Sweet & Salty Holiday Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

by Emily

Ba-nanas. You will never believe it, but the legendary “Storm Chaser” himself Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel was in Houston this past Friday!  Nerd Alert.  Not to worry, we thankfully did not have another Hurricane Ike, but we did have snow!  The big, wet flakes were beautiful and Houston quickly looked like a Winter Wonderland of sorts.  The only problem is freezing weather and snow basically equal natural disaster in Houston given that 99% of the city is a freeway overpass – and we all know what those do first per those helpful signs:  freeze.  Lucky for me, my office is very close to my maison and I spent my surprise 1/2-day-snow-day home from work making these fun holiday treats.  I packaged up these sweet and salty indulgences as a hostess gift for a friend and they were a hit.  While this is perfect project for kids, adding a glass (or two) of wine made it even more fun for this big kid.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Recipe

8 ounces semisweet or white chocolate chips
18 Pretzel Rods (1 package)
Toppings – peppermint pieces, multi-colored sprinkles, sea salt, pistachio kernels – get creative!

Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.  Place toppings of choice on one cookie sheet.  Set aside.  Place chocolate in a shallow, microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring between each round, until chocolate is just melted.  Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

One at a time, roll one end of pretzel rods into melted chocolate, and, using a spoon, coat each 3/4 of the way up.  Let set momentarily and then roll across the topping of choice for a colorful, decorative finish.  Place finished product on the other cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.