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4-Ingredient Chocolate Toffee Pretzel Bark (gluten-free & dairy-free!)

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a stack of chocolate toffee pretzel bark on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Sweet and Salty Perfection: The combination of salty pretzels, rich toffee, and creamy chocolate creates the ultimate flavor balance.
  • Simple Ingredients: With only 5 pantry staples, this recipe is both accessible and fuss-free.
  • Customizable: Switch up the toppings or pretzel shapes to match your preferences or dietary needs.
a piece of chocolate toffee pretzel bark with flaky sea salt on top.

What You’ll Need to Make Chocolate Toffee Pretzel Bark

Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients and why they shine in this recipe:

  • Mini Pretzels: Provide a salty, crunchy base for the bark. Use gluten-free pretzels to make the recipe gluten-free friendly. I used the Snyder’s Gluten-Free Mini Pretzels and they worked perfectly in this recipe!
  • Coconut Sugar: A natural sweetener that adds deep caramel notes to the toffee while being a healthier alternative to white sugar. I buy my coconut sugar in bulk on Amazon because I use it in so many of my recipes!
  • Butter (or Non-Dairy Butter): The fat needed to create the toffee layer. Use vegan butter for a dairy-free option. I recommend Miyoko’s vegan butter in this recipe.
  • Chocolate Chips: Melted chocolate ties everything together. Opt for dairy-free chocolate chips to keep the recipe vegan. I used Guittard’s Extra Dark Chocolate Chips for a more intense chocolate flavor. YUM!
  • Flaky Salt (optional): A sprinkle of flaky salt enhances the sweet-and-salty flavor profile and adds a touch of elegance.

How to Make Pretzel Bark

  1. Prepare the Base: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange pretzels in a single, even layer across the baking sheet.
  2. Make the Toffee: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and coconut sugar over medium heat, stirring often. Once melted, continue to cook for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is dark brown and bubbling. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
  3. Pour Over Pretzels: Slowly pour the toffee over the pretzels, ensuring an even coating. Bake for 5 minutes until the toffee sets.
  4. Add Chocolate Layer: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Remove the pretzels from the oven, let cool for 1-2 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the toffee layer.
  5. Cool and Set: Allow the bark to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 6 hours or freezer for 3 hours. Once fully set, remove the bark from the pan, peel away the foil, and break into pieces.
chocolate toffee pretzel bark on a baking sheet.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: Use dairy-free butter and vegan chocolate chips.

Make it Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pretzels.

Make it Dairy-Free: Substitute non-dairy butter and chocolate chips.

Storage Tips

  • Store the bark in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 2 months.
  • Keep the pieces layered with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
a stack of chocolate toffee pretzel bark on a plate.
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Chocolate Toffee Pretzel Bark (gluten-free & dairy-free!)

This chocolate toffee pretzel bark combines crunchy pretzels, rich caramelized toffee, and smooth chocolate for a sweet-and-salty treat that’s impossible to resist. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly, sweetened with coconut sugar, and made with just five simple ingredients. Whether you’re making it for the holidays, gifting it to a friend, or enjoying it yourself, this quick and easy bark is sure to impress!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 24 servings

Equipment

  • 1 9×13-inch baking sheet
  • 1 small saucepan

Ingredients

  • 3 cups mini pretzels I used gluten-free pretzels
  • 1 cup butter I used non-dairy butter
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional, but recommended
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • Flaky salt for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the pretzels in an even layer on the baking sheet.
  • Melt butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the butter has melted, cook the toffee for another 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly until dark brown and bubbling.
  • Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract then immediately slowly and evenly pour the toffee over the pretzels. Place the pretzels and toffee in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
  • While the bark bakes, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler until completely smooth. Remove the pretzels and caramel from the oven, let them cool for 1-2 minutes or until no longer bubbling, then slowly pour the melted chocolate over top of the toffee and gently spread into an even layer.
  • Leave the chocolate toffee pretzels bark to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to either the fridge for 6 hours or the freezer for 3 hours. Remove the bark from the pan, peel away the foil, and break into large chunks.

Notes

The nutritional info for this recipe was calculated using gluten-free pretzels, non-dairy butter, coconut sugar, and extra dark chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 10.3g | Sugar: 17.3g
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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy (& vegan!) Caramel Brulée Latte

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healthy caramel brulée latte in a mug with a spoon on the side.

