Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Pie
Sweet mixed with salty, all crispy and golden
(Apologies to Rogers, Hammerstein, and Julie Andrews)
Sugar that’s thickened and baked until molten
Pretzels and graham crackers, dolloped with cream
Caramel and chocolate, pairing supreme
Rather than belabor the point with five more stanzas about a pie that’s one of my new favorite things, I’ll just say that this salted caramel pretzel pie stole the show last month at Thanksgiving.
Actions spoke louder than words; while carrying the lineup of pies and tarts to the buffet, I heard the usual chorus from the living room of how everyone was too full to even think about something sweet.
But surveying the scene after the smoke had cleared and plates were scraped clean, not even a sliver of this pie–nay, just a misshapen lump of crust and whipped cream–remained.
A simpler version of the pie in Food & Wine caught my eye with a plain old graham cracker crust, a layer of homemade dulce de leche, and a whopping topping of whipped cream.
Never being one to leave well enough alone, I snuck a bunch of salty pretzels into the crust and subbed out half the whipped cream for a chocolate pudding layer.
And bumped up the amount of sea salt, because of my salt tooth.
Am I also crazy for thinking a milk chocolate mousse layer topped with vanilla-tinged marshmallow fluff also might be a scene-stealer? Or is that just the sugar talking?
And for those of you who feared making dulce de leche at home because you thought boiling sealed cans of condensed milk was the only way to go, there’s a less anxiety-inducing method.
(I won’t even try the boil-a-can way myself.)
Just crack open those cans and slow-roast the contents in a water bath to make a milky, intense caramel without the threat of lava-like explosions.
Because the threat of eating an entire chocolate salted caramel pretzel pie is real enough. Though much less dangerous in the long run.
Chocolate Salted Caramel Pretzel Pie
Chocolate salted caramel pretzel pie with homemade dulce de leche, pudding, and pretzel graham cracker crust is a show-stopper.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (85 grams) graham crackers
- 3 ounces (85 grams) thin pretzels
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt like Maldon
- 1 recipe chocolate pudding base
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whir the graham crackers and pretzels together in a food processor until they're pulverized into crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and stir into the crumbs.
- Press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is just turning golden brown. Cool to room temperature.
Make the salted caramel and pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- Pour the condensed milk into a heatproof 8- or 9-inch square glass casserole dish and sprinkle the sea salt on top.
- Cover with foil and place into a heatproof 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Pour hot water from the kettle into the larger dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the foil-covered dish.
- Bake for 2 hours, stirring the condensed milk every 30 minutes and adding more water to keep it halfway up the sides of the pan.
The condensed milk will get lumpy, chunky, and sometimes a little fluffy as it cooks; just keep to the stirring schedule it will smooth out in the end. - Make the pudding layer as the caramel cooks and refrigerate.
Assemble:
- Pour the caramel into the cooled crust and top with the cooled pudding.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Before serving, whip the cream and confectioner's sugar together with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Spoon the whipped cream atop the pie in fluffy peaks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1061mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
FTC Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Good. Food. Stories. receives a minuscule commission on all purchases made through Amazon links in our posts.
Casey Barber
Casey Barber is the owner and founder of Good Food Stories LLC and a visual storyteller whose work often focuses on the intersection of food and culture. She is also the author of the cookbooks Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats, and she couldn’t get anything done without the help of her executive assistant cats, Bixby and Lenny. Her favorite color is obviously orange.
Wow, does that sound delicious. I am not a dessert eater, but I think I would enjoy this.
Delizioso
omg!
I can speak from intimate experience. This pie is pure insanity – and if chocolate caramel salty sweet goodness is crazy, I don’t want to be sane. Make it. Make it NOW. You won’t regret it.
No.way. Just no. I can’t possibly make this, because then I won’t ever want to eat anything else, ever again.
Honestly, I’m drooling. What a great picture and love how you described it! Then when I read the ingredients, I just KNEW it has to be good!
drooool. I mean, damn.
pretzels and graham crackers, baking the caramel layer — lots of great ideas going on here. thanks, Casey.
Wow. Just wow. And, oh, I think this would be dangerous in my company.
I was just going to make cookies from Christmas, but this might get me to bake a pie.
There’s really very little baking involved, too – as long as you remember to stir and keep the water level where it should be!
Oh. My. Goodness. I bookmarked this one. I am already thinking of the occasions on which I want to make it!