Salted Chocolate Caramel Crunch Bars

Line a 9" x 13" glass pan with foil, leaving a couple of inches to hang over on each end. Butter the foil.

In a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water, melt milk and chocolate bars. Stir in peanuts, pretzels and cherries. Spread evenly into prepared pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.

A few minutes before the hour is up, using the same method as above, melt the semisweet and peanut butter chips. Spread evenly over top of crunch bar.

Immediately squeeze the caramel sauce in straight lines going length wise. Have the long side of the pan facing you and take a chop stick and going up and down draw the caramel sauce through the chocolate. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and refrigerate at least another hour.

When ready to serve, remove bar block from pan and using a very long knife push down slowly. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature not above 72 degrees.

cook's notes

These bars are the best of both the salty and sweet worlds. I love dried cherries but am very particular about the texture. I have probably tried a dozen different brands and keep coming back to the Walmart brand.

The best way I found to "chop" the pretzels up is to put them in a zip top bag and break them up with your hands. If you try to hit them with a rolling pin or put them in the food processor, the result is ground pretzels.