Butter Toffee Pretzels are miniature pretzel twists coated in a rich, buttery toffee mixture for a delicious and addicting sweet and salty treat. It’s the perfect snack for satisfying both sweet and savory cravings! For another holiday treat, be sure to check out my Christmas Crack!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pretzels: Look for miniature pretzel twists for this recipe. If using larger, standard-sized pretzels, pretzel rods, or other shapes, you may need to adjust the amount of coating.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar provides a rich, caramelized sweetness essential for the toffee’s flavor and texture.
Butter: For the most rich and buttery flavor to the toffee, I used Challenge® salted butter. It adds a smooth and creamy texture to the toffee. Why Challenge® butter? Challenge Butter is made the old-fashioned way, churned fresh daily from the freshest milk and cream from happy cows at family-owned dairies since 1911! If using unsalted butter, you may want to increase the amount of salt in the recipe.
Corn Syrup: Light corn syrup gives the toffee a smooth and glossy texture. This is an important ingredient so you don’t get grainy and gritty toffee.
Can I Add Toppings To Butter Toffee Pretzels?
Sure, you can absolutely add toppings to the pretzels for added flavor and texture. Here are some toppings you could try:
- Drizzle melted chocolate (milk, dark, or white chocolate would be delicious) over the pretzels.
- Sprinkle chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or peanuts over the pretzels.
- For a fun and festive touch, add colorful sprinkles.
- Crushed candy canes or other candies can be added for a burst of sweetness and color.
- Shredded or toasted coconut can add a tropical and sweet flavor.
Can I Double Or Halve The Recipe?
Yes, you could double the recipe if you need a larger batch of pretzels. Or, cut the recipe in half for a lesser amount. If doubling the recipe, make sure you have a large enough pan. And, watch the toffee carefully as it may take longer to cook. On the other hand, if cutting the recipe in half, the toffee may not take as long to cook.
How To Store Butter Toffee Pretzels
To store butter toffee pretzels, first, let them completely cool and harden. Then, store them in an airtight container. If stacking the pretzels, separate the layers with parchment paper. They will last for up to a week.
This recipe is based on my Caramel Corn recipe. I simply replaced the popcorn with pretzels.
Butter Toffee Pretzels
Ingredients
- 8 cups (15 ounce bag) miniature pretzel twists
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) Challenge® salted butter
- ½ cup (170.5 g) light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place pretzels in it. Set aside.
- To a large saucepan over medium heat, add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. This can take up to 8-10 minutes, but watch it carefully. Once boiling, immediately remove from heat. (If using a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach a temperature of 234°F.) *
- Whisk in the baking soda (the mixture will bubble up and become 'foamy'), continuing to whisk until the baking soda is dissolved.
- Pour the toffee mixture over the pretzels. Gently stir until all pretzels are coated.
- Pour the coated pretzels evenly onto the two lined baking sheets, spreading them out into a single layer.
- Bake for 60 minutes, gently stirring the pretzels every 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the pretzels from the oven. Let them cool to room temperature before serving, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Someone take these away from me. I can't top eating them! These would be perfect to bag up and give away as gifts this holiday season!
Elizabeth
This is the perfect sweet and salty treat! But, beware…they are addicting!
Rachael
These are so addicting! Perfect for snacks, parties, or holidays!
Bella
Yum! This delightful treat is easy to prepare. It has a salty taste from the pretzels and a rich flavor from the butter toffee! A great flavor combination.
Annabelle
These are so good! I will absolutely be making them for the holidays!
Selena
Loved these. They are the perfect little salty and sweet snack.
Could you put this on popcorn or nuts
Yup!
I would love to make these! However I’m allergic to corn derivatives. Is there any substitute you could suggest please, maple syrup etc? Thank you
Maybe you can Google and find something?
Can’t wait to try these so excited!
I just made these and they are totally stuck together! Did I let it cook too long? I poured the pretzels in the bowl with cooking spray and had approximately – minute before it was one big mass. I had to pull them apart by hand. Is this normal??
Nope! That is not normal. This recipe comes from my caramel popcorn recipe (heavily tested) and then this Butter Toffee Pretzel recipe was tested heavily. There is the potential of small clumps, like 2-3 sticking together, but not the whole bowl sticking together.
Here are some tips so that next time you won’t run into any issues! 🙂
Watch the…
Cooking Time: The toffee mixture needs to reach the right consistency before pouring it over the pretzels. If it’s undercooked, it may not coat the pretzels evenly, leading to clumping. Ensure that you follow the instructions for boiling the mixture for 8-10 minutes until it reaches a proper consistency.
Baking Time: Baking the pretzels for the specified 60 minutes is crucial. If they are not baked long enough, the toffee may not set properly, resulting in stickiness and clumping.
Ingredients Measurement: Double-check the measurements of the ingredients, especially the brown sugar and corn syrup. Incorrect ratios can affect the texture of the toffee.
Cooling Process: The cooling process is essential for the toffee to set. Ensure that the pretzels cool completely to room temperature before serving. Stirring occasionally during the cooling process can prevent clumping.
Be sure to stir pretzels several times while baking
So good – my family hasn’t been able to get their mits out of the container. We did drizzle some melted chocolate on some of them.
Yay!!
So I just made these and they haven’t dried out at all. I’m letting them sit to cool but they are definitely still swimming in the candy toffee mixture. I followed the instructions exactly as written. “ Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. This can take up to 8-10 minutes. Once boiling, remove from heat.” I brought it to a boil, once it was boiling I took it off the heat, whisked in the baking soda and poured it over the pretzels. Was it supposed to actually boil for 8-10 min? It didn’t say that in the recipe, it just said it may take that long to boil. What did I do wrong?
This mixture reaches 234 degrees as you state in recipe way before 8-10 min, however.
Thank you for sharing 🙏🙌🏻
I ended up with large clumps of pretzels stuck together. I tried prying them apart but most of them broke so I now have a big bowl of very delicious toffee-covered pretzel pieces but I certainly cannot dip them in chocolate which is what I wanted to do. I followed the recipe to the letter – I have an excellent thermometer which I tested for accuracy so I know that my toffee mixture reached 234 degrees. I stirred every 10-15 minutes while they were baking. Based on the recipe, I really don’t see how one can avoid all the pretzels clumping together unless you literally place them on the sheet one by one and then turn them over one by one. It’s a shame because I think they taste absolutely amazing.
Sorry there was an issue Anne! Did you have them on the sheet in a single layer?
I spread them as much as best as I could. I used 2 full sheet pans so space shouldn’t have been an issue. Then, as I stirred them during baking, again I tried spreading them out as much as possible but to get them to a point where they were not touching each other was utterly impossible. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy the pretzel pieces and give up on the idea of dipping in chocolate. Not the end of the world since they are incredibly delicious.