Ready for the most addictive snack? These Butter Toffee Pretzels are insanely delicious, sweet and salty, buttery and crunchy goodness!
This may be one of the most addictive snacks I have ever made! Full stop, no joke. If you have issues with stopping after a handful, you’re going to want to steer clear of this one. Just kidding – you have got to try it and see what the hype’s about.
I got the idea for these addictive pretzels from watching a friend’s Trader Joe’s haul on Instagram Stories. She said she picked up some butter toffee pretzels from TJ’s and said they were amazing. While I only live about 10 minutes from a Trader Joe’s, I loathe going there because it is always insanely busy. The parking lot is comically small and cramped, and inside is just a madhouse, even with their new shopping restrictions. So yeah, I only like going if I absolutely, positively have to (like for their potstickers – yum!).
Perhaps I’ll pick some up another time, but to avoid the madhouse I decided I’d make my own and boy, I am glad I did! These Butter Toffee Pretzels are so delicious and easy, too!
You simply add an entire bag of pretzel twists to a large roasting pan that’s been lightly greased with cooking spray (trust me, this makes clean-up a breeze!). Then, you’ll make your toffee mixture. It’s as simple as adding butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup to a saucepan and boiling it, then adding in some vanilla and baking soda. Pour the hot toffee mixture evenly over the pretzels, toss to coat, and I sprinkled in some Heath toffee bits on top for added crunch and to really drive home that toffee goodness.
The hardest part is the time it takes to bake – 1 hour, with stirring every 15 minutes to ensure the toffee coats each pretzel piece. Once baked, spread it out onto a wax paper-lined countertop and let it cool so the toffee coating hardens over the pretzels. It’ll create these irresistible little clusters of toffee pretzels – YUM.
These are sweet, salty, buttery, crunchy and SO divine! You’re going to love my Butter Toffee Pretzels – TJ’s who?!
NOTE: Some of you had questions regarding your butter toffee pretzels. The first is that your pretzels look dull and not shiny. This is normal! My studio was very bright when I shot these, and the glare on the pretzels is mistaken for super shiny pretzels. A dull/matte finish is normal. Second is that the toffee is hard to spread. This is also normal! The toffee will be hard to coat all of the pretzels at first which is why we have to bake it for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes, to help thin out the toffee mixture and try to evenly coat the pretzels. Clumping is normal because it creates those addictive toffee clusters on the pretzels. If your toffee is very hard, bake for an additional 15 minutes (so 1 hr and 15 min total).
Butter Toffee Pretzels
Ingredients
- 10 cups (One 16 oz bag) mini pretzel twists
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cubed
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 bag Heath toffee bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200° degrees F. Lightly grease a large roasting pan with cooking spray; I use a disposable one for easy cleanup. Add the pretzels to the roasting pan; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar, cubed butter, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and baking soda; the toffee will bubble violently - this is normal.
- Pour the hot toffee mixture evenly over the pretzels; sprinkle half of the bag of toffee bits over the pretzel mixture, too. Toss the pretzels to coat evenly in the toffee mixture and toffee bits.
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure the hot toffee mixture evenly coats the pretzels. Once baked, spread the pretzel mixture onto a wax paper-lined countertop and immediately sprinkle with the remaining toffee bits. Allow the pretzels to set and harden, about 1 hour, before breaking into smaller clusters and packaging.
Notes
You guys are going to love how addictively sweet and salty these pretzels are!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Angela says
would this work with mixed nuts?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Angela, yes that’d be amazing!
KristiP says
These taste amazing but when I removed the toffee sauce from heat and whisked in the baking soda and vanilla the sauce became very thick and didn’t spread evenly over the pretzels. What did I do wrong?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Kristi, it does thicken a bit and can be hard to spread over all the pretzels, but as you cook it and stop to toss/stir the pretzels during the baking time, it should continue to thin out and coat more pretzels.
Kathy says
Totally agree. Way to thick to even spread and didnt melt that much in the oven 🙁
Jessica says
I had the same problem. Mine isn’t moving around on them at all. Just one big glob of toffee and the chocolate from the heath melted. That’s it.
