Chocolate Covered Pretzels for the Holidays!

            Chocolate covered pretzels are great to make because they are easy and nutritious! This year, I decided to make some chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate bark for my mom for Christmas. With some white chocolate and dark chocolate baker’s chocolate, pistachios, walnuts, and peppermint-- I was able to make eight different types of pretzels and bark for a decadent holiday gift basket. Here’s what I did:

Types of Pretzels:

White chocolate covered pretzels

Peppermint white chocolate covered pretzels

Dark chocolate covered pretzels

Walnut dark chocolate covered pretzels

Pistachio dark chocolate covered pretzels

Types of Bark:

Peppermint white chocolate bark

Pistachio dark chocolate bark

Walnut dark chocolate bark

Ingredients:

16 oz white chocolate (baker’s chocolate or wafers)

16 oz semi-sweet baker’s chocolate (or wafers)

16 oz bag mini pretzels

1 box peppermint candy canes (usually 12 medium sized candy canes)

1 c pistachios

1 c walnuts

Directions:

1. Begin by crushing pistachios, walnuts and peppermint candy canes and separate into individual bowls.
2. Crush candy canes with the back of a heavy spoon against a solid surface. Keep candy cane in wrapper while crushing. After a few hits all over the candy cane, the candy cane should fall apart into red and white crumbles when unwrapped.
3. The same method can be used with the pistachios and walnuts by placing into respective plastic bags.
4. Once pistachios, walnuts and peppermint are separated into separate bowls, cover baking sheets with wax paper for cooling the chocolate pretzels and bark.
5. Next prep equipment to melt the chocolate. We’ll start with white chocolate first. 
6. White chocolate will be melted down in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, a mixing bowl can be placed over a pot containing a small amount of water. Bring water to a simmer in the bottom pot. (Chocolate will melt using the heat from the steam.)
   
7. Place 16 oz white chocolate into top bowl of double boiler. Chocolate pieces should begin to melt within a few minutes. Check that the chocolate pieces are melted with a spoon.
8. Using tongs to grasp mini pretzels, dip pretzels (use 3 oz for each batch) into white chocolate and lay at room temperature on wax paper to cool.
9. With next batch, dip pretzels in white chocolate and then peppermint chunks while white chocolate is still wet. Lay on wax paper. Use 3 oz of pretzels for this section.
10. Combine leftover peppermint and melted white chocolate in bowl until a uniform consistency. Using a spatula, scrape mixture onto a sheet of wax paper. Pat mixture until it is flat on wax paper to cool.
11. Rinse double boiler and repeat process with dark chocolate. Start with plain dark chocolate covered pretzels, then pistachio dark chocolate covered pretzels, pistachio dark chocolate bark, walnut dark chocolate pretzels and walnut dark chocolate bark. Lay chocolate covered pretzels and bark on wax paper to cool.
12. When all pretzels and bark have cooled, you may package these into fun and creative baggies using wax paper or plastic bags and ribbon. Enjoy!

 

            My mom still can’t believe I made these and keeps asking me where I bought them. This will surely impress!