A healthier take on the classic caramel brulée latte! Made with non-dairy milk and sweetened with coconut sugar, this warming latte rivals Starbucks’ version. Super easy to make in the comfort of your own home, with a handful of ingredients you likely already have on-hand.

two mugs of caramel brulée latte with milk on the side.

What You’ll Need to Make This Healthy Caramel Brulée Latte

Butter – I used Miyoko’s vegan butter to keep this latte recipe vegan-friendly! It melts beautifully into the caramel sauce, giving it that smooth, buttery flavor. However, you can certainly use regular butter if you’d like!

Coconut Sugar – This natural sweetener is unrefined and lower on the glycemic index (meaning less of a spike in blood sugar). It also has a slightly deeper flavor, which only adds to the flavor of our caramel sauce! Though if you don’t have any coconut sugar, feel free to use regular sugar or even brown sugar instead.

Milk – I used non-dairy cashew milk in my healthy caramel brulée latte, and it was perfectly creamy and delicious! But really any milk will work, so go ahead and use whatever you have at home.

Espresso – Either one shot of espresso, or 1/4 cup of strong coffee will do the trick. Or, if you’re like me and can’t get enough caffeine in your life, make it a double and add an extra shot of espresso!

Tips and Tricks

  • Keep a close eye on your caramel sauce while it cooks! The sugar can burn quickly, and needs to be stirred frequently. So I recommend tending to it the entire 5 minutes it cooks – trust me, it’ll be worth it!
  • For a salted caramel brulée latte, top yours off with a tiny pinch of flaky salt! I go crazy for a good salty/sweet combo, and that little pinch of salt goes a long way.
  • Turn this recipe into an iced latte by serving it over ice! To do this, I recommend letting your hot caramel milk come to room temperature first, as well as your espresso.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: That’s easy – just use all the vegan swaps I outlined above!

Make it Decaf: For a caffeine-free version, use your favorite decaf espresso or decaf coffee in your latte.

Healthy (& vegan!) Caramel Brulée Latte
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Healthy (& vegan!) Caramel Brulée Latte

4 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DrinksDifficulty: Easy
Servings

1

serving
Prep time

0

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

A healthier take on the classic caramel brulée latte! Made with non-dairy milk and sweetened with coconut sugar, this warming latte rivals Starbucks’ version. Super easy to make in the comfort of your own home, with a handful of ingredients you likely already have on-hand.

Ingredients

  • For the caramel sauce:

  • 1/2 cup butter, I used vegan butter

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar, or regular sugar

  • For the latte:

  • 1 cup milk, I used non-dairy milk

  • 2 tablespoons caramel sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 shot espresso, or 1/4 cup strong coffee

Directions

  • Make the caramel sauce by melting butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once butter has melted, cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly until dark brown and bubbling.
  • Combine milk, 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, then whisk until frothy.
  • Add espresso or strong coffee to a mug, then pour milk mixture over the top. Top with whipped cream an extra drizzle of caramel sauce.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

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gluten-free cornbread with milk on the side.

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

overhead image of gluten-free cornbread with honey butter on the side.

One Mother’s Day I wrote my Mom a card that read “Happy Mother’s Day! I like your cornbread.” And that my friends, is a true story. My Mom always made the BEST cornbread. Not too sweet, perfectly crumbly, and always served with her own homemade honey butter. I’d dream about that stuff and request it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any chance I got.

While I wrote that Mother’s Day card many years ago, I’m still a huge fan of my Mom’s cornbread. Though her version has all of your “standard” ingredients – all purpose flour, milk, regular butter, etc. So when I set out to develop a gluten-free and dairy-free version of my Mom’s cornbread, I have to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes. But oh boy was I pleasantly surprised with how this recipe turned out! Nearly identical to the cornbread I grew up on, this gluten-free and dairy-free recipe does NOT disappoint. I was able to easily swap the all purpose flour for naturally gluten-free (and grain-free) flours, and the dairy for non-dairy counterparts. And if that hasn’t sold you on this cornbread – I was developed this recipe using just ONE BOWL. That’s right – easy baking and easy cleanup!

honey being drizzled over stacked gluten-free cornbread

What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

Cornmeal – Made from ground corn, this coarse “flour”is the star of this recipe! Though be sure to use cornMEAL and not corn starch or corn flour, which are simply not the same. And if you’re gluten-intolerant, be sure to use a cornmeal that reads “gluten-free” somewhere on the label. While cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, some brands may still contain traces of gluten.

