This Sunday, many local Carolina enthusiasts gathered to cheer the Panther’s in the 50th Anniversary Super Bowl Game.  I was into it, like every year, for the opportunity to lay on the sofa with friends while enjoying delicious homemade foods and watching a great halftime performance. And while our Panther’s didn’t win, Beyonce and Lady GaGa surely knocked it out of the park (I think that’s a baseball term). And, my friend Lina was the real MVP for making delicious guacamole, chicken wings and other goodies…and opening her home to all of us. To the party, I brought along Mini Biscuit Pimento Cheese BLTs (hello South) and sweet, salt, crunchy and chewy Pretzel Brownies.

Sweet, salty, crunchy and chewy … that is right. This recipe is a simple chocolate brownie with a nice mix of salty pretzels mixed into the batter and topped as decoration.

Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend. This maybe the perfect sweet homemade gift. XOXO, You’re welcome.

Pretzel Brownies, from Pure wow

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces (¼ cup) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup crushed pretzels
• 24 whole mini pretzels
• 1½ tablespoons flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting an inch of excess paper hang off the sides. Lightly grease the parchment with nonstick spray.

In a large heat-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips with the chopped chocolate, butter, brown sugar and sugar. Place the bowl over a medium pot of simmering water and heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and baking powder, and stir to combine. Gently fold in the crushed pretzels.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth it into an even layer.

Top the batter with the whole pretzels, forming an evenly spaced grid (4 rows by 6 columns). Garnish with the flaky salt.

Bake until the brownies look set on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes. Cut the brownies into squares so that each bar has a whole pretzel in the center, and then serve.