SALTY-SWEET CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BITES

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Do you like salty and sweet in the same bite?

Chocolate covered potato chips?

Pineapple chunks wrapped in bacon?

Sausage dipped in maple syrup?

Melon and prosciutto?

 Hotdogs with buttercream icing?

Just kidding about that last one -  I was seeing if you were paying attention.

I find salty-sweet combinations irresistible, and so, when I happened upon a recipe 
in Food and Wine magazine for sweet and salty chocolate pretzel bars 
(or bites, depending on how you slice them),

I knew I had to add them to my New Year's Eve dessert menu.

The pretzel bites are a snap to make, and it's a plus that they can be made in advance.
They'll keep in an air-tight container for three days.

You'll want to use thin pretzels for this recipe.
Just because you have dutch pretzels or pretzel logs sitting in your pantry 
doesn't mean you should use them.
It would be pretzel-overkill........
sort of like wearing chandeliers as earrings,
if you know what I mean.  



One thing I did wrong was to break up the pretzels, and then measure them. 

I had WAY too many, 
so learn from my mistake --
 measure out the pretzels first, and then break them up.

The yield for the original recipe is twelve bars.
I preferred to cut them into smaller pieces - about 1 1/2 inch square "bites,"
since I was serving them along with other desserts,
and wanted everyone to sample a little bit of everything.



No matter how I try, I always end up with way too many desserts when I entertain,
and New Year's Eve was no exception.
We had chocolate layer cake, ambrosia, cannoli, chocolate-covered strawberries, 
key lime tartlets (recipe coming soon!) 
and red velvet chocolate chip cookies (recipe coming soon!). 
And what do you think was the biggest hit?
You are correct --  everyone FLIPPED over the pretzel bites!
 I was actually given orders:
"You must make these at every gathering!"

Well, alrighty, then.
Happy to oblige!

What makes them so good?
The chocolate is rich and fudgy, with just the right amount of sweetness.
Anything sweeter than bittersweet chocolate combined with the condensed milk
makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it. 
The graham cracker crust and the chocolate would be delicious enough on their own,
but the pretzels are the salty and crunchy icing on the cake, so to speak.

If you've been wondering what to make for dessert for Superbowl Sunday, 
pin this, and pat yourself on the back for coming up with a winner.
It's kid and grown-up approved! 

 

SALTY-SWEET CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BARS (or BITES)

(Recipe by Food and Wine Magazine)

To buy a 9-inch cake pan, click here (affiliate link).

To buy Flaky Sea Salt, click here (affiliate link).

Any way you slice them -- whether into bars or bites,
these chocolate pretzel treats are sure to be a salty-sweet hit.

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