Catherine says
Do you add the toffee before or after removing from heat?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Catherine, I’m not sure if you’re referring to the toffee mixture or toffee bits. The hot toffee mixture gets added to the pretzels just before baking, as well as half of the toffee bits. The remaining toffee bits get added after baking after you spread onto parchment to set.
Amy Hayes says
So easy and delicious! I used two 9×13 pans in place of the roasting pan and I lined them with tinfoil for easy cleanup. Bringing to friends in small baggies as little quarantine holiday gifts. Highly recommend this recipe!
thedomesticrebel says
Amy, thank you so much for your review! So glad you enjoyed them and great idea for gifting!
Susie says
Is it terrible to leave off the Heath bits?? I’m diabetic and theses sound so delicious, but hate to add any more sugary stuff…..
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Susie, not at all!
Donna Wakefield says
Oh Man! You are right these are addictive. I am glad I only made 1/2 batch.
Cbaby says
I too thought the hot toffee mix was too clumpy to spread evenly. My remedy was to raise the oven temp to 300 degrees for the last 15 minutes Magic! Then i stirred and gave it another 5 minutes in 300 degree oven. That really loosened the coating. Yummy! This will be a new Christmas gift to friends and neighbors. Sweet, Salty, Crunchy Perfection!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Cbaby, so glad you enjoyed!
Cathi says
What SIZE bag of toffee bits please?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Cathi, it’s an 8oz bag.
Monica says
Thank that worked like a charm.
Bre says
This is such a delicious, and simple recipe! I was concerned about during every 15 mins but it went by fast & turned out great. I will be making it for the holidays for my family.
Alex says
Hi there! I’m going to be making these today but only have dark corn syrup. Is that okay to use ? Should I use less or more of it? Pls let me know. Thank you!!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Alex, yes, that should be fine!
Eileen sheldon says
I posted a question cab I use Dark Karo i looked over some of the replies and here it already been asked. Making with Dark Karo. Awesome recipe, I’ve got several tins ready for gift treats. Thanks 🙂
Mckenzie says
Making these today! Do you use the toffee bits that have chocolate mixed in as well? Or just the bits o brickel toffe bits?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi McKenzie, I use the bits o’ brickle version, but the chocolate covered version would work too!
Jan says
I so badly wanted this to turn out but as stated above after I added the soda/vanilla, it was so thick there was no way i could get it all spread out. I didn’t start timing it until AFTER it started boiling. I was going to send this to my father in law who lives in assisted living but I had mostly clumps and probably a half bag of loose pretzels. Any other suggestions?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Jan, as it bakes the toffee mixture thins out some. Stirring helps coat the pretzels.
Carol W says
No’ it really doesn’t thin out as baked. I think 5 minutes is too long to cook the syrup. On my second batch I made my husband stir while I poured’ then we both worked to separate clumps as quickly as possible before baking. Never able to get toffee bits to stick, but not really necessary. They are really tasty!
Diane Shepherd says
Can th8is recipe be DOUBLED or should I make two batches? Thank you, and God .bless….
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Diane, with any candy mixture I recommend making two separate batches.
Traci Dahis says
I doubled the batches and it came out great! I made two double batches.
Beatrice Udzielak Vode says
Your pretzels look so shiny mine did not come out that way. They are delicious . Any tips would be helpful
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Beatrice, that may be a trick of the light and photography. Mine were not super shiny either.
Jessica Hauserman says
These are amazing!!!! I will be making them again.
Sara says
My toffee went opaque because semi crumbly when in the oven. Is this normal or did something happen to my toffee mix? Thanks! Otherwise very delicious.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sara, it isn’t super shiny – it tends to veer more matte/opaque. As the toffee bakes in the oven, it thins some which is why we stop to stir the pretzels every 15 minutes to ensure they get evenly coated. Towards the end of that time, though, the toffee will harden and clump to the pretzels. It sounds like it worked just as it should have!
Melody says
Made these for the first time today and they are SO good! I may try the suggestion of raising the oven temp for the last 15 minutes to spread out the coating a bit more and to help the second half of the toffee bits stick better.
Baylee says
These are incredibly addicting! Delicious and will definitely be making again!
Jess says
These are AMAZING! Can’t wait to give these out with the rest of my baked goods for Christmas!