Almond Flour – Not to be confused with almond meal, almond flour is a light, fluffy, and naturally gluten-free flour. Almond flour works in conjunction with tapioca flour to replace the all purpose flour in my Mom’s famous cornbread recipe. I’m not able to fully understand or explain the science of how these gluten-free flours work, but just trust me when I tell you, they WORK. Almond Flour and tapioca flour create a gluten-free cornbread that tastes just like any other cornbread!

Non-Dairy Butter – I use and love Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks in my dairy-free honey butter. However, feel free to use your favorite non-dairy butter in this recipe! And if you’re not dairy-free, feel free to use regular butter instead.

gluten-free cornbread with a bite taken out

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Make it Vegan: Replace the egg with a flax egg and use maple syrup instead of honey to make this recipe vegan!
  • Add Dairy: Use regular milk instead of non-dairy milk, melted butter instead of coconut oil, and regular butter in the honey butter if you’re not dairy-free.
  • Make it Refined Sugar-Free: SURPRISE – this recipe is already refined sugar-free!
Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter
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Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

4 from 5 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

9

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

Ingredients

  • For the cornbread:

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk

  • 1 egg, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

  • For the honey butter:

  • 1/4 cup dairy-free butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup honey, see Notes

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish.
  • Combine cornmeal, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Add in the almond milk, egg, and melted coconut oil then mix until well combined.
  • Transfer batter to the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  • While cornbread is cooling, mix together the softened butter and honey in a small bowl. Refrigerate the honey butter until ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Egg: You can substitute the egg in this recipe for a flax egg or your favorite egg substitute.
  • Honey: Feel free to use maple syrup instead of honey to turn this into a maple butter recipe.

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More Gluten-Free Recipes You NEED To Make

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Desserts

Gluten-Free S’mores Bars

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a s'mores bar being pulled apart.

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while gluten-free!

gluten-free s'mores bars stacked on top of each other.

What You Need To Make S’mores Bars

Oat Flour – You can either purchase oat flour from the store or easily make it yourself at home. To make oat flour, start by adding 1 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats to a blender or food processor. Then, blend the oats for a few seconds or until ground into a powder. Once ground, you now have oat flour to use in this gluten-free recipe!

Chocolate Chips – Any chocolate chips or even a chopped chocolate bar will work in these s’mores bars. I used the Enjoy Life Mini Chips since they are vegan and nut-free, though you can use any vegan chocolate you’d like. And if you’re not vegan, feel free to use whatever chocolate you have on-hand! (P.S. you should always have chocolate on-hand.)

Marshmallows – I prefer mini marshmallows for simply how cute and satisfying they look all lined up on top of these s’mores bars. However, the standard size marshmallows will work just fine. The key to perfectly toasty and golden brown marshmallows is sticking them under the broiler for about 1 minute. It’s super important you keep an eye on the bars during this final trip in the oven, as the broiler has a tendency to burn things in literal seconds. Therefore, watch your vegan marshmallow-y treats and pull them out once they’ve achieved your desired level of toasty-ness!

close-up overhead image of s'mores bars.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Don’t Have Oat Flour? If you don’t have oats and/or oat flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of either brown rice flour or all purpose flour in this recipe.

Add Dairy: Use regular melted butter in place of the vegan butter in this recipe.

s'mores bars on a baking sheet with graham crackers on the side.

Tips For Making S’mores Bars

  • Be sure to leave the bars to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes after you take them out of the oven! These s’mores bars are surprisingly delicate, so leaving them to cool will ensure they stick together when handled.
  • Use a greased knife to quickly and easily slice the bars. To do this, take a sharp knife and either spray it with spray cooking oil or drizzle it with some coconut oil. Once greased, cut into the bars and wipe down the knife between each slice!
  • I highly recommend storing this vegan and gluten-free dessert in the fridge or freezer during the summer months. Due to the butter and chocolate, they are at risk of melting if left to sit out in too high of a temperate. Therefore, to avoid that risk, it’s best to just keep these babies in the fridge to enjoy them at your leisure!
S'mores Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
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S’mores Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

bars
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while being vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups oat flour, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour, or corn starch

