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    Home » Desserts (No Bake) » Festive Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels and Holiday Treat Boxes

    LAST UPDATED: February 4, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: December 9, 2011 By Toni Dash 24 Comments

    Festive Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels and Holiday Treat Boxes

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    holiday homemade treat boxes.

    One of my absolute favorite things to do during December is to take a drive to look at holiday lights.  I’m not sure exactly what makes them so magical but for me there is nothing better than setting out on a cold winter’s night with a car full of holiday treats, hot chocolate or coffee to get lost in people’s festive ingenuity (or ‘illumination neurosis’ in some cases).

    Where we live I’ve found often getting a bit out of town can bring some of the most surprises.  There are roads where the homes or ranches are sprawling and the light displays commensurate with that.  The sort that makes you pull to the side of the road to take it all in.
    house with holiday lights
    A favorite regular drive is 15 minutes north of Boulder to the small town of Lyons Colorado.  Being one with a serious case of wanderlust, getting out of town in any form excites me and Lyons feels completely different than Boulder.  Lyons has a definite small town vibe and throws one of the best Parade of Lights around.  All the local businesses festoon their company vehicles with more strands of lights than imaginable and throw candy to the chilled parade viewers.  There are local buses, fire trucks (usually toting Mr. and Mrs. Claus), police cars, the local welding company and more that partake.  The parade ends with a fireworks display to rival any found on July 4th.
    The house light decorations in Lyons are the same.  In a small area one can find many, many homes having taken the entire month to set up their proud display.  There is one house in particular that is like nothing I’ve seen.  Imagine any holiday theme, figure, genre that could be lit up and they have it.  Disney holiday characters.  A full set of reindeer and Santa that start on the edge of their roof and end across the street on a phone pole.  Larger-than-life blow up electric snow globes with snow blowing in them.  I truly believe this house can be seen from outer space AND uses more electricity in the month of December than smaller countries in the world for an entire year.
    house with holiday lights
    Having some sweets to nosh always adds to the fun.  I made up these treat boxes as a surprise for our car full.  They included mini candy canes, peppermint sticks (great for stirring hot chocolate though we usually have that in travel mugs), Forgotten Cookies , chocolate ‘coins’, vintage style ribbon candy made locally by Hammond’s Candy and a  delicious and easy favorite: chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolate dipped pretzels are so quick and simple to make and you can really make them to fit your personal tastes.  Everything in this box is easy and quick to prepare so great for outings or gifts.
    homemade holiday treats and candy in box
    hot chocolate with marshmallows
    chocolate coins and mini holiday poppers
    Christmas Crackers are a fun part of our holiday season.  They are paper tubes that are opened by pulling the opposite ends causing a ‘crack’ sound.  There are little trinkets, jokes and sometimes paper crowns in them.  I could not pass up on these mini versions.
    SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE DIPPED PRETZELS
    You can absolutely tailor this recipe to make fewer pretzels, or use a different type of chocolate that suits you.  I wanted them to look fun and festive so chose the type of chocolate based on that.
    Yield:  approximately 100 1 inch size pretzels
    Ingredients:
    1 bag quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
    1 bag pretzels (I used gluten free pretzels from Glutino which come in at least three shapes)
    Small cake decorating toppings (I used nonpareils and pearls)
    chocolate dipped pretzels with sprinkles
    1.       In the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring occasionally.
    2.      While the chocolate is melting, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place the cake decorating toppings on a plate or a flat-bottomed bowl.
    3.      Once chocolate is melted, dip half of a pretzel into the chocolate, coating thoroughly and allowing any excess chocolate to drip off back into the pan.  Place the pretzel on its side in the desired decoration allowing the decoration to stick to the chocolate.  Turn onto the other side to cover as well.  Place on the parchment paper and allow to dry until hard (usually takes between 30-60 minutes); can be expedited by putting the tray into the refrigerator.
    Part of the reason I like to only coat part of the pretzel is for mobile outings (in the dark) especially, it allows the pretzel to be eaten without chocolate melting all over.
    A gourmet tip:  one of my favorite (and local) chocolate bar companies is Choc-o-love.   They make a variety of wonderful flavors like Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate.  Instead of chocolate chips, you can chop up a bar, melt it and proceed with the recipe, or omit the decorations and just let the chocolate do the talking.
    chocolate foil coins
    WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL STICKS
    I wanted a variation of both shape and textures in my treat boxes so made the same recipe above only with (gluten free) pretzel sticks and decorating sugars.  In particular I used a red sugar and a beautiful silver flakes I had not seen before. 
    chocolate dipped pretzels with sprinkles
    I followed the recipe above exactly only substituting the quality white chocolate chips and dipping into the sugars.  With the pretzel sticks I found allowing excess chocolate to drip off before essentially rolling the sticks in the sugars worked to give the best result.
    A box filled with different types of food for holidays
    mini holiday poppers
    chocolate dipped pretzels holiday treat box
    holiday homemade treat boxes.

