Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
If you enjoy showing your loved ones a little extra love and appreciation on Valentine’s Day, but don’t want to spend a fortune, I have a fun and delicious idea for you! How about some chocolate covered pretzels!? They are the perfect little combo of salty and sweet!
Plus, you can really tailor them for just about any holiday (like Easter or Christmas, etc…) by the different colored melts, sprinkles and candies you use!
Valentine’s Day Pretzels
Don’t those look pretty and yummy? They’re easy to make!
INGREDIENTS:
- Pretzel Rods
- Melting chocolate, candy melts, or chocolate chips (any flavor)
- 1 Tablespoon of shortening
- Sprinkles or candy pieces, or even chopped cookies or nuts
DIRECTIONS:
- My mom, my sister, and I have melted lots of chocolate chips over the years, and after some complete fails where the chocolate “seized” up and gets hard, we’ve learned a few tricks. I think using candy melts or almond bark is less tricky, but I like using chocolate chips (or any flavor or chips) because it tastes so much better to me. It’s all about the taste! 🙂
- Now depending on the weather of the day, temperature in your home, the mood of your dog (just kidding), your chocolate may be temperamental, so always have extra on hand just in case. However, to make your melting experience more successful, start with a DRY clean microwaveable bowl. Water is not your friend here. Also use a Tablespoon of shortening in with your candy. This is the only reason I keep shortening in my kitchen, and the only thing I use it for, because it greatly increases your chances of a successful melt.
- Start with around a cup of chips or wafers. A little goes a long way, and you can always melt more if your chocolate gets “contaminated” with pretzel pieces or salt, or if you want to dip more pretzels. Microwave for 30 seconds and then see if you can stir. If it’s still too firm, try another 15 seconds at a time, until you can stir it smooth.
- Instead of melting your chocolate in the microwave, if you prefer, you can use a double broiler.
- Now if you have a long narrow container you can pour your melted chocolate in, you can use that, and dip your pretzels in. But I just use a bowl and a spoon. I hold my pretzel over the bowl, and “pour” the chocolate on with a large spoon while turning the pretzel. Tap off any extra chocolate and then lay your pretzel out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper so the chocolate can harden.
When you have a few done, but before your chocolate on your pretzels hardens, sprinkle on your sprinkles or candies.
Instead of sprinkles you could also chop up a favorite candy (like M&M’s), candy bars, cookies or even nuts, and sprinkle those on top of the melted chocolate. Don’t those sound delicious too!
Another pretty way to decorate the pretzels is to take a spoon, and coat it with a different color of chocolate, and drizzle it over the current color on the pretzel, like I did below with the white and the brown.
Christmas Pretzels
Dipped pretzels can be used for any celebration, just by changing the colors up with colored wafers or sprinkles! Use them for holidays or events such as:
- Valentine’s Day
- Easter
- Christmas
- Baby showers
- Bridal showers
- Birthday parties
- Graduation parties – use school colors
- 4th of July
Easter or Baby Shower Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Ingredients
- Pretzel Rods
- Melting chocolate candy melts, or chocolate chips (any flavor)
- 1 Tablespoon of shortening
- Sprinkles or candy pieces or even chopped cookies or nuts
Instructions
- To make your melting experience more successful, start with a DRY clean microwaveable bowl. Water is not you friend here. Also use a Tablespoon of shortening in with your candy. This is the only reason I keep shortening in my kitchen, and the only thing I use it for, because it greatly increases your chances of a successful melt.
- Start with around a cup of chips or wafers. A little goes a long way, and you can always melt more if your chocolate gets “contaminated” with pretzel pieces or salt, or if you want to make more pretzels. Microwave for 30 seconds and then see if you can stir. If it’s still too firm, try another 15 seconds at a time, until you can stir it smooth.
- Instead of melting your chocolate in the microwave, if you prefer, you can use a double broiler.
- Now if you have a long narrow container you can pour your melted chocolate in, you can use that, and dip your pretzels, but I just use a bowl and a spoon. I hold my pretzel over the bowl and “pour” the chocolate on with a large spoon while turning the pretzel. Tap off any extra chocolate and then lay your pretzel out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper so the chocolate can harden.
- When you have a few done, but before your chocolate on your pretzels hardens, sprinkle on your sprinkles or candies.
- Instead of sprinkles you could also chop up a favorite candy (like M&M's), candy bars, cookies or even nuts, and sprinkle those on top of the melted chocolate. Don't those sound delicious too!
- Another pretty way to decorate the pretzels is to take a spoon and coat it with a different color of chocolate, and drizzle it over the current color on the pretzel, like I did below with the white and the brown.
- NOTES: I didn’t give amounts of ingredients because it all kind of depends on how thick or thin your chocolate ends up. But roughly you can get a dozen pretzel dips out of a cup of chips, melted.
- Store in a sealed container.
The next time I make these, I’m going to try dipping them in melted caramel first, and then chocolate!
NOTES: I didn’t give amounts of ingredients because it all kind of depends on how thick or thin your chocolate ends up. But roughly you can get a dozen pretzel dips out of a cup of chips, melted.
If you’d like to give these as a gift, wrapping them in a decorative box with tissue paper would work, or Amazon has these twist tie bags that are just the right size. Add a pretty bow, and there you go!
If you have any leftover melted chocolate, a great way to use it up is to pour it in some fun candy molds, like I did with the hearts and the little Easter chicks.
love your ideas