Description
Okay, so imagine if a blondie—which is already basically a brownie’s cooler, butterscotch-flavored cousin—had a wild night with a bag of pretzels and a jar of salted caramel, and nine months later these absolute LEGENDS were born. Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies are basically dense, chewy, buttery blondies studded with crunchy pretzel pieces, swirled with gooey salted caramel, drizzled with more caramel and chocolate, then topped with even MORE pretzels and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt because at this point why the hell not. They’re sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, and hit literally every texture and flavor note your taste buds have been craving. I made these for a bake sale once and they sold out in 11 minutes. ELEVEN MINUTES. Another time I brought them to a party and someone offered me actual money for the recipe. These blondies have economic VALUE.
Ingredients
For the Blondie Base:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (the extra yolk makes them extra fudgy)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup crushed pretzels (about 2 cups whole pretzels, crushed)
- Use the regular twisted pretzels, not rods or sticks
For the Caramel Swirl:
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- Use thick caramel, not thin ice cream topping
For the Toppings:
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce for drizzling
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, melted
- 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
- Flaky sea salt (Maldon is ideal)
- Optional: mini chocolate chips scattered on top
Equipment:
- 8x8 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Zip-top bag for crushing pretzels (or your rage and a rolling pin)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides so you can lift the blondies out easily later. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Put about 2 cups of pretzels in a zip-top bag, seal it, and crush them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan. Release your stress. Let it all out.
You want a mix of fine crumbs and some chunkier pieces for texture variety. Don’t pulverize them into dust—chunky is good.
Set aside 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels for topping. The rest (about 1 cup) goes in the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until well combined and slightly glossy. This takes about 1 minute of vigorous whisking.
Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and the mixture lightens slightly in color.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix or your blondies will be tough.
Fold in 1 cup of crushed pretzels, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
The batter will be thick—this is correct. Blondies are dense by nature.
Pour about 2/3 of the batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.
Drizzle or spoon about 1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce over this layer in stripes or dollops.
Drop the remaining 1/3 of batter in spoonfuls over the caramel layer, then gently spread it as best you can. It doesn’t need to be perfect—rustic is charming.
Drizzle or dollop the remaining 1/4 cup caramel sauce on top.
Use a butter knife or skewer to swirl the caramel into the batter with gentle figure-8 motions. Don’t over-swirl or you’ll lose the marbled effect.
Bake for 28-32 minutes until the edges are set and golden brown and the center looks just barely set. It should still jiggle SLIGHTLY when you gently shake the pan.
A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not clean. Clean = overbaked = sad dry blondies.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. These are meant to be dense, fudgy, and chewy. They continue cooking in the pan after you remove them.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before adding toppings. If you add toppings while hot, everything will melt into a puddle.
Once cooled to room temperature, drizzle the top with salted caramel sauce in a criss-cross pattern or artistic zigzags. Channel your inner Jackson Pollock.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Drizzle over the caramel in the opposite direction for that Instagram-worthy look.
Immediately sprinkle with the reserved crushed pretzels while the chocolate and caramel are still slightly wet so they stick.
Finish with a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Don’t be shy—this is what takes these from good to “I need the recipe RIGHT NOW.”
Optional: Scatter some mini chocolate chips on top if you’re feeling extra.
Let everything set for about 15-20 minutes before cutting. Or don’t wait and just eat it with a spoon. No judgment.
Use the parchment overhang to lift the entire block of blondies out of the pan onto a cutting board.
Use a large, sharp knife to cut into 9 or 16 squares, depending on how generous you’re feeling.
Wipe the knife clean between cuts for clean edges.
Try not to eat them all immediately. This is the hardest step.
Notes
These are basically perfect as-is, but if you want to go FULL decadent:
- Serve slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Heat in the microwave for 15 seconds and top with whipped cream
- Pair with strong coffee or espresso
- Serve with a glass of cold milk (the classic move)
- Stack them on a platter for a dessert table centerpiece
- Warm and top with extra caramel sauce for ultra-indulgence
- Package individually in cellophane bags for gifts
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: ~280 kcal
- Sugar: ~24g
- Sodium: ~320mg
- Fat: ~13g
- Carbohydrates: ~38g
- Protein: ~3g