Pat says
I made these yesterday, my toffee was also to thick to coat pretzels well, if I make again I will try the method mentiined above to turn up oven to 300 degrees the last 15 minutes. At 200 degrees it did not thin out at all.
Nancy Noe says
I did the temp at 250 for the second 15 mins and then even upped to 300 for the last two 15 minute oven times. I also wonder if maybe this would be better if there was simply a bit more of the liquid toffee mixture.
Angela Milano Morrissey says
DO NOT USE THE BRICKLE COVERED IN CHOCOLATE. That is all. Find the ingredients as Haley has written.
Amanda.S says
Can’t stop eating! These are great for Christmas gifts. A little sweet and salty treat.
Mary says
Soooo yummy!! This recipe is awesome! I followed the directions exactly and they turned out great. I already plan to make a second batch.
Dawn says
This is the best salty-sweet treat I have had in a long time and I will have these on repeat every holiday. I read some comments that there were issues with the toffee clumping and hardening, but if you follow the recipe then it should even out as you stir and bake the pretzels.
Michelle Sullivan says
If I use peanuts instead of pretzels, should I change the temp or timing in the oven?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Michelle, I’m sorry, I have not tried making this with nuts. I think it should work, but I don’t know for sure.
Maggie says
These were great! So easy, pantry ingredients, and SO GOOD if you like the salty and sweet combo! I am currently making a second batch because I know these won’t last.
Rachel says
So easy. So delicious. I only used the half bag of toffee bits instead of adding anymore in and they were still amazing. So so so gonna make and enjoy again.
Susan says
Went to Trader Joe’s to buy additional bags of their Butter Toffee Pretzels to find out they were seasonal and gone until next year. Was so happy to find this basically simple recipe as I am no cook. Just finished making these. Absolutely amazing! As good if not better than TJs. I used toffee bits with chocolate (all I could find) so after taking out of oven after initial hour spread them out on two separate disposable cookie sheets covered with wax paper added the rest of the bits and threw them back in warm oven for two minutes so they could melt a bit and better stick to pretzels. Will have to divide into smaller baggy portions otherwise I can see me gobbling down large amounts in one sitting Thanks for this great recipe.
Jane says
Addictive!! I’ve already made a few batches- family and friends love them!
Anne says
Instead of pouring the mixture over the pretzels in the roasting pan.. I had the pretzels in a bowl and poured the mixture over and tossed to cover in the bowl before pouring the covered pretzels into the roasting pan. The pretzels were all very evenly covered from the beginning that way!!! Yum thanks for this recipe.
Diana leslie says
Can you salted butter instead of unsalted?
thedomesticrebel says
I worry the mixture would be overly salty with the pretzels!
norma simpson says
does the boiling time include the heat up to boiling? my toffee sauce was so hard and didn’t soften enough in the oven the properly coat the pretzels
Shannon says
I had the same problem. The toffee was also gritty.
Beth says
Could you use maple syrup in stead of the corn syrup I know flavor would be different would it work?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Beth, the corn syrup is necessary to create the toffee. You could try adding in maple extract to the toffee after it has boiled.
Suzanne says
Holy cow these are addicting!!! I had to have my son hide them;)
janet M. roeder says
I am going to try htis, but I do this recipe with corn PUFFs and it is great..
Susie says
Can you use regular sugar instead of brown sugar? I like that taste better.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Susie, no, for this toffee you need granulated sugar since you’re making a candy essentially.
Susie+R says
Regular sugar is granulated sugar…
Colleen says
I think she may have meant to say, brown sugar .
artfulcook says
Easy & delicious! First batch I made with the chocolate covered toffee bits-that’s all my store carries. Worked fine. Second batch, no toffee bits, I used low sodium peanuts instead. I like this a lot better than the toffee bits as it wasn’t nearly as sweet. I think these are better than the Trader Joe’s butter toffee pretzels…
Dominique says
Hi I live in Australia & corn syrup isn’t available locally is there a substitute that can be used instead?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Dominique, I believe you have golden syrup? Could that be used?
Irene says
I did a 250 degree oven for the 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and it turned out perfectly.
