Last updated on January 3rd, 2025
Table of contents
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels combine the perfect combination of salty and sweet and are easy to coat in milk, dark or festive white chocolate. Give these simple treats away in gift tins or add to holiday cookie platter. These are a simple and fun treat to make with your family around the holidays. They also make a great gift if you package a few of them in a holiday tin to use as a hostess gift.
Ingredients
Chocolate: There are so many options of chocolate to melt: real chocolate, chocolate chips, or candy melting disks. If you use chocolate baking bars or a block of chocolate you should temper if it contains real cocoa butter mass and cocoa solids. Chocolate chips are a fast way to dip treats as they don’t contain as much cocoa butter as real chocolate so you don’t need to temper them.
Candy melting discs: are the fastest and easiest option, however, be aware that the discs are made mostly sugar, palm oil and artificial ingredients and do not taste as good as 100% real chocolate. To make chocolate shiny for smooth dipping you can add a drop of canola oil to melted chocolate or chocolate chips. If you use the candy melting discs, do not add any oil as they already contain palm oil.
Paramount crystals: used to help melt chocolate, candy melts or yogurt coatings to help make coatings smooth. Use 1 tsp Paramount Crystals for every 2 cups chocolate, candy melts, or yogurt coatings. Put chocolate in heatproof bowl and add paramount crystals slowly until desired consistency is achieved.
Pretzels: most grocery stores sell the holiday themed pretzels which are so fun to dip. If you can’t find them try pretzel rings or pretzel rods.
Oil-Based Food Gel Color: When working with chocolate you need to use an oil-based food gel color. This is to prevent the chocolate from seizing.
Method
1. GATHER EQUIPMENT
- Basic baking equipment: measuring cups and spoons, liquid measuring cups, spatula, bowls, cookie sheet, silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Highly Recommended: double broiler or electric chocolate melter, chocolate dipping tools
- Recommended, not required: gel or oil-based color, squeeze bottle, Flo-Coat (if using gel food colors)
2. MELT CHOCOLATE (CHOOSE METHOD)
- Double Broiler: Melt chocolate over double broiler by melting half the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water that is not touching the water, until the chocolate reaches 115-120° (dark chocolate) and 105-110° (milk or white chocolate) and then remove from heat and stir in remainder of chocolate until smooth. Be sure not to heat chocolate over 115°F, as it will burn. Use a high-quality stainless steel pot such as AllClad Double Broiler along with a digital thermometer for best results.
- Microwave: Melt chocolate in the microwave by placing one third of chocolate into a glass bowl and microwave for 30-seconds. Then add an additional third of the chocolate and continue to melt in 30-second increments until it is all melted and smooth. Remove from microwave and add in final third of the chips.
- Electric Melting Pot: Melt chocolate in a electric chocolate melting pot such as Wilton Brand.
3. COLOR & MELT WHITE CHOCOLATE
- Candy melting disks: these are sold pre-colored, however, they are not real chocolate. They are primarily made of oil and sugar and do not taste as good as real chocolate.
- Color white chocolate (using oil-based color): When coating pretzels or other food in white chocolate, you must use oil-based candy coloring. I prefer to use Americolor Oil-Based Candy Color, however, it is not typically sold in grocery or craft stores.
- Color white chocolate (using standard gel food coloring): When you color white chocolate with regular gel food colo, you will need to add a product called “Flo-Coat.” To do this: add 5 drops of Flo-Coat to 1-part gel food color into the melted chocolate. This will ensure the chocolate will not seize once melted.
4. DIPPING THE PRETZELS
- Place pretzels in chocolate pot: place just a few pretzels in the chocolate pot at a time. Use a chocolate dipping tool or a fork to drain excess chocolate off the pretzel.
- Decorate: Be sure to sprinkle on decorations such as jimmies or non-perils right away so that the chocolate doesn’t set-up too fast. I prefer to use all-natural sprinkles. Read the ingredient labels on pre-made decorations and you’ll see that most have artificial flavor. You can also use course (decorating) sugar which are large sugar crystals. I prefer to use course sugar is over sanding sugar as it tends to clump and melt into the chocolate.
5. ALLOW TO DRY
- After you have dipped the pretzels be sure to put them on a non-stick surface such as sheets of parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat placed on a cookie sheet.
- Let pretzels fully dry before placing them in a storage container.
Equipment & Supplies
Paramount Crystals: used to help melt chocolate, candy melts or yogurt coatings to help make coatings smooth.
Electric Melting Pot: Melt chocolate in an electric chocolate melting pot. I prefer to use this because it is a simple method, easy to keep chocolate at a melting temperature and easy to clean-up.
Dietary Substitutions
TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE:
- Swap out the pretzels with gluten-free pretzels. I recommend using a high-quality brand such as Glutino brand. They are a great choice because they are a crispy pretzel and hold the crunch.
TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE:
- Use dairy-free chocolate. I recommend using a high-quality brand such as Nestle plant-based chocolate chips.
Storage
Store covered pretzels in sealed container or holiday tins. For a simple holiday gift, put some pretzels into a cello bag and tie with a cute bow.
You can also freeze dipped pretzels in a freezer-safe container. Place in layers between parchment or wax paper. To thaw, place container on counter-top and don’t open until they come to room temperature.
Here are some more Christmas Candy Recipes to try this holiday season:
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Ingredients
- 1 bag mini pretzels or rods
- variety of sprinkles
CHOCOLATE
- 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate or disks
- 1 c. milk-chocolate or disks
- ½ tsp. canola oil or Paramount Crystals
WHITE CHOCOLATE
- 1 c. white chocolate bar
- 1 c. white chocolate disks
- oil-based food color OR food gel plus Flo-Coat
- ½ tsp. canola oil or Paramount Crystals
Instructions
PREP
- Sort out the whole pretzels from the bag.
- Line baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
MELT CHOCOLATE
- Melt chocolate using your favorite method: double broiler, microwave, or electric chocolate pot until it is melted and smooth.
- Place chocolate into electric chocolate pot on high setting until it is melted and smooth. Add the canola oil or Parmamount Crystals.
WHITE CHOCOLATE (COLOR)
- Follow same directions except, add oil-based food color OR if you use regular food gel be sure to add Flo-Coat to the chocolate. To use Flo-Coat mix a ratio of 5 parts Flo-Coat to 1 part gel food coloring, then add that mixture to your white chocolate.
- Only dip about 4-5 pretzels at a time and then decorate those immediately with sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.
- Place pretzels on baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Decorate with non-perils or sprinkles of choice.
- If you have colored chocolate left over you can also put some in a plastic bottle made for doing chocolate work and drizzle over the finished dipped pretzels.
- Let chocolate set about 1 hour. Store in a sealed container.
Notes
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @vintagebakedmodern on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagebakedmodern
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