Description
These adorable Reindeer Pretzel Rods are a festive and fun holiday treat perfect for parties and gift-giving. Covered in melted chocolate and decorated with candy eyes, red candy noses, and crunchy pretzel antlers, they combine sweet and salty flavors with a charming presentation. Easy to make and no baking required, these reindeer-themed snacks are sure to delight kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Coating
- 12 ounce package meltable milk or dark chocolate
Pretzels
- 20-24 large pretzel rods (about one package)
- 16 ounce package pretzel twists
Decorations
- Candy eyeballs
- Red candy pearls (or red M&M’s, sixlets, or cinnamon candies as substitutes)
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside to place the dipped pretzels on later.
- Melt Chocolate: Put the meltable chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until fully melted. Alternatively, melt chocolate chips over a double boiler until smooth.
- Dip Pretzel Rods: Dip one end of each pretzel rod into the melted chocolate, covering about half of the rod. Lay the dipped rods on the lined baking sheet.
- Add Faces: Attach two candy eyes and a red candy pearl onto the chocolate-coated side of each pretzel. Refrigerate the tray for 10 minutes to let the chocolate harden.
- Prepare Antlers: On a cutting board, break or cut pretzel twists into small pieces to resemble antlers. You will need two pieces per reindeer.
- Reheat Chocolate (if needed): If the melted chocolate has hardened, warm it again in the microwave in 30-second bursts until smooth.
- Attach Antlers: Using a piping or sandwich bag with a small cut tip, pipe a small amount of chocolate onto the back side of each pretzel rod. Affix two pretzel antler pieces onto the chocolate and set aside to harden.
- Set Final Assembly: Place all pretzel rods back onto the baking sheet and refrigerate for another 10 minutes to fully harden the antlers in place.
- Serve: Remove from refrigerator and enjoy your festive Reindeer Pretzel Rods!
Notes
- Store finished pretzel rods in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
- Use a 16-ounce package of pretzel twists to ensure enough antler pieces and reduce waste.
- Be careful to cut a very small tip off the sandwich bag when piping chocolate to control the flow.
- Broken large pretzel sticks can be repurposed as “baby reindeer” treats for added fun.
- Leftover pretzel pieces make great snacks or additions to other recipes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pretzel rod
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
