Chocolate Covered Pretzel Brownies

Let me just say that sometimes looks can be deceiving.

And when I say looks, I mean these pictures. I know. They are awful. There is this issue where it's January and the sun starts setting somewhere around, oh I don't know, about four o'clock! Which doesn't give you much time to photograph things in the daylight. And sometimes you're being hurried by teenage guys who really want some brownies. And then you figure, "oh, I'll just make more tomorrow and photograph it in the daylight, so I'll have some better pictures", but then you don't have pretzels. And you don't get any more pretzels for a long time. Too long. But the recipe is too good not to share. So here we are.


These brownies. They are awesome! They are everything a brownie should be. Fudgy and rich and they've also got the sweet 'n' salty thing going on, which everybody seems to loooooove. I was first thinking of doing a pretzel crust and pouring brownie batter on top, but then I saw chocolate covered pretzels on top of a cake and realized that I needed to do that. So it's basically just brownies with a chocolate/pretzel topping. But don't underestimate the simplicity of it. That is what makes them so great. Enjoy :)

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup butter
1-1/4 cups chocolate chips, divided
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups pretzels pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9-in pan.
In a medium saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips over medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture mixing well. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the corner of the pan comes out with moist crumbs. Cool partially.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and butter together in a double-boiler. Stir in pretzel pieces. Spread all over warm brownies. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. YIELD: about 20 brownies

Hope you have a lovely weekend! x