Malted Pretzel Crunch for Super Bowl Sunday

First I just want to say that this malted pretzel crunch post was almost set to go Wednesday, and then my computer crashed.  It was fixed briefly, but then it crashed again.  Thankfully I didn’t lose anything, but I went through two days of no computer hell!  You know how it is nowadays – can’t live without it, really can’t live without it. How did I ever live without the internet?  I’d love to go back to those days to remember how.  I can’t even remember the last time I fully read a newspaper.  I think it was High School?

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Having said all that,  I have an awesome Super Bowl munchie to present to you.  I’m a NY Giants fan, so naturally this is a very special Super Bowl Sunday for me aka a Super DUPER Bowl Sunday, one that deserves its own special and unique snack. It’s called pretzel crunch and it contains malted milk powder.  How awesome is that?  If you’ve never had a chocolate or vanilla malted milkshake, or a box of Whoppers or Malteasers, you may not know the flavor that is ‘malted’. Well, I’ve racked my brain trying to come up with a description, but I can’t.  If anyone out there can, please do! However, once you do taste it, I can almost guarantee you’ll love it, since I don’t know many who don’t love it.

This amazing pretzel crunch was created by Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar fame, but I made a few subtle changes, one of them reducing the milk powder so I could double the malt powder, and the other, doubling the recipe, because you’re going to need a lot of it.  In fact, I would triple it, quadruple it!  It goes very, very fast.

Trust me when I say that this is not your average pretzel snack.  The combination of sweet, salty and malty is a massive, out-of-hand rave on the palate. On football Sundays, I have to make at least 5 pans of it!

“Hey, got anymore of the pretzel crunch?” is the most popular question, asked at least 5 times during any particular game watching get-together, be it baseball, football, basketball, rugby, curling; YES, curling might even be fun to watch when you have this malted pretzel crunch to munch on!

Now I’m going to shut up (shocking) and let you finish this post by photo.  A picture is worth a thousand words, a thousand words I don’t have today.  Enjoy your journey to one of the best pretzel crunch snacks you might ever have. Seriously.

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Crush pretzels.

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Add sugars, milk powders, and optional salt to crushed pretzels, then combine.

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Pour melted butter over everything, and toss until all pieces are coated.

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Spread on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake.

Malted Pretzel Crunch

Dig in!

Let’s Go Giants!!

Malted Pretzel Crunch
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: About 4 cups pretzel crunch
 
Recipe created by Christina Tosi, via Epicurious, with my revisions
ingredients:
  • 4 cups salted mini pretzels - about ½ of a 16-ounce bag
  • ½ cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons milk powder
  • ¼ cup malted milk powder *
  • ½ teaspoon salt **
  • 14 tablespoons butter (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons), melted
directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 275 F.
  2. Pour the pretzels in a large bowl and crush them with your hands (I threw them in a ziplock bag and hammered them with a mallet - easier, in my opinion) to one-quarter of their original size. Add the milk powder, malt powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt (if necessary), toss to mix. Pour the butter over the pretzel mix and toss to coat. As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the pretzels and creating small clusters. (I did not get small clusters, but once baked, it formed a sheet of pretzel crunch that I broke into pieces).
  3. Spread the clusters on a parchment or silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until it looks toasted, smells buttery, and crunches gently when you bite into it.
  4. Cool the pretzel crunch completely before storing, eating, or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for 1 week. Stored in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for 1 month. I think this pretzel crunch would be fantastic in cookies with chocolate chunks OR drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the sheet of pretzel crunch, let set, then break into pieces, like you would toffee.
notes:
* You can find malted milk powder in the aisle with powdered milk, or the baking aisle of your supermarket. This is the one I use.
** Only add salt if your pretzels aren't salty enough. Taste the mixture before baking to decide whether or not you think it needs it.

 Malted Pretzel Crunch. People go so nuts for it that I have to make 5 or more pans on football Sundays! Try it drizzled with chocolate, too!
Malted Pretzel Crunch. People go so nuts for it that I have to make 5 or more pans on football Sundays! Try it drizzled with chocolate, too! #pretzelcrunch #maltedpretzelcrunch #pretzels #maltedmilkpowder #snack #munchies
Malted Pretzel Crunch. People go so nuts for it that I have to make 5 or more pans on football Sundays! Try it drizzled with chocolate, too! #pretzelcrunch #maltedpretzelcrunch #pretzels #maltedmilkpowder #snack #munchies
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82 Responses to Malted Pretzel Crunch for Super Bowl Sunday

  1. What?! You left us hanging again? I’ll forgive you because this recipe looks awesome. I don’t know anything about superbowl (sorry, ignorant non sport-watching British person alert) but could happily munch this on its own, stir into ice cream or make into cookies. Amazing.

