CARAMEL PRETZEL CLUSTERS

Caramel pretzel clusters are a simple treat that requires little effort and minimal ingredients. Perfect for holidays, family gatherings or simply curing a sweet tooth craving.

 

We’re big fans of the sweet-salty combination here at our house so when we bought a giant bag of these pretzel sticks, I knew I had to come up with something sweet to make with them.

I was inspired by a bag of $10 gourmet treats I got from Costco. These taste just like them and were much, much cheaper to make. Plus we added sprinkles to make them fun! These were so easy my 6 year old son and I made them in less than an hour!

 

 

What are caramel pretzel clusters?

Chocolate caramel pretzels are a combination of everything good in life. With chewy, sweet, salty, crunchy, and smooth chocolate in every bite, there’s nothing that can make these caramel pretzel rods taste better (except sprinkles!)

These chocolate caramel pretzel rods are simply that- a small bundle of pretzel sticks, topped with caramel, and then dipped in chocolate. It’s as easy to make as it sounds and it tastes even better! 😉

 

 

Caramel Pretzel Clusters Ingredients

-Pretzel sticks: Make sure to get the thin matchstick type pretzel sticks, not the giant rods as this makes things easier. Round and shaped pretzels could work too but they may be harder to cover and hold together with chocolate and caramel.

-Bag of caramel squares: You won’t need an entire bag, but you will need a bunch, we used about 20 caramels.

-Melting chocolate: I like to use melting chocolate because it’s simple and quick but you can also use a combination of 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted with 2 teaspoons of shortening for a similar result).

-Sprinkles: If desired, sprinkles can be used to add a festive touch or help to match a theme for a party or gathering.

 

 

How to Make Caramel Pretzel Clusters

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Assemble your pretzel clusters by grouping them together. Mini pretzels may use 8 or 9 in each bundle whereas regular sized pretzels may use 4 or 5.

Unwrap 8 caramel candies and then flatten each piece. You can use your hands or a rolling pin to get them nice and thin. You should get them to be about twice the size of a quarter and in the shape of an oval. You can use kitchen shears to cut them lengthwise.

 

 

Lay a piece of caramel on top of each bundle of pretzels.

Bake in your oven for 3-4 minutes. Place more pretzels on top of the caramel. Remove from the oven and let cool.

 

 

After a few minutes the caramel adheres well to the pretzels so you don’t have to worry about it falling off.

Once cooled and set, melt your chocolate.

 

 

Add your chocolate and shortening to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until smooth.

Dip the caramel covered bundles into the melted chocolate so that half is covered while the other half is exposed.

Add sprinkles over the melted chocolate and let it set.

Enjoy!

Can I use other types of chocolate?

Yes! You can use melters chocolate (with no shortening added) or you can use white chocolate, milk chocolate, colored melting chocolate or a mixture of them too! (It’s all up to what you want). This is a great way to get colors to help you fit a theme for a party or holiday!

 

What does the shortening do?

Adding shortening to the chocolate chips helps to get it smooth and spreadable so that it doesn’t seize up as quickly. It’s a great trick for making your own melting chocolate although I often use coconut oil for similar results too.

 

How long are chocolate caramel pretzel clusters good for?

The ingredients on their own are good almost indefinitely but together the shelflife is less. If you keep your chocolate covered caramel coated pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature you can expect them to last a week or two and still be good. The biggest issue is that the pretzels will become stale as they age, so make sure to keep them in an airtight container for best results.