Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Recipe {DIY Holiday Gift}

Need to make something quick for a holiday party but are burned out on baking Christmas cookies?  I have just the recipe for you!  It’s a sweet treat that they kids will love to make, plus it looks all kinds of purdy when you put them on a plate or wrap up for a DIY gift the receiver is sure to love.

Chocolate. Dipped. Pretzels.  Oh, yeah…

The ingredients are simple:

• bag of small-sized pretzels
• chocolate for melting (I used Wilton Candy Melts, I assume chocolate chips will work as well)
• sprinkles

The most difficult part is melting the chocolate.  It’s not even that hard if you follow these helpful chocolate melting hints:

• microwave on 50% power (or your microwave’s ‘melt’ setting) in 30-45 second increments
• stir each time– chocolate will hold it’s shape unless you stir it so don’t do a visual scan to see if it’s ready, stir stir stir!
• use a rubber spatula for stirring
• don’t let it get too hot– low and slow is the formula for melting
• if the bowl is too hot for you to handle, then it’s too hot for your chocolate; switch to a new bowl and continue melting if necessary (that’s what I had to do)
• chocolate and water don’t mix well, so be sure all your implements and utensils are free from water before you start
• make in small batches for two reasons: one, you don’t want to have too much leftover and two, if you happen to mess up a batch you won’t ruin the entire bag of chocolate (I’m guilty as charged on that one)

You can find more helpful hints (and the double boiler method) in this About.com article.

Are you ready?  Let’s go!

First, get everything set up so when the chocolate is ready you can quickly dip– have your pretzels, cookie sheet, and sprinkles ready.

Next, melt the chocolate.  It should go from solid to creamy and shiny when done.

Before:

After:

Then, simply dip the pretzels in the chocolate and quickly into the sprinkles.

Lay them on a baking sheet covered in foil to dry for a few minutes.  Try not to eat them all as you go (sorry, that’s probably just me.)

My kids love to make these, in all different color combos, for all different holidays.  But they have a slight sprinkle addiction: “one for the pretzel, two for me, one for the pretzel, two for me!”

Pretty much the perfect party food, right?  Plus, not quite as bad as cookies on the waistline.

Disclosure: I just ate two handfuls of them while writing this post. Sigh.  Let the holiday indulging begin!

What’s your favorite holiday treat to make and/or give?  Did anyone else just eat two handfuls of them while writing a blog post?  {wink}