  2. Wow, beautiful! I really enjoyed reading that second part of your tale.

    And what a great snack! Really addictive, I’m sure.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Dan says:

    Great snack for the game – question does it go with beer? I am sure your bad boy would have loved it too. Great story – Must have been fun to relive those times in your life. Enjoy the game – Go Giants!

  4. Megan says:

    Crazy cliffhangers!

    I would be all over that malted pretzel crunch.

  5. Shelley C says:

    If I didn’t love you so much, I might be forced to hate you for that cliffhanger… 🙂 But I think a batch of that malted pretzel goodness might just make me feel better… 🙂

  6. Suz says:

    NOOOOO. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO US? I’m so very bad at waiting. Oh well, that crunchy pretzel stuff looks the business. Enjoy the game! I hope your guys win.

  7. bunkycooks says:

    Okay, you’re killing me over here with this wait until February 6th stuff! GEEZ!! Forget the Superbowl and the malted crunch stuff and let’s get on with the rest of the story!! ;-D

  8. Way to leave us hanging… again! Love your story – we’ll all be reminiscing about how first love feels 🙂 Yummy snack – sweet snacks are actually quite good with beer, Dan. Gooooo Patriots!

    • Dan says:

      Well Priscilla I will just have to make this snack to go with the beer :). By the the way I am a Red Sox and Celtics fan – don’t mind the Pats but the Giants are my football team. Enjoy the game but not too much!

  9. This is like Eclipse! Hurry up with part 3!

  10. Nooooooooooooo… are you seriously going to leave us dangling AGAIN?! I need to know the rest.. and SOON! Btw… this reminds me so much of the Twilight serious… LOL 😀 And oh my! This snack sounds sooooooooo great! Love the flavors…

  11. Terra says:

    This could be a dangerous snack for me, but pretty fantastic too, LOL! Your not helping this sugar addict by showing this yummy treat! I am not a huge chocolate fan, I love that it does not include any chocolate. Just salty and sweet happiness:-) Hugs, Terra

  12. Oh Lisa…what a storrrry! I am completely enthralled and waiting for the continuation. You take me back in time to those days of high school that were full of crushes and heartbreaks. Addictive snack that I must make for a Super Bowl party we’re going to. 🙂

  13. Sue says:

    Oh man, you left me on the edge of my seat! 🙂

  14. Maureen says:

    I’m going to sit here and keep refreshing this page til part 3. I can’t bear to miss it 🙂

    These malted pretzel thingos look like so much fun! I don’t want to think what time the game would show in Australia or IF it is showing.

  15. The suspense is killing me!! This is too cute. Also this pretzel crunch business looks amazing. Thanks so much for linking up at my game day blog hop!

  16. My goodness, this sounds so delicious. Very unique, can’t wait to try!

  17. Liz says:

    Wow, this must be addicting!!! And WHY do there have to be 3 parts to your story?????!!!

  18. Carolyn says:

    Ooo, sorry for the double computer crash, Lisa! I hate when I am computerless. Great little treat, though. How yummy!

  19. Jenni says:

    OMG your cliff hangers are the worst. Haha. And actually, I had to go back through this post twice because when I got to the bottom the first time I couldn’t even remember that there were pictures of food in there. The malted pretzel crunch does look awesome, though, and I bet I would eat every last bite of it!

  20. cookincanuck says:

    Thanks so much for sharing your story. I’ll be tuning in for Part 3. This pretzel crunch looks purely addictive.

  21. The crunch sounds good; though no pretzels in the house but but admit I’m thinking…hmm? Malted granola crunch. Maybe!

    Still I’m here for the story. I’ll grab my bowl of popcorn and read Days of Our Lisa now, thanks.

  22. Lora says:

    I am loving the way you are parceling out this story. Hanging on every word. I also love anything malted. Must. Try. This. Crunch.

  23. pavithra says:

    Thats a wonderful perfect snack and love the flavors in it.

    Pavithra
    http://www.dishesfrommykitchen.com

  24. Lisa~~ says:

    YUM!! And you are such a tease. Sorry no call this week, I was sick and completely knackered all week crawling into bed with Maisie each night when she went to bed. Talk soon.

  25. You enjoy torturing us like that…a part 3, what? I want to know NOW 😉
    Salt and sweet, yummy superbowl treat!

  26. susan says:

    Wow, I love it! You are inspiring!!! I just found your blog, I like it because i was seeking for such type of info.
    I hope it benefits all one who land up here.
    Thanks for sharing the pretzel crunch!!

