Chocolate Covered Pretzels
This is my go-to recipe for making chocolate covered pretzels with a snappy, shiny chocolate coating that stays firm at room temperature. You can use any kind of chocolate you like, and the topping options are endless!
Chocolate covered pretzels are one of those simple no-bake treats where you think nothing can possibly go wrong…. until something does.
If you’ve ever had your chocolate seize halfway through dipping, turn streaky once it hardens, or melt the moment you set your pretzels out, then today’s post is for you!
This easy recipe fixes all of those problems! The trick to making professional-level chocolate covered pretzels is to temper the chocolate before you start dipping. This allows the chocolate to set beautifully so it stays firm at room temperature and has a nice snap when you bite into it.
And if tempering chocolate sounds difficult, I promise you that it’s actually really easy and can even be done in the microwave! You don’t need any special ingredients to make these chocolate covered pretzels either, just your favorite chocolate and some mini pretzels.
Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes
The Chocolate
You can use white, dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate. I also recommend using baking chocolate bars, my personal favorite are Bakers or Ghirardelli. Just avoid chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers that make them more resistant to melting and won’t work well.
The Pretzels
I personally love to use mini pretzels or pretzel rods, but feel free to use any shape that you prefer.
Sprinkles
I used rainbow sprinkles, but you can switch up the shape and color of the sprinkles to suit any holiday or occasion. I’ve included some other ideas further down in the post if you need more inspiration!
Let’s Talk About Tempering The Chocolate
Tempering chocolate might sound difficult, but it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it! All you have to do is melt part of the chocolate, then stir in the rest to cool it down to the perfect working temperature.
I cover all the details in the recipe card below, but if it’s your first time tempering chocolate, I highly recommend reading through this section so you feel comfortable!
- Make sure that no water gets into your chocolate. This can cause it to seize up! If you’re cleaning your bowl before getting started, make sure it’s completely dry. If you use the double boiler method, you also want to make sure that no water accidentally gets into the chocolate.
- Finely chop the chocolate. This will help it melt more evenly and keep you from accidentally overheating it.
- Check the temperature often with an instant read thermometer. You’ll start by melting ⅔ of the chocolate, but you want to make sure that it doesn’t get too hot! For the first melt, dark and semi-sweet chocolate shouldn’t exceed 115ºF, while milk and white chocolate shouldn’t exceed 110ºF. I also highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your chocolate because it will make things much easier. I use mine all of the time when I make candy, like peanut brittle or homemade caramels.
- Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate until it’s fully melted. This cools the chocolate to the correct temperature for dipping. If there’s a few larger pieces that won’t fully melt, you can just remove them with a fork.
- Check the temperature again. Dark and semi-sweet chocolate should cool to 89 – 90ºF, while milk and white chocolate should cool to 87ºF. Again, I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to check the temperature!
Not sure if your chocolate is properly tempered? Dip the end of a knife or spoon into the chocolate and let it sit at room temperature. The chocolate should set within a few minutes, be firm to the touch, and shiny.
Tips For Dipping The Pretzels
- Don’t let the tempered chocolate cool too much. If milk and semi-sweet chocolate goes below 85°F or white and milk chocolate goes below 84°F, you’ll need to warm it back up to maintain the temper. This keeps the chocolate super smooth and dippable, and the finished pretzels will look so much prettier.
- Use a fork for easy dipping. I prefer dropping the mini pretzels into the melted chocolate, then using a fork to turn them over and coat them evenly. It also helps to tap the fork and scrape it on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate.
- Slide the pretzels off the fork with a toothpick. Avoid using your fingers if at all possible! A toothpick will make it much easier to slide or lift the pretzels off of your fork.
- Add sprinkles or other toppings right away. They’ll only stick to the chocolate while it’s still wet, so make sure to add them right after dipping.
More Decorating Ideas
- Drizzle on some more chocolate. Transfer any leftover chocolate to a zip-top bag, snip off the corner, and drizzle it over the pretzels to create a pretty pattern. This works especially well if you’re drizzling a lighter colored chocolate over a darker colored chocolate (or vice versa).
- Use different colored sprinkles for the holidays. There are so many fun sprinkle shapes and colors these days! Feel free to use different sprinkles to suit specific holidays or occasions.
- Top with something other than sprinkles. Flaky sea salt, chopped nuts, crushed Oreos, shredded coconut, crushed candy canes, mini M&M’s, toffee bits, and freeze-dried fruit would all work great!
Quick Tip: Don’t try flavoring the chocolate with water-based extracts like peppermint extract. Water + chocolate = a seized up, clumpy mess. You can add oil-based extracts to tempered chocolate if you want to flavor it!
See how beautiful they turned out?! You can also use this same method to temper chocolate for other desserts like chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, butter cookies, etc.
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know how your pretzels turned out and how you decorated them too! Happy Baking!
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark, semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate finely chopped (make sure to use baking chocolate bars; I prefer to use Baker's or Ghirardelli)
- 4 to 5 cups mini pretzels
- Optional: sprinkles
Instructions
- Line two or three large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add ⅔ of the chopped chocolate (8 ounces; 226 grams) to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20 to 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring well after each increment, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your chocolate. If you’re using dark or semi-sweet chocolate, the temperature should not exceed 115ºF. If using milk or white chocolate, the temperature should not go over 110ºF.Alternatively you can place the chopped chocolate in a large glass bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water to melt it. Just make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl and that no water gets into the chocolate. It’s also important to check the temperature often, so that it doesn’t overheat!12 ounces dark, semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate
- Add the remaining chopped chocolate (4 ounces; 113 grams) to the melted chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the temperature has lowered to 89-90°F (for dark or semi-sweet chocolate) or 87°F for milk or white chocolate.
- Once the chocolate is tempered, place a mini pretzel into the chocolate. Use a fork to move it around so it's completely coated in chocolate, then lift it out of the chocolate using the fork. Tap the fork on the side of the bowl and gently scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place the chocolate covered pretzel onto the prepared baking sheet, using a toothpick to help slide or lift it off of the fork. If you plan to add sprinkles or other toppings to your pretzels, go ahead and add them at this point. If a large spot of chocolate starts to pool under the pretzel, you can gently lift it off the parchment paper with a toothpick and move it to another clean spot on the parchment paper.4 to 5 cups mini pretzels,Optional: sprinkles
- Repeat this process with the remaining pretzels until all of them are coated. If the temperature of the chocolate drops below 85°F (for dark or semi-sweet chocolate) or 84°F (for milk or white chocolate) gently reheat it until it’s back to the correct temperature. I typically check the temperature of my chocolate after every cup of pretzels and reheat it in the microwave in 5 second increments at 50% power until it reaches the correct temperature again. If the temperature of the chocolate goes over the recommended temperature for dipping (in step 3), mix in a little extra finely chopped chocolate to help drop it to the correct temperature. If you have any extra chocolate leftover, you can add it to a piping bag and drizzle it over all of the chocolate covered pretzels.
- Allow to set at room temperature (don’t refrigerate!) until the chocolate has fully hardened, about 30 minutes.
