The absolute fastest treat you can make for holiday celebrations is chocolate-covered pretzel rods. Your guests will be impressed, your kids can help, and this tasty sweet will fly off the plate.
Why This Recipe
What I love about chocolate-covered pretzel rods is that you can customize them for any holiday or celebration. Just add powdered food coloring to the white chocolate to match a color theme, add adorable sprinkles to match the holiday or celebration theme, or add one of our many variations to change up the flavor. There is so much you can do with this. Get creative!
Making chocolate-covered pretzel rods is as easy as melting the chocolate and dipping the rods! So simple!
Your guests will adore this easy-to-grab snack. No fork needed!
These look beautiful in containers on a dessert bar or holiday table.
These are also so much fun as a take-home party favor, or as a gift for friends and neighbors.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Making cute pretzel rods is so simple. You will need to melt your chocolate in the microwave. Then spread out wax paper and start dipping. As you go, be sure to add sprinkles or crushed candy for decoration before the chocolate dries. That's it! Once the pretzels are set, you can move them to a platter for serving.
Ingredients for Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Pretzel Rods. You can actually follow these instructions for any type of pretzel, but we think rods look the best and are so easy to eat in a party setting.
White Chocolate Morsels. These often go on sale near the holidays and are our favorite way to dip pretzels. Stock up!
Various Candies. Cut into small pieces or crush. (Optional).
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Melt the candy coating or morsels in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir vigorously and then reheat in 15 second increments, stirring well between each heating, giving special care not to overheat the candy. If the candy coating is overheated, it will be too thick. You can add 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening or coconut oil to help thin the candy but do not add any other type of liquid as the candy will seize and harden. This is why you must used powdered food coloring (not liquid or gel) and an oil-based candy flavor if you choose to make one of the variations we mention.
- Pour candy coating over two-thirds of the pretzel rod and shake gently to remove excess. If applying sprinkles or candy, do so immediately. Larger sprinkles and candy pieces work best if placed individually.
- Place the pretzel rod on waxed paper or a cooling rack. (Cook’s notes: Waxed paper makes for easier release.)
- Let pretzel rods dry completely before packaging or serving.
Variations for Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Candies
You can use all kinds of candy to make adorable pretzel rods. Here are some fantastic ideas.
Peppermint Candies. Crushed. You can buy this already crushed, or place it in a freezer-quality zipper bag, remove the air, and crush it with a rolling pin.
Butterscotch Candies. Crushed.
Toffee. Crushed. You can find this with the chocolate chips in the baking aisle at your grocery store.
Old Fashioned Lemon Drops. Crushed.
Mini M&Ms. Add a fun contrasting crunch to your pretzel rods!
Crushed Candybars. We tried thin mints, Reese's cups, and a toffee bar. They all turned out great!
Reeses Pieces. Add a touch of peanut butter and crunch to your chocolate.
Sprinkles. You can customize your pretzel rods for any holiday or birthday simply by using thematic sprinkles.
Crushed Nuts. Not exactly candy, but toasted and crushed almonds, pecans, or walnuts are a great addition to chocolate-covered pretzel rods.
Chocolate Variations
You can also change the texture and flavor of your pretzels by using one of these variations on white chocolate.
White candy melts.
Vanilla-Flavored Almond Bark.
Milk Chocolate Morsels. This will be brown in color but you might prefer the flavor.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. Give a slight contrast to the candies with a little less sugar in the chocolate.
Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark. This has a higher paraffin content than chocolate morsels.
Oil-Based Candy Flavoring
You can elevate the flavor of your pretzels so beautifully simply by adding a tiny bit of candy flavoring to the melted chocolate. You must use oil-based flavoring with zero water otherwise your chocolate will seize and turn lumpy. Make sure to read the label! Alcohol-based extracts will not work because they contain water. Here are a few of our favorites.
Peppermint Candy Flavoring. Perfectly paired with crushed peppermint.
Lemon Candy Flavoring. Perfectly paired with crushed lemon drops.
Orange Candy Flavoring. Especially good with milk chocolate morsels!
Almond Candy Flavoring. Perfectly paired with roasted, crushed almonds and white chocolate.
Storing Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
The beauty of this dessert is that they can sit out on a platter for hours at your party without going bad. Once the party is over, place the leftovers in a freezer-quality zipper bag -- not because you are freezing them but because the bag lets less air pass through than the storage quality. You can keep them in this bag for about a week until the chocolate starts to get dried out and crumbly.
You can also freeze chocolate-covered pretzel rods for up to three months in an airtight container. The chocolate will dry out, but it will still be a tasty after-school snack.
More Kinds of Christmas Candy
Milk Chocolate Bark Candy Recipe
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Ingredients
- 12 Pretzel rods
- 2 cups White candy melts white chocolate morsels, or vanilla-flavored almond bark
- Milk chocolate morsels or chocolate-flavored almond bark
- Various candies cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Melt the candy coating or morsels in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir vigorously and then reheat in 15 second increments, stirring well between each heating, giving special care not to overheat the candy. If the candy coating is overheated, it will be too thick. You can add 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening or coconut oil to help thin the candy but do not add any other type of liquid as the candy will seize and harden.
- Pour candy coating over two-thirds of the pretzel rod and shake gently to remove excess. If applying sprinkles or candy, do so immediately. Larger sprinkles and candy pieces work best if placed individually.
- Place the pretzel rod on waxed paper or a cooling rack. (Cook’s notes: Waxed paper makes for easier release.)
- Let pretzel rods dry completely before packaging or serving.
Nutrition
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Tamara
These are delightful. Chocolate covered pretzels are always a hit at parties, but I've never thought to use M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and peppermint! I want them all.