Name: Christmas Pretzel Wreath - Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Prep time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 bag of gluten free pretzels; 1 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips; 2 TBS coconut oil; Dye-free sprinkles; Dye-free green food coloring

These gorgeous white chocolate pretzel wreaths take me right back to childhood, as I have fond memories of concocting various versions of chocolate-dipped pretzels with my mom and sisters. There’s just something irresistible about the sweet and salty combo of chocolate pretzels that I can never get enough of! While such a simple idea, when made properly, these are one of the most craveable delicious recipes out there. For these wreaths, sweet white chocolate coats bites of traditional pretzel twists then gets decorated festively. The wreaths may look like an advanced holiday project, but they actually come together with just a few everyday ingredients. Drizzled artfully over bites of salty, crisp pretzel, the white chocolate hardens into a beautiful wreath shape that is such a tasty treat for gifting or serving at gatherings. Creating an edible work of art takes no more than melting chocolate and dipping pretzels, making this one of the easiest ways to impress friends and family over the holidays!

Perfect for the Holidays

If you are looking for an easy, salty treat that will be sure to be a hit for your Christmas Eve Dinner, kids Christmas party, or next holiday event, you have got to try these pretzel wreaths. They are absolutely adorable and make the cutest gifts. The best part about these Christmas pretzel wreaths is the cleaner ingredients list. These are gluten free, dairy, and dye-free! This is a festive treat that is a twist on the classic chocolate covered pretzel rods that you might make during the holiday season.

This is an easy treat to get your whole family involved to make one of our favorite Christmas treats! Gather around the kitchen counter, laying out ingredients – festive sprinkles, salty pretzel twists, and white chocolate for drizzling. Then we take turns dipping the pretzels carefully into melted semisweet chocolate, tapping off any excess before decorating them. Those sweet and salty homemade treats were always the highlight of our holiday cookie exchanges and made perfect edible gifts.

Assembly

These chocolate dipped pretzels make great gifts to give to loved ones. Form the chocolate covered pretzel twists into wreaths for an extra festive presentation. To assemble them you simply dip salted pretzel twists halfway into melted chocolate chips, then arrange 5 of them into a round wreath shape once the chocolate sets. Repeat again for a second layer to hold everything together. Between the rich chocolate, the crunchy salty pretzel twist center, and the candy-colored adornments, they make such a playful homemade gift.

Customizing

Part of what I love about chocolate covered pretzel wreath gifts is you can customize them so easily with different holiday sprinkles. Crush up dye-free candy canes or peppermints for a red and white Christmas vibe or coat them in dye-free green and red sugar sprinkles. Crushed Oreos or peanut butter drizzle makes them almost like bite-sized pretzel truffles. For St Patrick’s Day you could use dye-free green sprinkles or chocolate coated candies. The flavor combos are endless! You even could adapt and make this recipe into the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day or decorate a batch with leftover Halloween candy!

Gifts

Beyond the nostalgia and delicious flavors, these do-it-yourself wreaths have become my go-to for an affordable and easy homemade holiday gift from my kitchen. They come together in under 20 minutes active prep time, plus chilling. And since you can make the chocolate-covered pretzels treats weeks in advance, they work great for last minute holiday gatherings. Just store the pretzels layered between parchment paper in an airtight container at cool room temp for up to two weeks or in your freezer for up to two months.

Really, who can resist that sweet, salty, chocolatey combo anyway? Between neighbors, teachers, hostess presents, work parties and cookie swaps, my holiday chocolate pretzel wreaths disappear almost as quickly as I can gift them. And some even “mysteriously” get sampled at home before making it out our front door! From festive childhood memories to easy DIY holiday gifting, edible chocolate pretzel wreaths have become a beloved tradition in my household that I look forward to each Christmas. For a cute presentation, put the wreaths in cellophane bags and add decorative ribbon and a gift tag.

Storage

Store at room temperature in a sealed container. Or layer with parchment paper and store in a resealable bag.

