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Whole mini pretzel twists coated in amber butter toffee in a cream bowl

Butter Toffee Pretzels

Mini pretzel twists coated in homemade butter toffee, dried in a low oven and left to cool and finish setting overnight.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling and setting 9 hours
Total Time 10 hours
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups miniature pretzel twists measured before cooking
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 standard U.S. sticks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon coarse salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract add after removing the pan from the heat

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set an oven-safe wire rack over it and lightly grease the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Measure the pretzels and vanilla and keep them ready. Prepare a second rack and tray if needed for space.
    Oven-safe wire rack set over a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet before coating the pretzels
  • In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, combine the butter, granulated sugar, water and salt. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring steadily along the bottom, until melted and combined.
    Butter and granulated sugar melting together in a heavy saucepan
  • Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring gently, until the toffee reaches 305°F (152°C) on a candy thermometer. Keep the sensing tip in the mixture without touching the pan bottom. This can take about 15–20 minutes; use the temperature rather than the clock as your guide.
    Amber butter toffee bubbling in a heavy saucepan with a thermometer probe
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat. Gently stir in the vanilla, then immediately add the pretzels. Turn them through the warm toffee with a sturdy heatproof utensil until coated.
    Mini pretzel twists coated with warm amber toffee in the saucepan
  • Using small tongs, transfer the coated pretzels to the prepared rack, a few at a time. Space them in a single layer, separating touching pieces with utensils while the coating is warm. Let extra toffee drip onto the foil below.
    Warm toffee-coated mini pretzel twists spaced on the prepared rack before oven drying
  • Bake the pretzels on the rack at 200°F (95°C) for 20–30 minutes. Remove the tray and let the pretzels cool completely on the rack, allowing about 1 hour for cooling.
    Finished butter toffee pretzels cooling in a single layer on an oven-safe rack
  • Once completely cool, leave the pretzels uncovered on the rack overnight, allowing about 8 hours to finish setting. Serve the firm, cooled pretzels in a bowl.
    Finished butter toffee pretzels in an open plain glass jar beside a small serving bowl

Notes

Use a candy thermometer and an oven-safe rack. The 305°F target is for the toffee on the stove; the oven is set separately to 200°F.
Times are estimates. Cooking includes about 20 minutes for the toffee and up to 30 minutes in the low oven. Cooling and setting includes about 1 hour to cool and an 8-hour overnight rest.
Keep the 4-cup pretzel amount for the coating. For a larger quantity, make separate batches so there is time to coat and spread each one.
Method adapted from Simply Sated, with clarified timing and instructions.