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This treat combines gooey caramel, smooth milk chocolate, and crunchy pretzels with a hint of apple for an irresistible snack. It's super easy to whip up and makes a great fall party offering or just something yummy when you're craving a sweet treat.
What You'll Need
- A bag of Milk Chocolate Chips (12 oz): These make up your foundation layer and give that smooth, sweet chocolate taste everyone loves.
- Green Apple: Brings a zingy tartness that cuts through the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Caramels (either 35 wrapped pieces or 13.5 oz of caramel dip): Creates that sticky, sweet layer that holds everything together with its buttery goodness.
- Bag of Pretzels (16 oz): Adds that perfect salty crunch that balances out the sweet stuff and makes the texture more interesting.
How To Make It
- Step 1: Get Your Chocolate Ready
- Grab 1 ¾ cups of milk chocolate chips and put them in a bowl you can microwave. Heat them in short 15-second bursts, giving a good stir each time, until they're completely smooth.
- Step 2: Create Your Foundation
- Dump the melted chocolate onto parchment paper and use a rubber spatula to spread it into a rectangle shape that'll be the bottom of your bark.
- Step 3: Build The Pretzel Base
- Place pretzels all over the chocolate layer until you can't see any chocolate. Give them a gentle push so they stick to the chocolate below.
- Step 4: Mix Up The Topping
- Chop up the green apple and blot it with paper towels to get rid of extra juice. This stops your caramel from getting runny. Unwrap all your caramels and melt them in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds. Mix your apple chunks into this melted caramel.
- Step 5: Add The Good Stuff
- Spread your apple-caramel mix evenly over those pretzels, making a yummy, sticky layer on top.
- Step 6: Cool It Down
- Pop the whole thing in your fridge for about half an hour so everything firms up nicely.
- Step 7: Pretty It Up
- Melt whatever chocolate you've got left and drizzle it across the top to make it look fancy. Back into the fridge for another hour to get really solid.
- Step 8: Break It Apart
- When it's all set, take it out and break or cut it into smaller pieces. Keep it cold until you're ready to eat it so it stays firm and tasty.
Eating and Keeping Tips
- This bark tastes best when it's cold – it keeps the caramel from getting too sticky on your fingers.
- Break it into small chunks that people can easily grab at parties.
- Any pieces you don't finish can go in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days before they start losing their magic.
- Try sprinkling a tiny bit of sea salt on top before eating – it makes the sweet and salty flavors pop even more.
Quick Pointers
- Always go for crisp, fresh green apples and make sure they're really dry before adding them.
- Don't like milk chocolate? Dark chocolate works great too and isn't quite as sweet.
- You can use more or less caramel depending on how thick you want that layer to be.
Pro Chef Advice
- Jacques Torres always says to pat fruit completely dry when mixing with chocolate or you'll mess up the texture.
- Christina Tosi thinks throwing in some crushed nuts makes everything taste more interesting.
- Claire Saffitz says a thin, zigzag chocolate drizzle on top makes your desserts look like they came from a fancy bakery.
What Makes This So Good
- You can throw this bark together quickly with just a few basic items – no fancy cooking skills needed.
- The mix of chocolate, caramel, apple bits, and pretzels hits all the taste spots – sweet, salty, and tangy in one bite.
- You can switch things up however you want to match what you're in the mood for.
Mix It Up
- Try throwing in some chopped walnuts or pecans with the caramel and apple for extra crunch.
- Not into apples? Swap them out for dried cranberries for something different.
- White chocolate can replace milk chocolate if you want something even sweeter for the base.