Step up your snack game with pretzels and pecans covered with a crispy caramel coating that is addicting! You will be asked back when you bring these crack pretzels as a hostess gift for sure!
What is Pretzel Crack?
The holidays are here and that means crazy schedules and gift-giving. Like everyone, you are probably stressed to your maximum and can’t handle one more thing on your to-do list.
Every year I want to plan ahead and have the perfect holiday season and then I wake up on December 15th and still have no tree, no gifts bought, no pounds lost, a room full of dirty laundry, and unwashed hair. Every Freaking Year!
This year in my blogging journey, I have definitely made strides in my goal-setting and planning ahead. I actually had blog recipes planned a month in advance (even though I only had the recipe scribbled out on a sketch pad and a note on my editorial calendar that I want to post it-still progress) and started to feel a little extra breathing room!
A lot of that also comes from not trying to do it all, taking a step back and prioritizing my time, and not getting sucked into all these unobtainable ideas of perfection that go with being a wife and mom.
One way to do this is to do a little at a time. Having a few make-ahead Christmas treats in recipe box really helps too.
If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious easy PRETZEL CRACK AND PECANS recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.
The Best Pretzel Candy Recipe
This is not saying that you can avoid unplanned emergencies and last minute projects since we are all susceptible, but I have found ways to say no and some other things that help me when I have to say yes. This year I have been really good at saying no to projects but when it comes to my kid’s teacher’s gifts I never say no!
They work hard with very little thanks, and usually a lot of complaining from parents and students, and they certainly deserve a treat! Since I can’t afford a Caribbean cruise, I like to make edible gifts or give gift cards. They love gift cards for their favorite coffee place, restaurant, or package store 🙂
The next best thing is a unique edible gift that they can save for themselves or use as a gift for someone else. They get busy too and can’t go to a party empty-handed. These Crack Pretzels with Pecans are the perfect gourmet food gift. Dress them up in a decorative mason jar and skip the wrapping paper.
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Crack Pretzels are a delicious inexpensive hostess gift!
My go-to edible gift is Crack Pretzels. Last Christmas, I made a Crack Chex Mix that turned out to be a big hit! It’s the usual snack mix but with an addicting crispy caramel coating much like caramel corn.
This year, inspired by my son’s addiction to pretzels, I switched up the snack mix part. Total win! I knew I wanted to make these Crack Pretzels for the teachers because as an easy Christmas baking recipe, it also makes a large amount so I could get away with making one batch. Even better win!
I did get a few days advance notice on this unplanned task but I can whip it up the night before because these Crack Pretzels are:
Easy to make and don’t require too many ingredients
You can make enough of them in one batch.
I can make them a few days ahead of time and they will hold for up to a week with proper storage.
Even if my son mentions that he needs teacher’s gifts by tomorrow, I can whip up these easy holiday dessert Crack Pretzels!
How do these Crack Pretzels look for a last minute teacher gift? The crispy caramel coating will blow their socks off! Try giving these in a fun chalkboard label mason jars!
FAQ about CRACK PRETZELS WITH PECANS:
Q: Can I use a different nut other than pecans? A: Yes, but I am a sucker for pecans so I use them the most.
Q: Can I use pretzel sticks instead of the twists? A: Sure! I don’t think you will get as much of the caramel coating sticking to them as the twists due to less surface area for it to cling to.
Q: How long will the crack pretzels last? A: If they don’t get eaten, they will last about a week before they start to get soggy.
Q: What do I do with the caramel coating that doesn’t stick to the pretzels and bakes on the pan? A: I scrape it off and use the crispy buttery crumbs for topping my ice cream, yogurt, or just licking off my fingers!
Another great thing I love about these Crack Pretzels is it leaves you a little surprise you get at the bottom of the pan after baking them. The caramel coating sometimes chips off the pretzels when you stir it leaving little bits of crispy caramel sugar in the pan.
After cooking, I gather up the pretzels and pecans and there is about a 1/2 cup of these wonderful little crunchies.
These crunchies are great on:
sprinkled on ice cream
stirred in coffee
or by the spoonful
All it takes is 15 minutes of prep and an hour in the oven while you are doing laundry or decorating the tree. After an hour you will have a large batch of edible heaven you can use for gifts or snacking while watching your favorite holiday movie.
Whatever is on your to-do list this holiday season you have time to make a batch of these Crispy Caramel Crack Pretzels. That is definitely a holiday stress-reliever if I ever saw one.
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Easy CRACK PRETZELS WITH PECANS Recipe
Crack Pretzels with Crispy Caramel and Pecans
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour10 minutes
Step up your snack game with pretzels and pecans covered with a crispy caramel coating that is addicting! You will be asked back when you bring these crack pretzels as a hostess gift for sure!
Ingredients
For the snack mix
6 cups twisty pretzels
2 cups pecan halves
For crispy crack coating
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Prepare the snack mix
Preheat oven to 250F.
Mix the pretzels and the pecans in a large glass or metal bowl. Do not use plastic!
Create the crack coating
In a medium saucepan, add the butter and sugar.
Bring to a boil.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from burner and add the salt, vanilla, and baking soda. When you add the baking soda, it will foam up and bubble so be very careful.
Stir to settle and mix.
Coat the crack pretzels
Pour over the pretzel and pecans and stir quickly. The sugar coating will start to harden fast.
Once it is mixed, pour onto a jelly roll pan or baking sheet and spread out.
Bake the crack pretzels
Bake at 250F for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Store in gift jars or other another air-tight container until ready to give away. Or eat yourself.
Notes
*If you like this recipe, please leave me a comment and rate it with some stars. Thank you!
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 0
This nutrition information was generated via a third party, Nutritionix, and can not be held liable for any discrepancies in the information provided.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigLotsHoliday#CollectiveBias
My Mom and aunts make candy every Christmas. I plan to be there this year. I’ll be making several batches of this. We’ll need something to munch while making everything else.
Lisa Kerhin says
This stuff is amazing! Made it for our Christmas snacking and it was gone in a flash!
Jennifer says
so glad you liked it!
Katie says
I made this for a Christmas party tonight – total hit!
Jennifer says
Thank you so much!
Charla says
My Mom and aunts make candy every Christmas. I plan to be there this year. I’ll be making several batches of this. We’ll need something to munch while making everything else.
Jennifer says
I hope you guys love it!
Andrea says
A Sweet and Salty Win here. I love the idea of putting caramel on pretzels. Snacking goodness here.