Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Chocolate Bars
There is a lot going on in these delicious peanut butter pretzel caramel chocolate bars, and they are absolutely, 100% worth it! So many favorite flavors rolled up into one bar!
These bars are the culmination of every happy thing in my life.
Chocolate. Peanut butter. Pretzels. Caramel. And more chocolate.
Not only are all of those flavors out of this world delicious, but the contrasting crunchy + chewy + creamy textures make the bars next level good.
Chocolate Shortbread
The base of these peanut butter pretzel caramel chocolate bars is a nifty little chocolate shortbread layer.
And it’s super easy. You stir melted butter into a few dry ingredients and press it all into a 9X13-inch pan.
However, upon further contemplation, I think these bars would also be fantastic and amazing with a brownie base in place of the shortbread.
Perhaps a half batch of these one-bowl fudgy brownies? Yes, I like that idea very much.
Pretzel Caramel
Not just pretzels. And not just caramel. It’s “pretzel caramel.”
It’s a thing. And it’s so good.
It is also not rocket science. Melt caramels. Add chopped pretzels. And you’re done.
I like to stir the pretzels into the caramel, but if the thought of doing that and then taking that chewy, clumpy mixture and spreading it across the shortbread gives you fits, I give you permission to simplify.
Just spread the melted caramel over the shortbread and then sprinkle with pretzels.
Peanut Butter Fluff
This creamy, luscious peanut butter layer isn’t really frosting as much as it is a fluffy layer of soft peanut butter goodness.
But you can call it frosting if you like. It doesn’t really matter as long as it makes it on to the pretzel caramel layer.
And once you taste a little, you’ll realize what a risk that actually is. It’s so light and creamy and yummy.
Assembling the PBPCC Bars
It’s easy!
- chocolate shortbread (bake it until just set)
- pretzel caramel (don’t curse if it goes on a little dodgy and even pulls up some of the chocolate base; it’s all good)
- peanut butter fluff (remember, don’t taste it or it may not make it onto the bars)
- chocolate ganache (because chocolate ganache is always welcome at the party)
Once the bars are assembled, I let them chill in the refrigerator until set and then I cut them into squares with a bench knife.
I’m just going to be honest with you, they are kind of a pain to cut. But the end result is so worth it; we can do hard things.
A few tips:
- lining the baking pan with a parchment overhang is helpful so you can lift the bars out to cut
- I like to wipe the knife/bench knife clean between cuts
- cut them while they are chilled or partially chilled
After they are cut, I chill them again. Because, these bars are phenomenal eaten cold.
In closing, I would like to give us one more peek at that ridiculously salty, chewy, crunchy pretzel caramel layer.
And also tell you that these bars should, at some point, become part of your world. You will not regret it.
They have me thinking I should find a way to incorporate pretzels and caramel and peanut butter fluff into everything I make for the rest of forever.
FAQs for these bars:
Different brands of soft caramels will melt with varying consistencies. If the caramel seems thick like it won’t spread very well, try adding a few tablespoons more heavy cream and heating on low and stirring until combined. I usually use Trader Joe’s soft caramels, but those aren’t widely available to everyone, so Peter’s caramel or Kraft or Brachs should work, too. Homemade is also an option!
Feel free to experiment! I think pretzel sticks give the best texture (without disintegrating into salty dust) to that pretzel caramel layer.
Ganache (chocolate + heavy cream) can often seem thin right after making. It should thicken as it cools. Also, the type of heavy cream can make a difference, too. The higher the fat percentage in the heavy cream, the thicker the ganache will be.
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I’m not sure they’ll be a great candidate for freezing. The pretzels may get a bit soft/soggy after thawing.
One Year Ago: Homemade Dulce de Leche Twix Bars {Shortbread + Caramel + Chocolate}
Two Years Ago: Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Blossom Cookies
Four Years Ago: Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast Bake
Five Years Ago: Soft Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Whipped Eggnog Frosting
Six Years Ago: Chocolate Pudding Pretzel Pie
Seven Years Ago: Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup
Eight Years Ago: Toffee Crunch Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Chocolate Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Shortbread:
- 1 ¼ cups (178 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (76 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (28 g) natural, unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, melted
Caramel Layer:
- 14 ounces (397 g) soft caramels, unwrapped (see note)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (128 g) lightly crushed or broken pretzel sticks
Peanut Butter Layer:
- 1 cup (255 g) creamy peanut butter (see note)
- ¼ cup (57 g) salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (86 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Ganache:
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- For the shortbread layer: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan (can also line with parchment paper). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until a soft dough forms. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set (I like the crust slightly under baked so it’s not dry and crumbly). Cool completely.
