Dipped and Decorated Pretzels for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is one of those wonderful holidays where the only gift you need to give is a little love to the people you care about most. As a mom, I spend all year doing the things I have to do with my kids, so I like taking the extra time during the holidays to do the things I want to do with them. That usually means baking something extra special or surprising the kids with a breakfast made with love in the form of heart shaped pancakes.

This year, spend some time with your kids in the kitchen making tasty treats like these Dipped and Decorated Valentine Pretzels.

How To Make Chocolate Covered Pretzels With Candy Melts

An easy dessert for kids, pretzel twists and rods dipped in pink candy melts then decorated with Valentine’s Day hearts and candy sprinkles.

Valentine Pretzels – Step 1

Gather your favorite pretzel snacks.

The large pretzel rods and twists work well for this sweet project but you can also dip the small sticks and mini twists too. In our original post, Cat used large pretzel twists and rods, but here in Canada, I couldn’t find large pretzels.

So I used regular pretzel twists and pretzel sticks, as well as mini-pretzel twists and rods.
 

Valentine Pretzels – Step 2

Do you use candy melts or chocolate chips for candy dipped pretzels?

Candy melts are the perfect product to use to make dipped Valentine pretzels. They melt easily and come ready in fun holiday colors like red, white, and pink. (Our local stores only had white candy melts, so I used red food coloring to make some of our candy pink.)

You can melt chocolate chips or bars of chocolate if you don’t have any candy melts or if you prefer the taste of real chocolate.

Since chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips) don’t melt as easily or as smoothly as candy melts, add some vegetable shortening to the chocolate chips when you melt them. The shortening will help thin out the chocolate and make it easier to work with.

Our original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening for a cup of candy melts. But, I don’t find that you need that much shortening, especially if you are using candy melts and not chocolate chips.

In fact, since candy melts are made for melting and coating, you may even be able to skip the vegetable shortening if you don’t have any on hand.

If your melted candy or chocolate is still too thick and doesn’t flow smoothly from a spoon, increase the amount of shortening.

How do you melt the “candy melts” for your dipped pretzels?

The key to melting candy melts or chocolate chips is to proceed carefully and stir OFTEN.

You can melt your candy in the microwave or with a double boiler.

(If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a metal or glass bowl on top of a saucepan with a couple of inches of water in it. But make sure that the bowl is larger than the pot so no water or steam can get into the candy bowl. Water will make your candy seize and ruin it.)

Using a microwave is a simpler method because you don’t have to worry about water/steam getting into the candy and seizing it. But heat slowly and cautiously.

When melting the candy, use a microwave-safe bowl, ideally glass or ceramic, and add a teaspoon or two of vegetable shortening to about a cup of candy melts.

Microwave the melts for 30-seconds and then remove and stir. Return candy to microwave and heat in 15-30 second intervals, stirring each time in between until the melts are smooth and creamy.

It will look like your candy melts or chocolate chips aren’t melting, but they are. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir well.

The heat from the bowl as well as from the heated candy will continue to melt the rest of the candy.
 

Valentine Pretzels – Step 3

Place a large sheet of wax paper over a hard surface. Dip and cover each pretzel covering about a third of the surface. Tap the pretzel on the side of the bowl to remove excess candy.

If your bowl is too small, use a spoon to pour the candy melts over the pretzels… pouring the melted candy with a spoon works really well for the decorated pretzel rods.

You can use a coffee warmer to keep your candy warm, melted, and smooth. But make sure to stir regularly and don’t leave it on too high of a heat or it may scorch and burn.

Valentine Pretzels – Step 4

This is the part the kids love the most!

Place the dipped pretzels on a sheet of wax paper and decorate with your favorite candy sprinkles.

Valentine Pretzels – Step 5

Let the dipped pretzels harden for about an hour. You can also place them in the fridge for a quick chill.

Valentine Pretzels – Step 6

Wrap your treats with candy wrappers, which you can find at your local craft store or dollar store, and then tie with a ribbon.

These sweet treats make wonderful Valentine’s Day gifts for teacher gifts, friends, or family.

Pin these Valentine Pretzels for Later

More Valentine’s Day Treats

Conversation Heart Cookies – The Sweetest Valentine’s Day Cookies