Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these Shamrock Pretzels. These sweet and salty treats are easy, festive, and perfect for parties or gifts!
These St. Patrick's Day themed shamrock chocolate covered pretzels have been making the rounds on Instagram and Tiktok because they are so simple and they come out so cute. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate covered pretzels.
Why you'll love them:
- Easy: All of these have 5 to 10 minute prep time and use only 3-4 ingredients, making them a fun and easy homemade snack!
- Delicious: Pretzels and chocolate are a classic crowd pleasing combination that are sure to be a hit at any St. Patrick's day party. Plus, they make really fun homemade gifts!
- Kid Friendly: These are such a fun treat and perfect for making with the kids! They can decorate the shamrocks exactly how they want them, personalizing the pretzel treats to their taste!
Ingredients
- Pretzels: You'll need mini pretzel twists and pretzel sticks.
- Green Candy Melts: You can also use white chocolate or almond bark with candy coloring (oil based food coloring specially for chocolate), or use regular chocolate and green sprinkles. Really, it's to you any chocolate or candy melts will work. You can also use multiple colors and drizzle on extra chocolate like in these chocolate covered strawberries.
- Toppings: St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles are the obvious choice but you can also decorate with chopped nuts, candy, coconut, or anything else you like!
How to Make
The nice thing about these St. Patrick's Day chocolate covered pretzels is that there is really no right or wrong to decorate them, or enjoy them. That's one of the many reason they are so fun to make with kids!
Step 1: Prep
Prep Workstation: Place a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat on a baking tray or table (if letting the chocolate dry at room temperature). This will help to easily remove the treats once the chocolate dries.
A baking tray helps if moving the shamrock pretzels to and from the refrigerator or separate drying area. If letting the chocolate dry at room temperature, you can place the parchment or wax paper directly on a table or counter.
Melt Chocolate: In separate microwave-safe bowls, melt the orange and black candy melts according to the package instructions. Typically, this involves heating them in 30-second intervals and stirring until smooth. You can also melt over a double broiler on the stovetop.
Step 2: Dip Pretzels
Dip three twist pretzels in chocolate and then place on parchment in the shape of a shamrock. Then, dip a pretzel stick in chocolate and place in the middle to look like a stem.
Step 3: Decorate
Now the fun part, decorating! while the chocolate is still melted, add sprinkles, or crushed candy, nuts, or whatever else you'd like to add to these chocolate covered pretzels.
Let dry, gently remove from the parchment or silicone mat, and enjoy!
Fun Variations
- Shamrock Pretzel Pops: Use a lollipop sticks instead of the pretzel stick and you have a quick and easy shamrock pop!
- Shamrock Rolo Pretzels: Instead of using melted chocolate, place a rolo in the center of the pretzels that have been shaped like a shamrock. Then, bake as in the these halloween pretzels. Once soft, press a green M&M or anything else you want into the center to hold the pretzels together. You can also decorate with melted chocolate, sprinkles, or anything else you want.
Tips and Tricks
- Line the Baking Pan: Line a baking sheet or workspace with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This makes it easy to remove the treats once they've set.
- Prepare Your Toppings in Advance: Have your sprinkles or any additional toppings such as nuts, candy, etc. ready to go before melting the chocolate. This ensures a quick and smooth assembly process without the chocolate hardening.
- Get the Desired Chocolate Consistency: If using candy melts and the chocolate appears too thick, you can add vegetable shortening 1 tsp at a time until you get a slightly thinner dipping consistency.
- Adding Food Coloring: If using white chocolate and adding food coloring, make sure they are oil based rather than water based. Water based extracts and food coloring can cause the chocolate to seize up and get grainy.
FAQ
There are two reasons chocolate can seize up and get grainy. The first is it was over-heated. You can combat this by making sure to follow the instructions exactly when melting your chocolate. If using a microwave heat on half power and use a double broiler if heating on the stovetop. Do not ever heat any type of chocolate or candy melts directly in a pan on a stovetop. It will always overheat and seize up.
The second reason is because liquid somehow got mixed in with the chocolate. Be sure your bowl and utensils are completely dry before adding and melting the chocolate. And, if adding flavors or food coloring make sure they are oil based such as these candy colors.
Yes, you can technically freeze them, but they are very delicate, so be carefully if freezing.
Gifting
These St. Patrick's Day chocolate covered pretzels are a fun homemade gift or party favor! There are three main ways I like to package these chocolate shamrocks.
- Bags: I prefer clear plastic bags because they allow all the shamrocks to show through. But, you can also use bakery bags or holiday treat bags.
- Boxes: This is a great way to gift the pretzels. Boxes are perfect for when you are gifting more than one treat such as pairing the pretzels with chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, or macarons.
- Tins: Cookie tins are not just for cookies! These decorative tins are so cute and festive! Plus, they are a great option for shipping and the least likely to get damaged in transport.
Storing and Making Ahead
These shamrock pretzel treats will last up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
Looking for more Kid Friendly Snacks? Check these out!
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Shamrock Pretzels
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
INGREDIENTS
- mini pretzels twists
- pretzel sticks or lollipop sticks
- green candy melts melted
- sprinkles or other toppings
Instructions
- Place a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat on a baking tray or table (if letting the chocolate dry at room temperature). This will help to easily remove the treats once the chocolate dries.
- Place a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat on a baking tray.
- If you haven't done so, melt the chocolate according to package instructions.
- Dip the mini pretzel twists in the melted chocolate and place on the prepared parchment paper in the shape of a shamrock.
- Dip half of a pretzel stick in chocolate and add to the middle of the pretzel shamrock. You can also use a lollipop stick instead of a pretzel stick to make a shamrock pretzel pop.
- While the chocolate is still melted, immediately add sprinkles or other toppings such as crushed nuts, candy, etc.
- Let the pretzel treats dry completely and carefully remove from the parchment or wax paper. Enjoy!
Notes
- Line the Baking Pan: Line a baking sheet or workspace with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This makes it easy to remove the treats once they've set.
- Prepare Your Toppings in Advance: Have your sprinkles or any additional toppings such as nuts, candy, etc. ready to go before melting the chocolate. This ensures a quick and smooth assembly process without the chocolate hardening.
- Get the Desired Consistency: If using candy melts and the chocolate appears too thick, you can add vegetable shortening 1 tsp at a time until you get a slightly thinner dipping consistency.
- Adding Food Coloring: If using white chocolate and adding food coloring, make sure they are oil based rather than water based. Water based extracts and food coloring can cause the chocolate to seize up and get grainy.
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