- For the pretzel caramel layer:in a microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and cream and microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until smooth and melted. Option 1: spread caramel over the cooled chocolate shortbread layer and sprinkle with crushed pretzels. Option 2: stir the pretzels into the warm caramel and dollop across chocolate shortbread layer, pressing into an even layer with greased hands.
- For the peanut butter layer: in a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread over the pretzel caramel layer. Refrigerate while making the chocolate ganache.
- For the chocolate ganache: add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Microwave or heat the cream on the stovetop until just below a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir to combine until glossy and smooth. Let cool for a few minutes until no longer warm. Spread over the peanut butter layer.
- Refrigerate the bars until set, at least 20 minutes but up to 24 hours. If refrigerated longer than an hour or so, take the bars out 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving so the caramel layer softens just a bit.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home
Rich, but so yummy! Definitely a winner.
Vanilla is spelled wrong in step 4. Love your recipes! Can’t wait to try this one!
Thank you, Sarah!
Yum! We loved these, everyone in my family was a huge fan and I’ll definitely be making these again! I did make a couple of very small changes;
– drizzled half of the caramel over the shortbread, sprinkled the pretzels over that, then poured the rest of the caramel on top (quick & easy)
– added a splash of cream to the PB layer to make it fluffier
– didn’t add all of the chocolate (not sure if I made a mistake and accidentally used a bigger bag of chocolate chips than I meant to, but the chocolate layer seemed waay too thick! Might have been a mistake in my end lol)
A great sweet and salty concoction. Made it for my husband’s office staff. They enjoyed every morsel and asked for more. My preference is to eat these cold. Also… When cutting.. I used a dough cutter.Worked perfectly.
I found these under gf–adaptable. How would you do that? I’m bringing a meal to a gf friend and I think she would love these if I could adapt them.
Hi Anna, I believe someone commented that they made these with a GF flour substitute and GF pretzels.
A friend made me these after I had a baby-they are AMAZING! I found that they froze perfectly, and defrost fairly quickly-tasting just as good as before.
These were out of this world delicious, thanks for the recipe! I didn’t have any caramels on hand so I just looked up a recipe for microwave caramel. It worked fantastic!
I live on your blog!!, and this may be the first recipe I failed at (thus the reason I’m writing). The p-butter and chocolate layer separated from the caramel and pretzel layer. What did I do wrong? Taste was awesome, but the bars just fell apart. Thanks.
Darn, Linda! Was the caramel layer completely cooled or chilled before adding the peanut butter? That’s the only reason I can think of – was the peanut butter layer pretty thick?
Making the bars is quite the process and I made 2 pans. It was tough to cut clean bars and, at first, I wasn’t really crazy about them because the pretzels weren’t crispy. But, how could they be once they were mixed in between the caramel and PB layer? My first taste was that it was way too rich so I gave them out with a little shame that they didn’t look perfect. However, one neighbor said they were excellent. I’m starting to eat more now and they are EXCELLENT! I just wiped out 5 in a row – thank goodness they’re tiny.
Thanks for letting me know what you thought, Gwendolyn! That’s a labor of love making two pans of them.
If I use a brownie layer, what do you recommend instead of the shortbread layer? Even boxed brownie mix is fine. How long do think the brownie layer would need to cook?
I think any favorite brownie recipe would work (and I’d cut the recipe in half so the brownie layer is thin). The baking time will depend on how thick the brownie layer is. Anywhere from 12-15 minutes probably.
Ok, there are not enough words for how amazing these are. I made one pan with the shortbread layer and one pan with a brownie layer. The brownies are definitely my preference, BUT OMG. Make them. Now. You will have no regrets. We bake ahead of time and freeze everything to start serving them on Christmas Eve. I can hardly wait. I ate all the edge pieces as I was cutting them to freeze.
