You know what’s good? A chocolate-covered pretzel. You know what’s great? When you mash up said pretzel and put it on top of a pan of brownies.
YUM.
I didn’t have many cravings while pregnant with Eggroll, but I did find myself eating a lot of pretzels dipped in chocolate because, why not? Talk about your sweet and salty perfection. Once spring hit (and I was supposed to be thinking about eating clean…oops), I looked for a recipe for chocolate-covered pretzel brownies to turn a tasty snack into a delicious dessert. Alas, I came up empty-handed.
Friends, it is a crime against humanity that there are not more chocolate-covered pretzel brownie recipes out there. The combination really can’t be topped.
I slaved away all summer doing the dirty grunt work of perfecting this recipe. It’s a rough job, I tell you.
Honestly, I still can’t say I am 100% in love with the brownie part. When I first asked friends for their suggestions, even my semi-professional baking friends said they make theirs from a boxed mix. I didn’t want to do that and instead tried ones from Rachel Ray, Smitten Kitchen, The Dessert Bible
Pro-tip: Did you know that for the most part, you can interchange what size pan you use for brownies, no matter what the recipe calls for? If you want them chewy, go for the 13 X 9 pan. For cakey, go square.
No matter what brownie you use, this potluck-perfect dessert will be a hit. Just make sure to leave one at home or you’re bound to miss out.
P.S. I tried many different ways to crush the pretzels and the easiest way seems to be to put them in your baking pan and smash with the bottom of a sturdy drinking glass. Use a baggie and a rolling pin instead at your own peril.
*** I’m trying a new way to showcase my recipes. Does it come through for you? How does it look? Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions!***
- 2 1/2 cup pretzel sticks crushed*
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp coffee extract (or 1 tbsp or brewed coffee)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate (baking bar works better than chips)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tbsp sea salt optional
- Mix melted butter with brown sugar. Stir in crushed pretzels until moist. Set aside.
- Add chocolate, butter, and milk to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until melted, cooking in 30 second increments. Drizzle over cooled brownies. Top with sea salt, if desired.
- ***If you rather use a different brownie recipe, go for it. Meet me back at step 5 to add in the pretzel topping.***
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking pan.
- Melt 1/2 cup of butter and unsweetened chocolate together in the microwave, stirring after each 30 second increment. Let this mixture cool!
- Beat eggs and salt until foamy. Gradually add in sugar, vanilla, and coffee, beating until thick. Very gently, add in chocolate mixture, then flour.
- Pour batter into greased pan. Tap pan against the counter to release any air bubbles, then sprinkle pretzel mixture on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Or follow instructions on your recipe.)
- Promptly after removing from oven, top brownies with chocolate layer. Let cool completely in the pan.
Brownies are good right away but will taste even better after two hours when the chocolate topping has hardened. Place in fridge to speed up the process.
