Decorated Valentines Dipped Pretzel Treats
Salty, crunchy, smooth, and sweet make a fantastic Valentine's day treat. These Dipped and Decorated Valentine's Pretzel Treats are fast and simple; you cannot mess them up (not even the kids)! You only need mini pretzels, red, white, and pink, melting wafers, and Valentine's sprinkles to make this salty, crunchy, smooth, and sweet Valentine's Treat.
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag of Pretzels
- 3 oz pink candy melts
- 3 oz red candy melts
- 3 oz white candy melts
- Assorted Valentines Day Themed Sprinkles
- cellophane bags (optional)
Instructions
- Get out a baking sheet and line it with parchment or wax paper. Empty the contents of the red, white, and pink melting wafers into a separate greased glass bowl.
- Melt the candy coatings according to the package directions. You can do this via microwave or double boiler. I've included instructions below. I suggest melting and dipping pretzels in one color of candy melt at a time. Otherwise, keeping all three bowls of melted candy coating the correct consistency for dipping will be challenging. They will begin to harden as they sit.
- Hold the pretzel by an edge and dip it into the melted candy. Tap it on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess, and then place the dipped pretzel onto the lined baking sheet. You'll want to decorate them in batches to get the sprinkles on before the candy starts to set. Dip each pretzel in the melted candy and decorate with your favorite sprinkles.
- Put all the dipped pretzels in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the candy has hardened.
Notes
BEST WAY TO MELT CANDY COATING
MICROWAVE OVEN - Microwave at 50% power or the defrost setting for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly; continue to microwave at the same setting in 15-30 second intervals, stirring until the candy is almost completely melted. When you first stir, it may look like it hasn't melted, but as you move the heat around, any bits of candy coating that haven't melted should disappear. If not, you can heat it for another 15 seconds. Don't get too aggressive adding intervals; taking the time to stir after heating helps prevents overheating and keeps your candy nice and smooth.
DOUBLE BOILER - Fill a pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Place a glass bowl of candy melts over the pot, making sure that it doesn't touch the water in the pot below. Stir constantly until the candy is mostly melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the residual heat melt the remaining candy pieces.
How to store these dipped pretzels
The best way is to store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Provided everything is fresh, to begin with, and the container is clean, dry, and has a tight seal, these valentines day pretzels can stay fresh for about three weeks. Any longer, and the pretzels start getting stale.
You can also put the pretzels into cellophane bags in preparation for gifting.
Should I Refrigerate Valentine's pretzel treats?
No, candy-dipped pretzels are best stored at room temperature. Freshly dipped pretzels should be placed in the fridge for 20 minutes for the candy to set up; otherwise, they should be stored at room temperature.
Can I freeze Valentine's Pretzels?
Technically, you can freeze them in a completely airtight container. But since these pretzels are not fully dipped in the candy, I recommend that you don't. The parts of the exposed pretzel will dry out, and the crunchy texture will not be what you expect or want.
How far in advance can you make candy-covered pretzels?
Since they are shelf stable for about three weeks, you could make this valentine's day treat 2-3 weeks before they're needed. I'd make them no more than one week in advance so that the recipient of my valentine's chocolate gift has plenty of time to enjoy them fresh.