These 5-ingredient No-bake Caramel Pretzel Crack Bars are filled with chocolate, salty pretzels, creamy caramel, and peanuts. It’s the perfect combination between sweet and salty, gooey and crunchy, plus it’s a no-bake recipe that’s made in under 10 minutes once you have your ingredients ready!

It’s the perfect homemade dessert gift for Christmas time, Valentine’s Day, or just because!

Why you’ll love this Caramel Pretzel Crack bars

It has only 5 yummy ingredients. No need for a long list, difficult-to-find ingredients
It’s a great recipe, made in under 10 minutes once you have your ingredients ready. You can potentially be eating one of these bars 30 minutes from now!
It’s a no-bake recipe, so no need of oven!
It makes a great gift for any time of the year. May it be Christmas, Valentine’s, or a birthday, this is the perfect homemade gift for any age and gender.
It’s for every baking skill level! No matter how inexperienced you are, it’s difficult to mess up these bars

Ingredients you’ll need to make these Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars

These are made with just 5 simple ingredients, found in any big grocery store:

Milk Chocolate. Feel free to use milk chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar
Mini Pretzels. I used mini pretzels because of the size, it was easier to cut and more appropriate to the bar size
Peanuts. I used salted peanuts
Kraft Caramel bits. You can use butter caramels instead
Milk. It is used for melting the caramel

For the full recipe, take a look at the recipe card at the end of this post!

How to make this sweet and salty snack

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a double broiler or the microwave, in 15-second increments, melt on medium heat 1 3/4 cups of the chocolate. Spread it on top of your cookie sheet evenly, making sure the melted chocolate stays inside the parchment paper perimeter.

Place pretzels on top of the chocolate, spreading them evenly (it’s ok if they overlap). Fill the gaps with the peanuts and press slightly against the chocolate, so the peanuts and pretzels “stick” to the melted chocolate. Refrigerate while melting the caramel.

In a double broiler or the microwave, in 20-second intervals, melt on medium heat the caramel bits with the milk, stirring constantly, until caramel is completely melted. Let the caramel cool and thicken slightly.

Spread the slightly cooled caramel on top of the pretzels and peanuts, using a spoon to fill the gaps (a few gaps are fine!). Refrigerate until caramel is set.

In the meantime, melt the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate into a small plastic bag, and cut off a bit of the corner. Drizzle the caramel layer with a zig-zag motion. Refrigerate until set, then cut into 16 even squares.

Layer with caramel and drizzled chocolate

Tips and tricks to make the best bars

Make sure you have parchment paper lining your baking sheet, otherwise, the chocolate will stick to the pan, and it will be a nightmare to lift it without breaking everything apart.
Chocolate should be set before adding the caramel. But don’t worry! You only need to refrigerate or freeze it while melting the caramel.
Make sure the caramel is set before drizzling with chocolate. As with the melted chocolate, pop it in the freezer or fridge until set.
Last but not least, bars should be completely cooled before cutting. This will ensure a clean and perfect cut

Add-ins and variations for this perfect treat

To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute the pretzels for gluten-free pretzels
You can substitute the milk chocolate for white chocolate
You can also substitute the milk chocolate for dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips, for a more intense chocolate flavor
Add mini peanut butter cups instead (or with) the peanuts
Add Reese’s peanut butter chips instead of or with the peanuts
Top with sea salt for an extra sweet and salty flavor contrast
Substitute the pretzel pieces with Saltine crackers