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used vegan butter)

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup chocolate chips

  • 2 cups marshmallows

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  • Mix together the oat flour, tapioca flour, and baking soda in a bowl.
  • Add in the maple syrup, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract, mix everything to combine.
  • Transfer to a lined 9×9 baking sheet, press into an even layer, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips, then place back into the oven for 1 minute or until chocolate has melted.
  • Remove from the oven once more, spread the chocolate into an even layer, then top with marshmallows. Place in the oven on broil for 1 minute (watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn!) or until marshmallows are lightly toasted.
  • Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Oat Flour: You can easily make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats in a blender until a powder forms and no large oat chunks remain!

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More Delicious Vegan and Gluten-Free Desserts

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30 Minutes or Less

Flawless Vegan Biscuits with Maple Butter

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vegan biscuits with maple butter on the side

Irresistibly soft and flaky vegan biscuits! They’re chock-full of gorgeous layers and surprisingly easy to make in under 30 minutes. Top these flawless vegan biscuits off with a simple two-ingredient vegan maple butter for a perfectly sweet touch.

vegan biscuits on parchment paper with maple butter on the side

What You’ll Need To Make Vegan Biscuits

Non-Dairy Milk – Any non-dairy milk will work in this plant-based bread recipe! I used almond milk, but you can definitely use soy, hemp, cashew, or even coconut milk if you’d like.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Ever notice that tiny bit of tanginess found in most biscuits? Well, that’s the buttermilk speaking. And since we obviously can’t use regular ole’ buttermilk in these vegan biscuits, we make our own vegan version instead. By mixing apple cider vinegar into cold non-dairy milk, then leaving it to sit for a few minutes, we make vegan buttermilk – yup, it’s that easy!

All Purpose Flour – We wouldn’t have biscuits without flour. Specifically, all purpose flour, which bakes up the best biscuits. I’ve pretty much grown up on the King Arthur Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour. It’s been a staple in my kitchen for years and has seriously never ever failed me. However, you can definitely replace the all purpose flour for gluten-free 1:1 baking flour if you’d like.

Vegan Butter – I use and love the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for all my vegan baking needs. Unlike most baking recipes which call for softened butter, we actually want super cold butter for these biscuits. Therefore, leave your vegan butter in the fridge until the second you need to use it. You can even pop it in the freezer for a couple minutes to get it extra cold!

a stack of vegan biscuits on a table

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t overmix the dough! An overmixed dough will bake up tough and chewy, instead of soft and flaky. So once all ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing and move on to shaping.
  • No biscuit cutter? No problem! I used a metal cocktail shaker in place of a biscuit cutter for this bakery-style recipe. Really any round object will work to cut biscuits.
  • If not a maple butter fan, top these vegan biscuits with any spread you’d like. Some homemade jam, vegan butter, and/or vegan cream cheese would all taste just as delicious!
vegan biscuits with maple butter on top and a butter knife

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: For gluten-free vegan biscuits, replace the all purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. I swear by the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour for all my gluten-free baking needs!

Make it Nut-Free: To ensure these biscuits are completely nut-free, use a nut-free non-dairy milk such as soy or oat milk, and a non-dairy butter without any nuts in it.

Flawless Vegan Biscuits with Maple Butter

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: SidesDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

10

biscuits
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

Irresistibly soft and flaky vegan biscuits! They’re chock-full of gorgeous layers and surprisingly easy to make in under 30 minutes. Top these flawless vegan biscuits off with a simple two-ingredient vegan maple butter for a perfectly sweet touch.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, very cold

  • For the maple butter:

  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, softened

  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
  • Whisk together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  • Add butter into flour mixture and use either a pastry cutter or fork to “cut” butter into flour until crumbly. (The mixture should resemble coarse sand)
  • Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour in the milk and vinegar. Gently stir until a sticky dough forms.
  • Transfer biscuit dough to a floured surface and roll into a 1-inch thick disc. Use a biscuit cutter or something similar to cut biscuits out of dough.
  • Place biscuits on a baking sheet then bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden.
  • White the biscuits bake, make the maple butter by whisking both ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Spread maple butter over warm vegan biscuits.

Recipe Video

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