Chocolate and Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods
These homemade chocolate and caramel dipped pretzel rods are the perfect holiday gift! They are so tasty, and look great packaged up!
Are you sick and tired of Christmas candy and cookies? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist posting about these delectable pretzels.
Just in case you haven’t made up your mind about what to take your neighbors OR you simply want to ingest yet another chocolate-laden treat, these are for you.
I’ve wanted to make chocolate and caramel dipped pretzel rods for a while but knew they would be a real labor of love and never had the heart to attempt it. That is, until my Aunt Marilyn (who has her own label on my sidebar due to her excellent recipes), sent me a caramel recipe for just this purpose. I couldn’t resist.
After my perfectionist nature rolled aside and allowed me to accept the fact that these pretzels WOULD have a flat side, no matter the creative methods I employed to get them to stay circular all the way around, it was a fun project. And the result? Wow.
The caramel is heavenly (and I really loaded it on each pretzel, let me tell you) and combined with the saltiness of the pretzel and other layers of chocolate sweetness?
Well, I’ll be surprised if any of these make it to the intended recipients.
Chocolate and Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) butter
- 1 cup (212 g) brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- Dash of salt
- 40+ Pretzel rods
- Chocolate for dipping and drizzling, (I used about 10 ounces of semi-sweet to cover the pretzels and for additional drizzling, and 6 ounces of white chocolate for drizzling)
Instructions
- Mix ingredients in order over medium heat. Come to a rolling boil to soft ball stage (use a candy thermometer or test in a bowl of cold water – a drop of caramel in the cold water should roll into a soft ball in your fingers).
- Take caramel off heat and use a spatula to smooth caramel over pretzels. I laid the pretzels on parchment paper after coating them in caramel and after they had set for about 10 minutes, I rolled each one along the parchment paper to eliminate the pool of caramel on the side they were laying on.
- After caramel has set on pretzels (about 20 minutes), melt desired chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water. I poured my melted chocolate into a tall glass and dipped each caramel pretzel into the glass to coat the caramel pretzel in chocolate. Again, lay the pretzel to dry on a tray covered in parchment paper. I put them in the refrigerator to set fully before drizzling with white chocolate and more semi-sweet chocolate.
- For drizzling, use remaining melted chocolate and pour into a ziploc bag. Cut a tiny tip off one corner and drizzle across pretzels. The lady who gave my aunt this recipe had a great idea for Christmas and drizzled the chocolate and caramel covered pretzels in red and green colored chocolate (I believe she used the Wilton candy pieces for the red and green). They were adorable (if you can call pretzels adorable).
- Don’t worry (like I did) that there is a flat side to the pretzel or that the chocolate may pool underneath the pretzel. Once the chocolate has set, you can easily shave off any unwanted pooling or excess chocolate for a prettier pretzel using a sharp knife.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from A. Marilyn
Greetings n Blessings Mel, in the Name of JESUS.
My name is Shani, from Soweto Johannesburg, South Africa.
I love cooking n baking, especially cookies, I would like to have the recipes as well, thanking u in advance. Best Regards, Shani
i have a birthday party this Saturday march 30th. i am looking to make pretzels wrapped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate. how far in advance can i make them as i am making a few other treats as well.
If they are stored in a cool, dry place, they can probably be made several days ahead of time.
I love your ideas and looking forward to seeing your news letters.
I make a regular batch of caramels and after they harden I cut them up into 1/2″ x 1-1/2″ pieces and starting at the top of the pretzel I just wind the caramel around the pretzel rod, stretching it as I turn it. One pan will do 70 to 80 petzels. I make about that amount during the holiday season and I have done them for shower treats. They are a labor of love and everybody looks forward to them.
What a great idea, Maggie!
Our favorite trick for avoiding the flat edge is to prop them inside of criss crossed cooling racks. I have a set of 3 cooling racks that have just enough room for a pretzel between the slats and are stackable, so they raise up a couple inches off the counter. I put a second one the opposite direction (and upside down, so the “legs” are up) creating a raised grid. I have to space the pretzels out enough to not touch, because they slant a little in the hole. I usually have the plain part of the pretzel at the bottom and the dipped part sticking out of the grid.
Hi Mel, I just want to say I love your blog and have tried several recipes all with great success! Thanks for always sharing your delicious recipes and helpful tips!
I have a few questions for you on the caramel recipe. I just tried making it and it ended up being hard as a rock! Obviously I must have gone well beyond the soft ball stage so I am guessing my candy thermometer is off or something? Could you offer some tips on my questions below please?
Should I have melted the butter first and then added the other ingredients?
Am I supposed the stir the mixture constantly or not at all?
Do I leave the thermometer in constantly?
I want to try your recipe again but am afraid to waste the ingredients and time! Any tips you can offer would be so appreciated! Thanks again for sharing your time and talents! 🙂
Marcie
Hi Marcie – sorry the caramel didn’t work out! Have you seen my post on calibrating a candy thermometer? Thermometers can be off like crazy so I always do this before I make candy or caramel. As for your other questions, I don’t melt the butter first, I put those first ingredients in the pan together. Stirring during caramel making is widely debated mostly because caramel can crystallize if bits of sugar that are higher up on the pan sides are reintroduced to the boiling caramel mixture so if you do stir, do it gently or even just swirl the pan. If you keep your heat on medium-low or medium so the caramel doesn’t burn, you can get away with not stirring. Yes, leave the thermometer in the entire time. Let me know if you have other questions!
