Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Challenge time!

For this month's Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge (hosted by Sheryl at Lady Behind the Curtain) we had to make something with CARAMEL and PRETZELS!

So many options. I LOVE caramel. Tons of sweet and salty recipes were calling my name. A salted caramel pretzel bark that I've seen floating around pinterest won me over though.

It reminded me a lot of my Saltine Toffee cuz of the saltiness but using pretzels instead of saltine crackers, and also like my Chocolate Almond Pretzel Toffee minus the nuts. 

So obviously, it was just as delicious as those! 

I used a large rectangle baking sheet, so it took a lot of mini rounded pretzel twists to cover the whole thing. I ended up doubling the caramel mixture because it just wasn't enough to cover all the pretzels, plus let's be honest here, too much caramel? Is that even a thing?
  

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
adapted from Mama Say What?!

• mini round pretzel twists
• 4 sticks butter *remember that I doubled the caramel sauce to fully cover my large pan lined with pretzels
• 2 cups brown sugar  *remember that I doubled the caramel sauce to fully cover my large pan lined with pretzels
• 1-2 cups chocolate chips
• sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay a single layer of pretzels covering the whole pan. 

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil gently just until it starts to form a nice smooth caramel, letting it bubble a little to get thick. 

Remove from heat and pour evenly over the layer of pretzels. Put in oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips. The hot caramel sauce will melt the chocolate, then spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.

Let cool on the counter top for a bit and then put in the freezer for at least two to three hours. Break into pieces to serve. 

Printable Recipe

Love challenges as much as I do? Well hop on over and sign up for next month's challenge where we'll be using Coconut and Lime!

Linking up here. 

Peace, and bacon grease!

 

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Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce + Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips with Caramel

Hey there friends.

Did you guys have a nice weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful. I like those sometimes though.

It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club. I was assigned Danielle's blog, Hugs & CookiesXOXO, you know... the one with all the to-die-for creative treats! It was so hard to choose a recipe! But I was sold when I saw homemade salted caramel. You guys know about my love of salted caramel by now. 

 





















I did have some probs with the salted caramel sauce. But I tend to have problems lol. The sugar did melt when over heat, but when I removed it from heat like the recipe says, it got all clumpy and hard as a rock. I really thought my sauce was doomed. But I decided to just go with it and added the heavy cream and put it back over the heat to get that hardened sugar soft again. Not sure if I messed something up along the way, but I'd say don't remove it from heat. She also recommends adding the cream drop by drop... I added in a little at a time but more than a drop, stirring here and there. You can add it drop by drop if you like.

 






















Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce 
slightly adapted from Hugs & CookiesXOXO

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 and 2/3 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt   

Spread the sugar in an even layer in a large metal pot, at least 6 quarts. Set over a moderate heat and cook without stirring, until the sugar near the edge just starts to liquefy. 

Use a wooden spoon and begin stirring, encouraging the melted sugar around the edges toward the center, delicately stirring up any sugar melting on the bottom as well. The sugar will start to look pebbly as it cooks, but keep going until it is melted completely and an amber color. If you think it is cooking too fast, lower the heat and keep stirring. Be patient. Continue to cook until the sugar turns deep brown. 

Add the heavy cream, stirring in a little at a time. Once smooth, add butter and sea salt. Remove from heat and let cool. Will store in fridge up to one month.

Printable Recipe

 























And then what to do with that caramel? (besides slurp it up by the spoonful).

 























Well, one thing I did with it was use it to top some chocolate-dipped potato chips, also from Danielle's blog. Another sweet and salty win. Ever since I tried some chocolate covered potato chips from Sweeties Jumbo Chocolates, I've been hooked.

Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips with Caramel
from Hugs & CookiesXOXO 

• thick, wavy potato chips (like Lay's)
• melting chocolates (I used Wilton's candy melts)
• Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe above)
• coarse sea salt

Melt chocolate, dip potato chips in chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to set at room temperature or in fridge. Drizzle with caramel.

Printable Recipe 

 























This is sweet and salty heaven. So much better than I was expecting. I think I'm gonna turn that whole bag of chips into chocolate and caramel-covered chips. Nothing wrong with that. Actually, it would be wrong if I didn't.

Don't EVEN try to doubt the goodness. 


Peace, and bacon grease!

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Dulce de Leche Bacon Milkshake

Whoa, it's been quite some time since I've posted! I've missed it. I wish there were more hours in the day! I've gotta start making more time for this, somehow, cuz I loves it.

I was going to be linking up to the Crazy Cooking Challenge... this month it's all about the smoothies and shakes. Truthfully, I made this shake for that purpose. Then hours before posting time, I re-read the requirements and it has to have fruit. Noooooo! 

Oh well, I can still share this with you guys.

You all know I love my bacon. And caramel. You guys know that, right? Thus, this milkshake seemed like the perfect fit. Yes I'm about to do this.

Dulce de Leche Bacon Milkshakes. 

Bacon lovers, can I get an Amen?! This recipe from Eva is pure heaven for a bacon and caramel lover like myself. And you, of course!

Don't hate. All my bacon and sweet n salty lovers probably feel me. I know you may not be diggin the whole bacon in desserts thing, but just try it and you may be surprised!

I enjoyed the little bits of bacon with each drink. 

Annnnnd technically it's DOUBLE dulce de leche because instead of vanilla ice cream, I used Haagen Dazs' Dulce de Leche Caramel Ice Cream.

Dulce de Bacon Milkshake

slightly adapted from Adventures in Cooking

• 5 slices of center-cut bacon
• 1 cup Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Caramel ice cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 heaping tbsp dulce de leche (ok, let's be serious here. Let's just make it 2 tbsp)

Cook bacon in a large skillet until done, flipping occasionally. Remove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Cut or tear 4 of the bacon slices into small pieces. Reserve extra slice of bacon for garnish.

Place the ice cream, milk, dulce de leche, and chopped bacon in a blender. Put the lid on and blend at high speed for a minute, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour the milkshake into a clear serving glass and garnish with the single slice of cooked bacon. Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

It. Doesn't. Get. Much. Better. Than. That.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Linking up here.

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