Malted Pretzel Crunch
This malted pretzel crunch is quick and easy and the ultimate sweet/salty snack! Keep a batch of this on hand for the holidays, or package it up and give it away as gifts!
If you’re looking for a new insanely addictive snack that you can’t stop eating, look no further. I made a batch of this on a whim over the weekend and oh my goodness, as of Monday afternoon, there was nothing left. It’s one of the best sweet and salty snacks that I’ve had… it easily rivals candied pecans and I guarantee it’ll be a hit at your next party or holiday gathering.
So what’s included in this pretzel goodness?
Pretzels, obviously.
Brown sugar and white sugar.
Dry milk powder.
Malt powder.
And butter… LOTS of butter.
The recipe did not specify what type of malt powder to use, and there are quite a few different varieties available – barley malt powder, diastatic malt powder, non-diastatic malt powder, malted milk powder…
I already had malted milk powder on hand, so I used that and it worked wonderfully. If you want to go for more of a beer-and-pretzels malt flavor, then I would opt for barley malt powder or non-diastatic malt powder.
These chunks of sweet and malty pretzels are worthy of eating straight, but I think this could be amazing crumbled on top of vanilla ice cream.
If you need something quick to whip up for a pre-dinner snack on Thursday, make this immediately!
(But maybe hide it from yourself so it doesn’t disappear before guests arrive.)
Malted Pretzel Crunch
Ingredients
- 4 cups (320 g) miniature pretzels, about ½ of a 16-ounce bag
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (64 g) dry milk powder
- 2 tablespoons malt powder
- 14 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Crush the pretzels to about a quarter of their original size, either using your hands or putting them in a resealable bag and crushing them with a mallet or rolling pin.
- Place the crushed pretzels in a large bowl and add the sugars, milk powder and malt powder and toss to combine (I just used my hands). Pour the melted butter over the pretzel mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it is evenly moistened and begins to clump.
- Spread the pretzel mixture into an even layer on the baking sheet and bake until they look lightly toasted and smell buttery, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Break up any large clumps and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week (or store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month).
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I was looking at this post from a couple years back and it sounds very yummy! However, I have noticed that any baking in which I have used powdered milk has a distinctive aroma and smell that I do not care for at all. Is the powdered milk necessary (or is there something else that could be used)? And, is it possible that I am using the powder “improperly”? I have even ditched the box and bought new thinking it might be stale. Same results. Thanks! And congratulations on your newest little one. She is adorable.
Hi Beatrice, I’m not sure what else you could you could substitute for it, but you can try to omit it if you’d like. And thank you! :)
I made this over the weekend – very tasty and very addictive! Mine came out chewy, however. Wondering what I did wrong? I did use malted milk powder instead of the malt powder and milk powder…would that have made the difference?
Hi Christine, I found that this had a mixture of textures – if you got a bigger chunk of pretzel it was crunchier… more of the sugar/malt mixture, chewier. I don’t think you did anything wrong.
I doubled the recipe and added mint chips to half — we’ll see how it turns out but smells amazing in the oven! :)
I’ve never heard of such a thing but I already can tell it will be addicting!
Since I have on hand…do you think this would be good with chocolate malt powder? Thanks!
Hi Julie, You might lose some of the savory flavor, but I would give it a try!
That looks so danm good!!!!
http://xoxobella.com
I added a bit of ground cinnamon to mine. Delicious and smells amazing in the oven.
I made this today and it is wonderful! I love anything that contains malt powder. In fact, malt powder is my secret ingredient in my chocolate chip cookies. Guess it’s not so secret anymore ?. Thanks for the recipe. I will be giving it in gift bags at Christmas time.
hello dears,
(yes, plural! i mean all the readers and the author)
what the hell is malt powder! must be an american phenomena (which i am very interested in).
while “quark” seems to be the only exclusive food thing in germany*, there are so many of these in the usa. the result of the german amazon shop is….. ….. three !!??? things, consisting of a milk drink, a chocolate bar and a cookery book.
i’m sorry… seems that you have to bring me closer what it is and what it contains, so that i can find an equivalent for it.
want to prepare those pretzles for the human i love the most on the world: my lovely dad <3 :')
*and… the unique BREZELN ;) ;) ;)
Hello! There are different types of malt powder, as I mentioned above in the blog post. One is a malted milk powder, which was used in old-fashioned milkshakes or “malts”. Another is barley malt powder, which is used in making beer. Yet another is non-diastatic malt powder, which is used in making bagels and soft pretzels. I hope that helps!
Hello! If you send me an email with your home address, I will send you a bottle of malt powder! Happy New Year! (I am making this recipe right now and will let you know how it is. It smells yummy while baking!). My personal email is mhesse66@hotmail.com. Put “malt powder” in the subject line of your email so I don’t miss it!
This looks so delicious!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
What brand of malt powder do you use? And is it available on Amazon? Thanks! Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Audrey, I used King Arthur Flour malted milk powder. Yes, if you check the links I provided above, you can find a number of different ones on Amazon.
Another great idea Deb!
Once you mentioned candied pecans, all I could think about was adding roasted pecans pieces? Yours thoughts?
I think that sounds AMAZING!
Oh wow! Does this look delicious! I think I may need to make a trip to the local GE for few ingredients for a last minute addition to my Thanksgiving menu as a little pre-dinner snack . . . we’ll just skip the butternut squash soup in favor of Malted Pretzel Crunch ;) Do you know if our local GEs carry malt powder? I’m assuming they do????
Hi Michelle, I’m not sure, I always order mine from King Arthur Flour.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it.
I think you need some kind of a warning — definitely addictive and calorie laden!! I don’t think I have the time to run off all the calories on this puppy because I KNOW I would eat the whole batch. Good grief how in heavens name did you come up with this fantastic recipe. Okay, I just thought of something. I know if this skinny acquaintance who always brags about being able to eat everything and never gain an ounce. Heh!heh!heh! She doesn’t even work out. I think it would be very gracious of me to make her a little gift! :-) Of course I’d keep some to sample — quality control, you know. Great recipe!!
Oh, holy mother of God, does this look FANTASTIC!!! I take it as a sign from above that I make this today as I have all ingredients on hand! My heart and soul thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, but my waistline… not so much.