  27. Lisa~~ says:

    Just wanted to let you know that I now hate you. I am sending a care package of cookies and treats to a friend so I thought she might enjoy this pretzel crunch so I made a batch this morning and I can’t stop snacking on it. At the rate I’m going I’m going to gain five pounds and have to make another batch so I have some to send…it’s all your fault!

  28. Jamie says:

    Oh man, thank heavens I saved this Part 2 for after you already posted Part 3 or I would have had to call you to hear the rest. OMG!! You tease…and maybe he was thinking the same thing? And speaking of tease, how dare you post this scrumptious pretzel treat (did you even know I am a pretzel fanatic?) where I can’t even reach it???

  29. Loving the love story, and the malted pretzel crunch! YUM!

  30. Suzanne says:

    I love the photo with the newspaper that is so good. This snack looks seriously addicting. Your the best at telling this story and leaving it a cliff hanger. Your so funny I love this 🙂

  31. Juliana says:

    Nice pretzel snack…and I am going straight to part 3 hehehe!

  32. Kim Bee says:

    Toenail biting, I was in stitches over that. Great recipe, I could really go for this. And whacking pretzels with a hammer is just good fun.

  33. Lisa~~ says:

    Made it, posted about it and my waistline is not happy about it. Check out my blog. Talk soon.

  34. I cannot believe how delicious this sounds. So glad I found it on pinterest!

  35. Miss Mary says:

    Made this tonight for a super bowl party and it was a HUGE hit…thanks for the yummy recipe!

  36. So I found this crunch on Pinterest and had to go back to see the recipe for this…my husband is obsessed with malt. I am sure I saw this as I raced through the bad boy stories many months ago! Hope all is well…..

  37. cindy teachey says:

    Snack crack was a huge hit at happy hour! It’s a keeper!

    • Lisa says:

      That is awesome to hear, Cindy! Over here, it’s gotten to the point where it’s expected every football Sunday! I have Monday night and Thursday night off LOL.

  38. Liza says:

    What is milk power? Is that powedered milk? Can you buy malt powder at the grocery store

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Liza! Yes, it’s powdered milk and yes, you can buy malted milk powder at the supermarket. It’s sold in the aisle with the powdered milk. Carnation is the malted milk powder brand I use 🙂

  39. Brenda Morse says:

    I want to make this but only have chocolate flavored malt powder will that work?

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Brenda 🙂 I’ve never tried it with chocolate flavored malt powder so I cannot guarantee that it will turn out, but it sounds delicious and there’s no harm in trying!

  40. Carolyn says:

    Way too much salt . All I could taste was salt . Next time half it !

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Carolyn. I’m sorry it was too much salt for you. I think it’s perfect as is, but by all means, reduce the salt or use unsalted pretzels 🙂 Would you believe I actually reduced the amount of salt in the directions of Julie’s recipe? lol

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  45. Shanda says:

    I have the malt but no powdered milk. Do you think I could omit the powedered milk? Thank you in advance!

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Shanda! Have you looked in the baking aisle of your supermarket? That’s where I usually find powdered milk 🙂 To answer your question, I suppose you could try using all malted powder, but it would probably be too malty. So, in retrospect, I don’t think I can recommend omitting the powdered milk, as it wouldn’t turn out the way it should. I’m sorry!

  46. Melissa says:

    Made last night. Delish!!

  47. Jessica says:

    Made this tonight. So good and so many compliments. Thanks!

    • Lisa says:

      So glad you all liked it, Jessica! Kudos goes to Christina Tosi for coming up with such a great snack! I just decreased the milk powder and increased the malted milk powder. 🙂

      • MELISSA says:

        Made it again this weekend. The other batch hubby took to work and it was gone in minutes! Def a keeper!!!!

      • Lisa says:

        Melissa, I just realized I called you Valerie in my last reply to you! I’m so sorry! I had just responded to a Valerie in another post right before I responded to you, so it was obviously stuck in my head lol That said, I’m loving that the malted pretzel crunch continues to please your family and now your husband’s coworkers. It really is THAT good!

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  49. Mary says:

    This sounds great, I’m going to add cashews for a double crunch.

    • Lisa says:

      That sounds awesome, Mary! But, you may want to decrease the amount of crushed pretzels in conjunction with the amount of cashews you use so you don’t end up with any naked pretzels or cashews! Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂

  50. KR says:

    I made this for work a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge hit! It was all gone by the end of the day!

