On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

♪ ♫ ...eight dozen pretzels ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ seven Christmas movies ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ six wish list items ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ fiiiiiiiiive pounds of chili ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ four clear glass bulbs ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ three quick breads ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ two craft projects ♫ ♪
♪ ♫ and an invite to Christmas Eve. ♫ ♪

The last two years, my friend Sarah and I have made chocolate covered pretzels to give to our friends, families, and co-workers at Christmas.  I blogged about them here last year. 

This treat is really simple to make and so yummy.  There aren't very many supplies you'll need to make these.

• Pretzel rods
• Caramel
• Melting chocolate (we use Merckens)
• Rolling pin
• Pizza cutter
• Plastic wrap
• Wax paper
• Sprinkles

The pretzels are easy to find at the grocery store or Costco (where we bought ours this year) and the caramel and chocolate can be found at bakery/candy supply stores.

We decided to purchase tubs of pretzels this year, and they worked out so much better than buying bags. 

 
With bags of pretzels, you run the risk of getting lots of broken pieces.  We hardly had any broken rods this time!  That's great for our wallets, but sad for us since we get to eat the little leftover "nubbin" pieces.  Nubbin.  That's a fun word.  :)  Five points if you know where that's from.  (If you know Sarah and me, you should probably be able to figure it out rather quickly!)

First, roll out the caramel into a thin sheet.  We split the caramel into two sections, zapped it in the microwave for about five seconds to soften it, and rolled it out with a rolling pin.  We've found out a few things over the years:  1) Putting a sheet of plastic wrap over the caramel helps it not to stick to the rolling pin.  2) Using a pizza cutter is the perfect tool to cut the caramel into thin strips.  To keep it from sticking, spray a little Pam on the blade. 

Then, take the caramel strips and twist them from the top of the pretzel down to about half way.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of this step. 

Next, melt the chocolate.  This year we used a double boiler to melt the chocolate.  So much easier than the tall cups we've used in the past. 

Dip/roll the pretzels in the chocolate and place on a piece of wax paper to harden.

While they're still gooey, sprinkle with whatever topping you'd like.

And the finished product:

We really do love making these each year.  This was year three, and we plan on making them again next year.  As Sarah asked me the other day, how many years do you have to do something before it becomes tradition?  I'm not sure.  What do you think?  One, two, three?  Are we there already?

More Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Covered Pretzels

So it was gently brought to my attention that I've shared my sugar cookie recipe, but not the recipe for the icing I use.  Oops!  It's very simple.  I just use the recipe on the Wilton Merinque Powder can.  :)  To make things even more simple, I use squeeze bottles instead of pastry bags.  I find them easier to use and clean.  However, if I was ever going to try and make fancy flowers or something, I would definitely use the pastry bags and icing tips that are sitting in one of my drawers.

Once I've outlined the cookies with the stiffer icing in the bottles, I fill them in with icing that I've thined a bit with a couple drops of water.  I just use a spoon for that.  It makes things go much quicker!  I forgot to take a photo of the filling in process, so I'll be sure to take one next time!

My latest sugar cookie decorating adventure was for my friend Maria's baby shower.  I think the baby blocks turned out really cute!  Of course, I decided on the design that required more work since I had to fill in each side of the cookie with a different color, but I really think it looks nice.  I was surprised how easy it was to make the letters.  I really didn't have any trouble with them at all.  I practiced on a piece of paper beforehand, but pen and paper doesn't always translate well in frosting.  Thankfully, this time it did!

For Christmas, my friend Sarah and I made chocolate covered pretzels to pass out with our Christmas presents.  We made them last year after Maria (see above) made them for my bachelorette party.  They were so tasty, Sarah and I decided to make this a yearly Christmas tradition.

They're super easy to make too!  All you need to do is buy a few bags of pretzel rods, some caramel, and some melting chocolate (we use Merckens).  The pretzels are easy to find at the grocery store and the caramel and chocolate can be found at bakery/candy making supply stores.

First, roll out the caramel into a thin sheet.  Then use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut thin strips.  Spraying a little Pam on the blade helps it not to stick!  Then take the caramel strips and twist them from the top of the pretzel down about 2/3 of the way.

Next, melt the chocolate.  We use large plastic cups that are tall enough for the pretzels.  Dip/roll the pretzels in the chocolate and place on a piece of wax paper to harden.  While they're still gooey, sprinkle with whatever topping you'd like.  This year we used sprinkles, decorating sugar, crushed candy canes, and walnuts.

We then just put three to a treat bag which I picked up at Joann Fabrics and tied them up with a twist tie. 

Don't forget to dip the broken pretzel rods in any leftover chocolate you have.  The pretty pretzels are for your friends and family, but the broken "ugly" ones are just as tasty!