Chocolate Caramel Pretzels
I don't know if you're all aware of this, but I love Christmas. Like, a lot. And you should be impressed (whether you know me personally or not) that I've waited this long to post something Christmasy. For me, the holiday season is centered around a few things: time with loved ones, searching for the perfect gifts, the color red, anything cozy, and food. I saved the best for last there. (Sorry loved ones.)
This weekend, Evan and I are decorating our apartment for the holiday season. Out with the pumpkins, and in with all things Christmas! Obviously, for this decorating day, we needed a holiday treat. Since I'm still recovering from all the gastronomic goodness of Thanksgiving, I didn't want to make a batch of cookies quite yet. My body is not yet prepared for that. So I decided to do something simple and bite-size that we could munch on as we hung garland and ornaments!
All you need to know about these is in the name. They're chocolate caramel pretzels. Those are the ingredients – chocolate, caramel, and pretzels. If you're a little extra (festive) like me, you can also throw some holiday sprinkles on there, but it's in no way necessary. You just place the pretzels on some parchment paper or a baking mat, put the caramel on top, stick them in the oven for a few minutes, let them cool, then dip them in chocolate! This could probably be done with your eyes closed.
Not only do these make a fun, easy treat to enjoy yourself, but they'd also be a cute addition to a cookie tray or as a gift to friends! It's a nice change to share or gift something that's not full of flour and butter. Not that I have anything against flour and butter. All I'm saying is that even the best of us can get cookied-out this time of year! And in those moments, these tasty bites do just the trick.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PRETZELS
Prep Time: 30 minutes (not including time for chocolate to set)
Makes 20 pretzels
Ingredients
20 square pretzels (sometimes called "snaps")
20 small caramels
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
sprinkles (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a small cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the pretzels on the sheet.
If needed, gently flatten your caramels while they're still wrapped – you can use anything from the flat side of a tenderizer, to the bottom of a mug. Just don't over-flatten them. You want to get them close to the size of the pretzel. Then place each caramel onto a pretzel.
Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes. The caramels should just be softened, not flattened. Let them cool a couple minutes. Then, while they're still soft, gently press each caramel down onto the pretzel using your thumb. If you have trouble with them sticking to you, just spray a tiny bit of oil on your thumb.
When the caramel pretzels have completely cooled, heat up your chocolate. If you're only doing the 20 pretzels I called for here, you can just microwave it in a small bowl. If you're doing more, you may want to use a double-boiler to make sure your chocolate stays melted. Once your chocolate is ready, dip each pretzel halfway, then place it back on the parchment paper. If you'd like, you can also add sprinkles while the chocolate is still melted.
Let these sit, either on the counter or in the fridge, until the chocolate has hardened.
Happy Eating,
Natalie