    • Lisa says:

      So glad to hear that you and your coworkers liked it, KR! It definitely goes quick, hence why I recommend doubling or tripling it!

  51. Melissa says:

    I made the pretzel crunch recipe from Christina Tosi’s book…but I couldn’t really taste the malted milk flavor. When I clicked on your photo on pinterest and saw your version with extra malted milk powder…i knew this would be it and it was! You nailed it with your changes. It is the bomb! I thank you, my husband thanks you, our friends thank you!

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Melissa! I agree that it needed more malted milk flavor which is why I cut down the powdered milk to make room for more malted milk powder, hence the new moniker Malted Pretzel Crunch instead of just Pretzel Crunch as it’s called in her cookbook. So glad you enjoyed it!

  52. Jennifer Schantz says:

    My husband is allergic to chocolate. Does the malt powder contain chocolate?

  53. Kelli says:

    Love the idea of this crunch. My husband makes a cherry dessert with crushed pretzels, graham crackers, butter and a bit of sugar for the crust and I nibble on it when he’s not looking. I’ve always thought that would be a great base for a crunch and I saw your link on Pinterest. While reading this post I wondered what the point of using powdered milk is? My household doesn’t consume powdered milk and I wouldn’t want to waste resources buying an item that would not be used. Could powdered milk be substituted for something else? Thanks for sharing!

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Kelli! Your husband’s dessert sounds amazing! That said, I don’t really feel comfortable suggesting substitutions for the powdered milk since I’ve never tried any myself, but for the love of this pretzel crunch, I’ll throw out some ideas anyway ;). How about very finely ground graham crackers like in your husband’s dessert? It won’t taste exactly the same, but I’m sure it will be delicious. However, you would probably have to reduce the sugars in the recipe since graham crackers are lightly sweetened. Another idea is coconut milk powder, if it comes in a smaller quantity that you can use up quickly. Finally, you could try using all malted milk powder, but you would definitely have to reduce the sugars in the recipe because malted milk powder is sweet. You also run the risk of the crunch being slightly sticky because of that. All in all, I think any of the above is worth a shot! Some of the greatest dishes in the world were created via substitutions, so why not? If you get a chance, let me know what you tried and if it worked out! 🙂

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  55. Kelli says:

    Hi,
    Question. When I made this I had an issue w soggyness. After it came out of oven and cooled I tried and bite and it was soggy! I’m assuming from the butter poured on pretzels, do you have advice on what I did wrong?! A friend has made this on the past and I’m dying to get this recipe down as it’s so good!

  56. Ellen says:

    Made this last night and it is fantastic! Like you, mine was not in clusters but I broke it up afterwards. Thanks!

  57. Lisa says:

    This stuff is awesome!!!

  58. Megan says:

    How necessary is the milk powder? I’m sure I can find other recopies on line to use with it, but I can’t imagine using it all.

    • Lisa says:

      Hi, Megan 🙂 It is necessary to keep the pretzel crunch from getting too sticky. However, you could use all malted milk powder if need be, although it might end up stickier than the crunch with milk powder because of the sugar content in the malted milk powder. Hope this helps!

  59. Shirley Moore says:

    Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I couldn’t find malted milk powder at the two stores I tried, and needed to make it tonight, so I decided to use Chocolate Ovaltine. Probably not as much malt as I needed, but it still turned out very yummy!

    • Lisa says:

      You’re so welcome, Shirley! Chocolate Ovaltine was my fav milk stir-in growing up, and you just invented a chocolate malted pretzel crunch! I’m definitely trying it!! 🙂

  60. Jeanne M Imbrigiotta says:

    We participate in a 7-day, 500-mile, charity bicycle ride. I felt sorry for the participants always having fruit, peanutbutter sandwiches, and chips. So I started making your Malted Pretzel Crunch recipe.
    It has become a highly requested treat. Instead of doubling the recipe, I increased it 20 times and we still run out mid-week.

    Oh … and they do not call it by your given name. The bikers refer to it as “Crack” due to the addictive quality.

    GREAT RECIPE!!!

    • Lisa says:

      Wow, Jeanne, 20 times my recipe and it still runs out? Ok, I can see that since I can go through several pans during any party or get-together! That said, thank Christina Tosi for coming up with this ingenious snack idea. All I did was increase the malted milk powder because (to me) there is almost nothing better than stuff with malted milk powder in it ;D. That being said, thank you so much for leaving a comment to let me know how much you all love it! Oh, and kudos to you and yours for the 500-mile charity bike ride! I probably wouldn’t last 2 (days and miles). LOL.

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