Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
Now, this recipe right here is exactly everything that I love. It's chocolately, salted caramely, decadent AF. It's the kind of recipe that's dangerous to be left alone with, which is why I made it for a movie party with friends so that I could share it with them and reduce the temptation to polish off the whole pan myself. Today we're talking about these vegan chocolate caramel pretzel bars, and oh boy are they good!
Think about all the components of your favorite dessert, and let me know if we have this in common: I love chocolate. I love salty-sweetness. I love caramel. I love desserts that are so rich and good that they make me want to cry. And that's what this is right here.
I adapted this recipe from The New York Times. Their cooking section is seriously one of my favorite recipe sites. The photography is always top notch, and the recipes are always freaking good. I just made a few tweaks to their recipe to make this vegan, namely by swapping in vegan butter, vegan chocolate, and coconut cream in place of heavy cream. I'm drooling already just thinking about it.
There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but it comes together in no time. You start out with the pretzel crust, and I love the saltiness of it because it balances out the sweetness of the caramel really perfectly. Next, you sprinkle on some pecans for crunch (!!). Pour the caramel on top and let it bake for a few minutes until it's nice and bubbly and good. Next, pour on a layer of melted dark vegan chocolate, let it set, and you're ready to dig in.
I don't know about you, but this sounds like a fantasy to me. Only it's real! ;)
Dig in!
Recipe
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
225 g pretzels
1/4 c granulated sugar
8 tbsp vegan butter, melted
1/4 c pecans, chopped
Vegan Caramel
10 tbsp vegan butter, melted
2/3 c coconut cream
2/3 c dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Topping
1 1/4 c vegan chocolate, chopped
1 c of crushed pretzels
Directions
Pretzel Crust
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" baking pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges.
In a food processor, blend together the pretzels and sugar into fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process until it reaches the consistency of wet sand. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and press down until compact.
Bake until the edges are brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the pecans and set aside.
Vegan Caramel
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, coconut cream, brown sugar, and salt.
Heat over medium heat, stirring, until butter has melted and everything is well combined. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Pour evenly over the pecans and pretzel crust. Bake for about 13 minutes, until caramel is bumbling and has darkened slightly. Transfer to a rack and let it cool slightly.
Assembly
Melt the chocolate in short bursts in a heatproof bowl in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds.
Once chocolate has completely melted, pour evenly over the caramel.
Sprinkle with the crushed pretzels and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer to the fridge and let it set about 1 hour.
To serve, lift the bars out of the pan and slice into squares. Yum!
Adapted From: New York Times Cooking