Thanks for the great recipe! My mom and I attempted caramel dipped pretzels a while ago and it was not a pretty sight! We used waxed paper instead of parchment paper…which was very, very bad! It took me a few days to build up the courage to try these and the parchment paper…so glad I did! 🙂
Melanie, I was given dipped pretzels recently and loved them..stumbled upon your site and love what you offer! I already made your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge last night, and am going to make your Chocolate and Caramel Dipped Pretzel Rods today. All your recipes sound incredible; I’m excited to try more of them. Thank you for your site!! I can tell these will become my new holiday favorites and you will make me look like a rockstar 😀 Happy Holidays!!
Awesome. Thanks for the link. I want to make some candy apples for date night, so that will be perfect. Love all your recipes by the way. Thanks for blogging!
Hi Mel-
Do you think you could use this recipe to make caramel apples?
Mary – yes, this would probably work for caramel apples, although I’ve never tried it in that application. Here is a link to a great blogger who has tips and a recipe for making caramel apples. I trust her advice and think the recipe she shares would be more tried-and-true for apples:
http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/trick-or-treat-top-tips-for-making-caramel-apples/
Hi Melanie,
I’m just putting the final touches on my first batch. I’m not sure what the caramel was supposed to look like – mine might have been too runny. I had a thermometer – maybe it wasn’t accurate?
They look very ‘homemade” (not professional – like yours) – but I’m hoping that my kids’ teachers/coaches – etc will enjoy. I have to make a 2nd batch – so any help on the caramel part would be appreciated.
Hi Valerie – I’m glad you made these! I bet they look wonderful. The caramel should have a thick, yet still pliable, consistency. I was able to dip my pretzels in the caramel but had to use a spatula/knife to get all the caramel around the pretzel because it was pretty thick. I hope that helps!
Melanie,
What temperature should the carmel be – if I use a thermometer?
Valerie – probably right around 234-235 degrees.
chantarelle – thanks for your comment! Your pretzels sound so festive and lovely – I love the idea of drizzling with the red and pink and I’m definitely using that same tip next time I make them. I’m glad they turned out for you!
I made these last night to give out as early V-Day gifts at work to get us all loved up – I took inspiration from one of your earlier commenters about using the crushed almonds to keep them round – I too have nut-free people in the office, so instead used a pack on the tiny stick pretzels and smashed them up into pieces that looked like crushed nuts and used those – they turned out great! (I drizzled them with white chocolate tinted red and pink, so pretty!) I wish I’d taken photos but they ate them too fast today! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Melanie – wish me luck in adding carmel to my pretzels this year. I am very challenged when it comes to making candy-LOL
I incorporated drizzling melted green Andies mints on my pretzels in the past and they were a big hit with friends and family. now, not sure if the carmel and mint go together but I guess I just make two different kinds 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Melanie, Hi I found your blog a couple of days ago and I haven’t been this excited for a long time! I have made these pretzels for a few years now, but every year I get on the internet and try to find some great tips and this year I found YOU! I have one problem and it is driving me crazy. When I do the milk chocolate they get those white spots on them. I have tried barely melting the chocolate so its not to hot and I try to keep the house cool and it still does it! I made some a few days ago and I am going to make more in the next day or two. Do you have any other suggestions or know what it is I am doing wrong? Every year I tell myself I am not going to do it again because I get so frustrated with the SPOTS but then my neighbors and my children start saying, “We can’t wait to get your pretzels for Christmas” so I try again. I would really appreciate any hints or help you could offer! Thank you for providing us with this wonderful blog. I have alerted all of my friends about it and they love it too! Thank you for sharing! Paulynn
paulynn – sorry it has taken me a day or so to respond to your comment. The white spots you see on your dried chocolate is called “bloom.” It doesn’t affect the taste but it means the chocolate wasn’t tempered just right. This is kind of tricky because tempering chocolate is really hard and most home cooks (like myself) don’t usually mess with it – usually what I do is I chop my chocolate really fine and melt it in the microwave until nearly melted – then I stir until completely melted and then add about 2 ounces of finely chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate to bring it up to a cooler temperature. It helps to prevent the blooming…but I’m not an expert so there may be other issues contributing. I wish I could be of more help! Let me know how they turn out the next time you try them. It sounds like despite the blooming, your friends and family want the pretzels anyway! You must have a pretty good reputation to keep up!
What did I do wrong? I melted the butter, added the brown sugar, the corn syryp and then the condensed milk. It started cooking but then had dark pieces so I started stirring afraid it was burning on the bottom of the pan. Something tells me I shouldn’t have stirred and just let it cook till it reached the right temperature. It smells wonderful and I did put it on the pretzel rods but it’s grainy and not quite right. I’m going to put the chocolate on next but please help.
Karen – caramel can be tricky but I think the trick to not getting the burned pieces on the bottom is to cook the caramel at a low heat. It takes longer to cook to the right temperature but usually it helps the butter not to separate and the caramel to burn. I’m guessing next time you might try a lower temperature and either stir constantly from the beginning over low heat or don’t stir at all. Good luck!