So happy you loved these! Merry Christmas!
Would this recipe work without the peanut butter layer? Thanks
I haven’t tried that, but you could experiment!
Oh Mel. These are out of this world. I made them for work and the kids were not happy with me. I said that I would make them a batch soon. Halfway through, I was cursing you for all the layers and steps and dishes it created. I didn’t cut them and allowed my coworkers to cut the size they wanted. I took one bite and swooned. Oh yes, I WILL make them again. Probably tomorrow. Incredible recipe. Might be my all time favorite.
I know, I know, the dishes are a little much but they are so worth it. Glad you liked them, Beth. Do your coworkers know how lucky they are?? 🙂
How do you get your squares so perfect? There has to be a trick to get bars out of a pan with out making them crumble or squish together???
Using parchment to lift them out of the pan helps and then I cut them with a bench knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
My middle school aged daughter made these last night and brought them to her class Christmas Party cookie competition and won first prize.
What?!? This is amazing! Tell her congratulations from me!
These were really good! Rich, chewy, crunchy, salty/sweet, and satisfying all rolled into one delicious dessert!
I’m glad you loved them, Nancy!
I am literally making these right now and am in heaven. The shortbread is to die for and the peanut butter fluff tastes exactly like the filling in Reese’s PB cups, which happen to be my all-time favorite candy. Also, pretzels and caramel, truly a match made in heaven. My only question—how on earth do you spread the peanut butter layer over the caramel without making a giant mess of the whole pan???
Hey Amy – is your caramel layer really soft?
Oh my goodness – these were quite tasty!
And much simpler to make than what I thought they would be. I used mostly caramel chews, but didn’t have enough, so I used a quarter cup of caramel sauce in addition. Still turned out great – with no soggy pretzels.
Thanks for letting me know what you thought!
I’ve recently become infatuated with Take 5 bars and these are so close, but I’m sure better !! Yum..I’ll make these for New Years Eve !
When you say that you use “traditional” pb, do you mean like the sweetened/processed Kraft or JIF type? No judgment, I love the stuff but wasn’t sure what you meant by traditional.
Yes, skippy or jif (natural peanut butter doesn’t work quite as well although I do think others have used it).
They were amazing! I loved the Carmel and pretzel together.
I’ve been looking for an eggless treat that actually looks good. Thank you thank you thank you. And Merry Christmas.
Love your blog so much! Thank you for your consistency in posting and great recipes.
I have been looking for eggless treat options. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
These look amazing!
If I don’t have wrapped caramels, which of your home made caramel recipes would you recommend using the instead?
I would use this one! https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-make-the-best-homemade-caramels-of-your-life/
What brand of caramels do you like best?
I usually use the Trader Joe’s soft wrapped caramels
Haha I love you and I don’t even know you. “In closing, …” I just love your humor, and your testimony of pretzels, chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel. I will make these soon!
Ha, thanks, Rikki!
These look so darned good they must be illegal!
The are totally insane. Haha.
I read the title of the post and said to my kids “oh my gosh, this recipe has everything I love in life. Except you.” Then we had a weird conversation about cannibalism, but the final outcome is that I will be making these this weekend! We try to only make treats once a week and this one definitely wins for this week! So excited!
Oh my gosh, Ali. Thanks for the laugh out loud moment this morning.
Do you think I could use Werther’s soft caramels?
Yes, Werther’s soft caramels definitely work. I made these today and they are delicious!
That’s great news! Thanks, Heather!
Do you think these would work with Trader Joe’s jarred caramel sauce? Only asking because I happen to have a jar in my pantry…
I don’t think so. They need a thicker, chewier caramel to hold together (I think the caramel sauce would soggify the pretzels)
Good to know, thank you! “Soggify” is an awesome word.
Well now I know what I will be making for my birthday treat next week. Thank you very much!!
Happy early birthday!
LOL this was my exact thought for my own birthday. I usually make myself tiramisu, but I felt like a change this year. Sagittarius unite! 🙂
Edit: I feel the brownie base is the winning combo for me.