Sweet & Salty Pretzel Brownies

Julie421511's Note:

I found this amazing recipe in Woman's Day magazine. Trust me this recipe is delicious, rich and decadent. It has slightly more of a candy bar texture than brownie. It reminds me of a Take 5 candy bar. I made this for Mother's Day and everyone thinks I'm genius. Baking time includes refrigeration.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 36 brownies

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate , coarsely chopped
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 60 saltine crackers , finely crushed
• 14 ounces fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 3 cups bite-size pretzels

Directions:

1. You'll need a 9 inches square baking pan lined with nonstick foil to extend about 2 inches above opposite ends of pan.
2. Melt both chocolates and the butter in a large bowl in microwave or in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until blended and smooth.
3. Remove from heat; stir in cracker crumbs(you should have about 2 cups) and milk until blended.
4. Fold in 2 cups of pretzels.
5. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Lay remaining pretzels on top leaving space between.
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1.5 hours or until firm.
7. Lift foil by end onto cutting board. Cut into 6 strips then cut each strip into 6 squares.
8. Enjoy!

Reviews

[RSL]

This is really more of a candy than a brownie. They're a little too thick for my liking, I would use a somewhat larger pan next time. The instructions don't say whether the pretzels should be crushed or not; I lightly crushed mine and I like the finer pieces better than the larger ones. I don't particularly care for these, but I believe the recipe worked as intended and this is just personal preference. I was very excited to try them as I love sweet/salty things, but these just don't do it for me, sorry. Made for PAC Spring '11.

[Hey Jude]

My daughter and I made this on a rainy day in the northwoods (on vacation). We used what we had on hand and so substituted the 8 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 10 oz. of chocolate-peanut butter chips (didn't want a small amount of leftovers so we used the whole bag). We tasted the results before refrigerated and so we couldn't wait for the 1.5 hours! We loved, LOVED the results and they were easy to chop on our hardwood board with a good strong knife. The squares didn't last long....the rain, some puzzles, snacking on these - by the time the sun came out, they were gone. Thanks Julie!

[carlamoose]

They never hardened. I could still pick them up with my fingers, but the chocolate got everywhere on my hands. I forgot to cover the pan when I put it in the fridge, so I don't know if this would've made a difference. Next time I will try the freezer.