These simple chocolate pretzel rods are dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with holiday sprinkles, nuts, and mini marshmallows. They make a beautiful and easy giftable holiday treat for friends and family!
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Chocolate pretzel rods are an easy holiday treat everyone loves. The combination of salty and sweet is so satisfying.
Depending on the holiday or occasion, you can switch it up. Use pastel sprinkles for Easter, orange and black for Halloween, or multi-colored sprinkles for a birthday celebration. They make a wonderful edible holiday gift for friends.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Pretzel Rods
Limited Ingredients: It only takes three simple ingredients to make this festive snack.
Easy and Fun: This is a quick, easy, and fun recipe that gets you in and out of the kitchen fast, or it can be a great way to get the kids in the kitchen.
Delicious Flavor: These are sweet, salty, and so chocolaty.
Perfect for Any Diet: These are dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free if using gluten-free pretzel sticks.
Customizable: Change up the sprinkles to suit any holiday or special event.
A Great Gift: Wrap the pretzels in cellophane and a pretty ribbon, and give them as edible Christmas gifts!
Ingredients
Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips give the pretzel rods their sweet, rich, chocolaty flavor. I prefer Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels.
Pretzel Rods: The saltiness of pretzel rods is the perfect complement to the sweet chocolate.
Sprinkles: Holiday-themed sprinkles make these pretzel rods pop!
Substitutions and Variations
Try Different Varieties of Chocolate: You can use a combination of different chocolates, including white chocolate, milk chocolate, or colored candy melts.
Homemade Caramel: If you’re not a chocolate person, dip these in a homemade caramel sauce. Yum!
Sprinkles: Depending on the holiday or occasion, use festive colored sprinkles. Leave the sprinkles and decorations off for a more neutral year-long pretzel stick, or top with your favorite nuts, such as chopped peanuts, or slivered almonds.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pretzel rods for a gluten-free version.
How to Make Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Rods
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring between each until melted. If chocolate is almost there but not melted, reduce it to 15-second intervals.
- Dip the pretzel rods in chocolate. Use a spoon or spatula to cover ¾ of the rod. Lightly shake to remove any excess chocolate.
- Place the rod over the baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper, and sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles, nuts, or candies. Gently twist the rod to make sure all sides are covered. Place rod on lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pretzel rods until all chocolate or pretzels are used.
- Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. Remove from the fridge and enjoy!
FAQ
Transfer the melted chocolate to a tall mason jar for easy dipping so that you can dip the pretzel quickly and easily for a smooth and professional looking finish.
After you dip the pretzels in chocolate and top them with your sprinkles, place them in the fridge for about 10-30 minutes to set. Once set, they do not need to be stored in the refrigerator. They will keep at room temperature if stored in a cool, dry place for several weeks.
It’s essential to microwave your chocolate at 30-second intervals and stir between each. This allows the chocolate to melt without getting overheated and seizing.
Expert Tips
- Do not heat the chocolate in the microwave for too long. Heat it in 30-second increments, stirring in between. If you overheat the chocolate, it will burn and be unusable.
- Another option to melt the chocolate is to use the double boiler method. With this method, you place a glass bowl over boiling water so that the bowl does not touch the water, and the steam warms the chocolate. This is a more gentle way to melt the chocolate.
- Yet another option to melt the chocolate is to place warm water in a crockpot. Place mason jars filled with chocolate chips in the jars and place the jars in the water. This will gently melt the chocolate while you dip your pretzels. The challenge with this method is that you need to be careful not to get any hot water in the jars of chocolate.
Serving Suggestions
These make an easy and fun gift when packaged. Purchase clear cellophane bags, white striped string, and a snowflake holiday tag to wrap around the top. Place three rods in each bag, but add as many as you like!
Storage
If not given as a gift, transfer the rods to an airtight container—a holiday cookie tin or zip-lock bag.
Store them at room temperature in a cool, dry place such as your pantry. Do not put them in direct sunlight, as they will melt. The pretzel rods will keep for several weeks if stored properly. There’s no need to refrigerate them!
🎄 More Christmas Treats!
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Recipe
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
- 12 oz bag of pretzel rods 30 pretzel rods
- holiday sprinkles
- chopped nuts
- mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Pour the chocolate chips into a medium glass mixing bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each increment, until the chocolate is melted.
- Dip the pretzel rods into the melted chocolate. Use a spatula to help you cover ¾ of the rod. Lightly shake to remove any extra chocolate.
- Place the dipped rod over the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles, nuts, or candies, gently twisting the rod to ensure all sides are covered.
- Place the pretzel rod on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat for the rest of the pretzel rods until all chocolate or pretzels are used. The recipe will make about 30 pretzel rods.
- Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. Remove from the fridge and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t heat the chocolate in the microwave for too long. If you overheat the chocolate, it will burn and be unusable.
- Another option, instead of the microwave, is to use the double boiler method. With this method, you place a glass bowl over boiling water so that the bowl does not touch the water, and the steam warms the chocolate. This is a more gentle way to melt the chocolate.
- Yet another option to melt the chocolate is to place warm water in a crockpot. Place mason jars filled with chocolate chips in the jars and place them in the water. This will gently melt the chocolate and keep it melted while you dip your pretzels. The challenge with this method is that you need to be careful not to get any hot water in the jars of chocolate.
- Package these in clear cellophane bags. Tie them with a colored twist tie. Then, wrap around the top with a red and white striped string and a snowflake holiday tag. Place three rods in each bag, but add as many as you like!
- Store them at room temperature in a cool, dry place such as your pantry. The pretzel rods will keep for several weeks if stored properly.
Barbara
These are so good however I just put my first batch into bag and saw that the chocolate was melting in the cellophane bag. Should the Pretzels in bags stay in the refrigerator before gifting? If so how long? I did cool them in refrigerator for 20 minutes after decorating.
Alison Corey
It depends on the type of chocolate you use, some take longer to solidify. I have not had trouble with the chocolate melting once put in the cellophane bags, however, the pretzels must be completely cool and the chocolate hardened before transferring.
Colleen
These are so delicious, festive and simple! I will be making these for gifts this Christmas. Thank you for sharing.
Emmeline
Such a fun sweet treat! I will definitely be making a Christmas version of these for my family this year.
Nathan
These are so cute, especially with the holidays coming up. I see some little gift bags in my loved ones’ futures!
Sisley White
These are so much fun and so delicious. I love making them so I can use up some sprinkles.
Sue
These are such fun, and so much cheaper to make at home, the fancy catalogs charge a fortune for them!!