WhatYou Need to Make Christmas Pretzel Wreaths

Gluten free pretzels – I used Snyder’s gluten free pretzel twists. Use mini pretzels for cute bite-sized wreaths.
White chocolate chips – I recommend using Enjoy Life white chocolate chips as these are also dairy free. This is my family’s favorite chocolate. Other type of chocolate you could use: chocolate melts, chocolate bars, and milk chocolate chips are fine as well depending on your preference. This wouldn’t give the green wreath effect, but you could also just use dark chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate.
Coconut oil – Because chocolate melts are typically made with artificials ingredients and vegetable oil, I use a purer form of chocolate chips and add in about 1 TBS coconut oil for every cup of chocolate chips. I use the coconut oil in lieu of a little shortening as some methods call for. I find this helps the chocolate melt easier as it tends to help prevent scorching. Note: Adding any water to melted chocolate will cause it to seize up (get hard and grainy). Because food dye sold in grocery stores is water based, your chocolate may seize up. The best around this is to add extra oil. So just add extra oil (coconut or avocado) if needed, stir and reheat if necessary stirring continuously and adding more oil until desired consistency is re-achieved.
Dye-free sprinkles – I suggest looking for these at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sprout’s or on Amazon. Instead of sprinkles, you could add in your favorite toppings: instead of mini M&M you could use Unreal chocolate coated candies to keep these dye-free. Mini marshmallows or white chocolate drizzle make other cute topping ideas.
Dye-free green food coloring – I used the 365 brand from Whole Foods. However, most grocery stores now sell dye-free food coloring. I do recommend that you think ahead when using dye-free food coloring. While more grocery stores are selling it, I do find that it can sell out quickly during peak and holiday baking seasons.

How to Melt Chocolate Chips

Double Boiler Method: This gentle technique creates slowly melted chocolate sans scorching. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of “hot water” and bring to a bare simmer. Set a clean “heat-proof bowl” directly atop the pan, ensuring the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Add 1 cup white chocolate chips to the bowl per 1 tablespoon coconut oil. As the bowl heats up, stir frequently with a silicone spatula, allowing the residual warmth to smoothly melt the chips. Once almost completely melted with retention of original shape, immediately remove bowl from heat so lingering warmth finishes melting without overcooking. This double boiler method yields perfectly silky white chocolate ready for baking projects. Note: If chocolate seizes up (becomes stiff and grainy) add more coconut or avocado oil, keep stirring and add more heat until desired consistency is re-achieved.

Microwave Method: While rapid, microwaving chocolate must be closely monitored to prevent disastrous results! Again using 1 cup white chocolate to 1 tablespoon added coconut oil, place ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Initially heat for 30-45 seconds depending on the power of your microwave, and then heat in 10-second bursts on medium power, stirring vigorously after each. Once chips begin losing shape while melting occurs, stop reheating. Residual heat from melted portions will continue melting the rest given more vigorous stirs. This high-speed melting risks burning if you microwave even a few seconds too long or neglect stirring. But with reliable reinforcement stirs, you can have flawlessly fluid chocolate in under 60 seconds!

How to Make Christmas Pretzel Wreaths

Melting – The first thing to do is use a double boiler or a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Melt chocolate in short bursts in the microwave to prevent scorching. Follow the instructions to melt the chocolate mixture and add the desired amount. You can even melt the chocolate in small batches so that it doesn’t harden too quickly. If you are going to use the microwave, I would recommend starting in 30 second increments until you reach the desired constancy without burning.
Adding Food Coloring – Add the food coloring to the melted chocolate. Note: If the chocolate seizes up (becomes stiff and grainy), you may need to stir in more coconut or avocado oil while continue to achieve until desired consistency is re-achieved.
Dipping – Dip the top half of the pretzel in the white chocolate mixture. Give the partially coated pretzel a good shake over the bowl to help remove any excess chocolate, which will result in a prettier final product. Arrange in the shape of a circle on parchment paper. Repeat for a second layer on top.
Sprinkle – Before the chocolate sets, add festive sprinkles.
Setting – Carefully transfer the pretzels on the lined baking sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.