I also added pecan halves to the pretzels before adding the toffee mixture.
I used a regular baking sheet covered in parchment And added the Brickle bits a little at a time each time I stirred. No problems at all.
Debra Morgan says
How long will they last in the freg? or can you freeze them?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Debra, I wouldn’t recommend freezing or refrigerating these as they probably wouldn’t have the best texture.
Stephanie Brown says
Can these be frozen? I am the only one in my household that will eat these, and I can’t eat them all in 1 week, so I am trying to think of an alternative.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Stephanie, I have not tried freezing these so I cannot say with 100% certainty, but if you try it, let me know. They do keep quite awhile at room temperature if stored airtight, like in a tupperware container!
Ruth says
My probem is that I don’t want to share these. A bit of trouble, but SO good!
Alison says
Such a perfect recipe for gifting this time of year. Followed the recipe as written with the addition of peanuts. Turned out beautifully with just the right texture, and easily separated. The end result is both pretty and delicious. Sweet and salty is a pretty amazing combo. Five star recipe!
Nicole says
These are BETTER then the ones at Trader Joe’s! Holy cow they are delish- my whole family loved them. Thank you for another great recipe you bake/make the best stuff!
Dana says
I baked and stirred for well over an hour and a half. Still a clumpy mess with quite a few pretzels left uncovered. Too embarrassed to share these at.work. Just wish I knew what I did wrong.
Li says
Good, but as others said the oven temp was too low. After the first 15 min, I turned up to 225. It was better, but wish I would have read the comments first
Patty says
I have a question. I make this recipe today and my toffee mixture did not melt at all in the oven. Once it was poured on the pretzels that was it. I have a NuWave burner that displayed the cooking temp and is labeled low, medium, high, etc. What went wrong? I’m thinking it was cooked to long but need your opinion, because you have cooked it many times.
Thank You
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Patty, it is possible it was cooked long on the stove, but I am going to amend the recipe for it to be cooked at a higher temperature since some people are having issues. A good tip is to pour the toffee evenly over the pretzels in the pan as opposed to dumping the toffee in one spot.
Alyson says
Deliciously addictive! Made these as a snack for a super bowl party this weekend. They’ll be gone quickly, I know it! If they make it there that is… we keep picking at the batch 😂
Britney W. says
I’m addicted! I have made your recipe every week since my coworker made a batch for Christmas. Yes, every week! It’s the best thing in the world and I don’t even like pretzels or toffee! Lol! I need help though….every time I’ve made it, my toffee crystallizes after 30mins in the oven. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I’ve boiled it exactly 5mins and stood at the oven for an hour to make sure my oven thermometer doesn’t go over 200. Any advice? Even though it crystallizes it’s still delicious. I would just like to make it one time without it crystallizing. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Wendy says
I am making a lot of different candies/goodies to put together for my neighbors for Christmas and I am wondering what do you recommend for storing these pretzels until ready to give out in about 2 weeks?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Wendy, they should be fine if you keep them airtight at room temperature!
Tina W. says
I would like to make these but I have a question. What is the purpose in using baking soda in the recipe?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Tina, the baking soda creates lots of tiny bubbles in the hot toffee mixture which makes the toffee more light and crispy on the pretzels rather than super hard.
Gayle says
I packed the cup of brown sugar and I had similar problems with the toffee being so thick there was no way to coat the pretzels; also the 200 degree baking temperature hardly warmed the mixture much less thin it. So I kept turning up the temperature to be able to even mix it. Would the packed brown sugar make a difference in making the mixture too thick? Was really looking forward to making this but I might end up with a mess.
Can you post a revision showing a better temperature fix?
Miss Daisy says
December 2022,Excellent <no trouble at all one of my top ten favorites now
Miss Daisy says
Oh lordy what’s not to, like I’ve made 5 batches so far. Gift giving in Christmas tins
Nikki says
Turned up the heat a bit and the toffee thinned right out. Amazing!
Eileen sheldon says
Can Dark karo work as well
Dottie says
Great sweet and salty goodness! I baked the toffee and pretzels at 250 F. For two stirring cycles , then finished at 300 F for the last 15 minutes. Fantastic taste and results! Thank you for a true keeper!