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Giving gifts from your kitchen is a nice and inexpensive way to give at Christmastime. Today I am sharing one of my favorite treats – Chocolate Covered Pretzels!!
Here is what you will need:
- Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Chips (milk chocolate)
- Sprinkles and/or Candy Canes
Preparing the pretzels: I like to break my pretzels in half, it makes them easier to package and makes for more chocolate coverage. I prefer more chocolate to pretzel ratio, because the chocolate is the best part! To make a clean break, I use a serrated knife to “saw” a little notch and then just break it in half.Melting the chocolate chips: You can melt them on your stove top on LOW heat, make sure you are stirring constantly, so they don’t burn. You can also use melting chocolate.
Covering the pretzels: I use a curved spatula or large serving spoon to scoop up the chocolate and then roll the pretzel in the chocolate. Make sure that the broken part of the pretzel is at the top, so the bottom looks good. When you have the pretzel covered, place on wax paper.
Decorating the pretzels: Immediately decorate with sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or even chopped nuts. This is my kids favorite part! Let them cool until they are hard. If necessary, you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the process. I put my wax paper on a cooling rack or cookie sheets so they can be moved around easily.
If you want to give them away to several people, you can put them in cello bags. You can get the cello bags at Michael’s for around $3.99 (use a 40% off coupon to get them even cheaper). Tie with ribbon and you are set! I bought a bunch of decorated cello bags from Target after Christmas for 75-90% off, so make sure to watch for those after Christmas this year. You can also find some decorated cello bags in the Target Dollar spot.
If you want to give a bunch to one person, you can get an inexpensive jar. Decorate with a message made with vinyl letters or stickers, tie with a ribbon and you have a yummy gift that looks great too. There are so many fun ways to package these.Welcome to Thrifty and Thriving! You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or have the once a day email delivered to your inbox. My Facebook Page is an excellent way to stay up-to-date on the hottest deals.
cute idea! i think i might let my son makes these to include in his teacher’s Christmas gift. thanks for posting Christy!
Thanks for sharing this! I saw some at Marshall’s yesterday for $14.99 and I told my mom I’d love to make them at home and save a bundle. Then just like that, you post this. 🙂
Love this idea. I don’t know that mine have ever looked that pretty. But it’s possible I’ve had too much help in the kitchen! 🙂
You have totaly inspired me! Thanks.. I found a tub of 24 large pretzel rods at Walgreens yesterday near the register for $1…. Yes $1… I snagged two tubs.
I have never had luck (and again failed this morning) with melting chocolate. I used milk chocolate hershey’s bars today on low heat on my simmer burner, and it just gets kinda lumpy when it’s melted. I’ve tried chips in the past with the same results. Any suggestions?
Love these as gifts!! To Sarah-I microwave my chocolate chips or almond bark. I always put it in a large glass bowl and start with just one minute. Then I pull it out and stir with a spoon. Put it back in for another 45 seconds, get a new spoon and stir again. Continue in 30-45 second increments until completely melted. You can’t use the same spoon to stir and if any water touches the chocolate, it gets ruined. If it is overheated, it also lumps up so that’s why you have to pull it out and stir so much. Hope this helps!