We like a nut in our brownie—something toasty and crunchy to break up the texture and add a little extra oomph. But pretzels are even better! Salty, crispy, and a perfect complement to gooey chocolate. A couple of these recipes throw in some peanut butter for good measure.
Number two even uses a boxed mix, if you have a favorite and just want to amp it up.
We think keeping the pretzels as a crust or topping (rather than mixing them in) is crucial; they'd probably lose some of their crunch if they were folded into the batter.
• 1. Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel Brownies, from How Sweet It Is.
• 2. Caramel and Chocolate Chip Brownies with a Pretzel Crust, from Love from the Oven.
• 3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies, from Joy the Baker.
• 4. Chocolate Chip Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust, from Simply Scratch.
Which one looks the best to you?
Related: Snack Recipe: Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt and Lime
(Images: Jessica/How Sweet It Is; Christi/Love from the Oven; Joy Wilson; Laurie/Simply Scratch)
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You featured so many great blogs. What an excellent round-up!
I tried the first recipe over the weekend (peanut butter fudge pretzel brownies) and as much as I wanted to like them, they were just bad! The brownie was mediocre at best, everyone thought the peanut butter layer was way too thick, and the pretzel crumbs didn't stick at all and I ended up having to press them into the peanut butter on top. Great concept, but they were just messy and bland.
If I were going to try again (and I probably won't), I would use a better brownie recipe, something that starts with melted chocolate rather than just cocoa powder. I'm not sure how I would fix the pretzel crust - maybe use more butter, completely pulverize the pretzels (rather than leaving some chunks like shown in the pics), and try baking it in advance like you would do a graham cracker crust.
Anyway, hope those tips are helpful for someone else.
ok a guilty ramp up.... Filthy Brownies!
Cookie dough, rolos (add salt to make it like salted caramel), brownie mix. Layered. Baked. Served warm.
The recipe is here http://www.coffeetoastandlondon.com/2012/04/filthy-brownies.html and is a certain winner! Oh and one more thing... try them with Reeses Peanut Butter cups!
Laura x