    CHOCOLATE DIPPED PRETZELS

    You can absolutely tailor this recipe to make fewer pretzels, or use a different type of chocolate that suits you.  I wanted them to look fun and festive so chose the type of chocolate based on that. Yield:  approximately 100 1 inch size pretzels
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    setting time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 20 5-pretzel servings
    Calories: 99kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 1 bag pretzels I used gluten free pretzels from Glutino which come in at least three shapes
    • Small cake decorating toppings I used nonpareils and pearls

    Instructions

    • In the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate chips, stirring occasionally.
    • While the chocolate is melting, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place the cake decorating toppings on a plate or a flat-bottomed bowl.
    • Once chocolate is melted, dip half of a pretzel into the chocolate, coating thoroughly and allowing any excess chocolate to drip off back into the pan.  Place the pretzel on its side in the desired decoration allowing the decoration to stick to the chocolate.  Turn onto the other side to cover as well.  Place on the parchment paper and allow to dry until hard (usually takes between 30-60 minutes); can be expedited by putting the tray into the refrigerator.
    • Part of the reason I like to only coat part of the pretzel is for mobile outings (in the dark) especially, it allows the pretzel to be eaten without chocolate melting all over.
    • A gourmet tip:  one of my favorite (and local) chocolate bar companies is Choc-o-love.   They make a variety of wonderful flavors like Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate.  Instead of chocolate chips, you can chop up a bar, melt it and proceed with the recipe, or omit the decorations and just let the chocolate do the talking.

    Notes

    WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL STICKS
    I wanted a variation of both shape and textures in my treat boxes so made the same recipe above only with (gluten free) pretzel sticks and decorating sugars.  In particular I used a red sugar and a beautiful silver flakes I had not seen before. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
    « Forgotten Cookies
    Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce »

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Comments

    1. thedustybaker.com says

      December 13, 2011 at 2:20 am

      Wow, I am blown away with how beautiful that box of treats is! And what fun to snack and sip and take in the (insane) beauty of someone's (insane) lighting project! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

      December 12, 2011 at 12:40 am

      I love looking around at awesome light displays! I also love chocolate-covered pretzels!

      Reply
    3. thesmartcookiecook.com says

      December 11, 2011 at 1:20 am

      Beautiful photos. Those lights are stunning and your pretzels look festive & delicious!

      Reply
    4. BigFatBaker says

      December 10, 2011 at 11:49 pm

      Those look like awesome presents! I am going to remember this for next year. I love the chocolate coins too. Those were always my favorite to get in my stocking 🙂

      Reply
    5. The Mom Chef says

      December 11, 2011 at 12:26 am

      Has the spirit arrived yet? I can feel you trying, right up to where you compare the amount of electricity spent to that of a small country *smile*.

      I'm loving those forgotten cookies very, very much. I have to go back for the recipe now. I read it and then came back here to comment.

      You're an amazing woman to make those treat boxes.

      Reply
    6. Kim Bee says

      December 11, 2011 at 4:07 am

      Those lights are fantastic. I love driving around looking at them. Can't get enough of it. These pretzels look so good. I almost did the whole Seinfeld “these pretzels are making me thirsty” but I refrained. Oh wait I guess I didn't. Lol!

      Reply
    7. Emily says

      December 10, 2011 at 8:59 pm

      This post definitely got me in the mood for Christmas. As a kid our neighborhood went all out with lights. Tour buses used to come. I don't remember anything as grand as those photos. Crazy!

      Reply
    8. CS says

      December 10, 2011 at 8:39 pm

      OMG, I love these photos…. I'm absolutely bowled over. I am So Glad you publish this blog!!

      Reply
    9. Diehard Packers Fan says

      December 10, 2011 at 2:30 pm

      I just want want to tell you that I think you are the coolest Toni!

      Reply
    10. Laurie says

      December 10, 2011 at 1:31 pm

      Lyons is a great small town. We made our must stop at the Barking Dog Café this summer. Wish we were there now to enjoy Christmas! Instead we are in south Louisiana wishing for Christmas weather. I have a cup of coffee ready just waiting for the treats. They look fantastic!

      Reply
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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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