toffee and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Once cooled, break into pieces. (I found it easiest to turn the whole sheet of toffee over and tap firmly on the toffee side with a wooden spoon to break it into pieces.) Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Nutrition
{Recipe originally published 12/9/13 – recipe card updated 7/11/22}
The Tumbleweed Contessa says
This looks and sounds awesome, yet pretty simple. I will definitely make this for my Christmas plates.
I'd love it if you linked this to What'd You Do This Weekend.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda http://Www.tumbleweedcontessa.com
Anonymous says
sounds good but there is one misspelled word . so I don't understand the directions . I assume you mean Pour and not our . please correct that . thankyou
Anonymous says
Are you kidding me? I love your perfect typing skills.
Mary says
I'm glad you were able to figure it out. I've corrected the typo. Thanks!
Anonymous says
that was ignorant…please correct that…thanks
Sandy Howard says
LOL
Anonymous says
seriously….some people are just plain rude.
Sue/the view from great island says
I love the paper bag method!
Mallory Frayn says
I'm glad you settled on sharing the toffee recipe first. I like your method of smacking it with a wooden spoon, it seems to have done the trick!
Anonymous says
Okay..I was so excited to try this I ran down to the kitchen to get started. I have never made toffee and should have printed the instructions. If you stir it constantly you end up with a gooey mess that never turns amber in color! Back for round 2.
KristinHoltPhotography says
Ooo Evil Goodness! I love toffee of all kinds!
Beautiful images!
Pinned!
K-
Anonymous says
This seemed a little daunting but you made it really easy! Just make sure you keep an eye on the color of the toffee as mine turned amber in less than ten minutes. Thanks for this great recipe I'm giving out as gifts!
Kelly says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Mary says
I use salted butter, Kelly.
Anonymous says
Made this last weekend – very tasty!
Chris says
I'd love this one too, sounds fantastic. I should hire your husband 😉
laura scalici says
Delicious! Any tips on how to keep the chocolate layer from separating from the toffee layer when breaking into pieces?
Mary says
I've found that letting it sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes before breaking helps keep it together. Also, using a knife to cut it versus just smacking it to break it apart, should help!
Anonymous says
I tried this in my cast iron skillet and within 5 minutes it burnt! I should have babysat this instead of preparing my pan but I thought I was safe. Needless to say after burning a pound of butter and 2 cups of sugar I will not try this again. Oh well no pretzel toffee for us.
Mary says
I'm so sorry it burnt! I've never made it in a cast iron skillet, but it should have been fine. It sounds like the temp was too high. Maybe the skillet was hotter than a stainless skillet?
Michelle says
I just tried this in an iron skillet and watched the entire time, it turned amber in less than 5 minutes so I ended up taking it off after close to 7 minutes. I have a small amount of butter that didn’t mix but I poured it over pretzels to let set and it looks fine…so far
Terry says
Reg white sugar or brown sugar?
Whats with the brown paper bag???
Mary says
I use plain white sugar. The bag helps you judge color if you aren't confident without a thermometer. I've never used a thermometer with this recipe. You want the toffee mixture to turn a deep amber color.
Sue says
This was crazy addictive lol I made it 4 times
Anonymous says
Sue!
Let's do lunch!
You bring the toffee and I'll bring….the toffee!
We could even have coffee with our toffee!
Yep, Miss Mary…Cray-zeeeee addictive
tyvm!
Anonymous says
Does it make a difference what shape pretzels you use? For example, stick pretzels or the other braid type – can't think of the name of them! Thanks.
Mary says
I think stick pretzels will work fine. I wouldn't do a full layer of them, but just scatter them across the pan. I wouldn't try anything thicker though. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Can you pour the choc chips over the toffee while its hot, then spread it when it melts? I do this with brownies and it works.
Mary says
As long as the toffee is still hot, yes, the chocolate chips will melt fine. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
This looks delicious and could fit nicely into the basket of cookies and candy I give out every Christmas. One question: I prefer to use a candy thermometer – what temperature would this toffee reach to be fully cooked or to match a brown paper bag? Would it be the same as what it would be for peanut brittle? Thanks for your help!
Mary says
285 degrees is the recommended temperature. That said, I've never used a thermometer to make this myself. So, definitely keep an eye on it the first time you make it with the thermometer. Enjoy!
Elizabeth Abell says
Love this
Charlotte Laughter says
Could I add chopped pecans or peanuts?
Mary says
Absolutely!
Trish says
Would you add the nuts on top of the melted chocolate as soon as you pour? I tried this recipe with saltines before and the nuts didn’t really stick too well…
Mary says
Yes, if you add nuts over the melted chocolate they will stick to the chocolate.