Chocolate/Caramel Covered Pretzel Rods

My very sweet friend, Marialena, sent a wonderful package to my Mom, Jim, and me while we were in Oklahoma visiting Mom.  In the package was this incredible gift of chocolate covered pretzel rods, along with some chocolate covered graham crackers.  Everything was so delicious, and what a wonderful Christmas gift this is!  The beauty of these, is that you can coat the chocolate with just about anything: nuts, sprinkles, jimmies, crushed peppermints....well, the options are pretty much limitless....guess it just depends upon your personal tastes.

So here are the two recipes I started with.  I ended up just using milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, but you could still certainly use the candy coating/bark stuff that is always available, especially during the holidays.  Just remember: use your own personal tastes to create treats that are special to you.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS with SPRINKLES

1 12-oz pkg milk chocolate chips
1 12-oz pkg white chocolate chips
24 large pretzel rods (about a 10-11 oz package)
Assorted holiday sprinkles/nuts

Place the milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and the white chocolate chips in another.  Microwave one bowl on high for 1 minute.  Remove and stir with a rubber spatula (the chips will melt while you are stirring, but if they don't, you can continue to microwave for 15 more seconds, then stir again.)  Wash and dry the spatulas.  Microwave the other bowl on high for one minute, and stir until chocolate is melted.

Dip one pretzel rod into the milk chocolate; use a spoon or butter knife to spread the chocolate about halfway up the rod.  Twist the rod to let the excess chocolate drip off.  Hold the rod over a piece of waxed paper and shake sprinkles (nuts, etc.) on all sides.  Place the pretzel on another piece of waxed paper to dry.  Coat another pretzel with white chocolate and sprinkles.  Repeat until you've coated all the pretzels, half with milk chocolate, half with white chocolate, and let dry completely, about 24 hours.  (Cover any remaining chocolate with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.)

CARAMEL PRETZEL STICKS (I halved this recipe, using 12 pretzel rods....but I had a bunch of caramel leftover, more than half of what I used with just 12 pretzels).  


2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter, cubed
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg (10 oz) pretzel rods
6-12 oz white candy coating
6-12 oz milk chocolate candy coating
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional (I used nuts, crushed peppermints, sprinkles, jimmies, just about anything is game....use something that will stick to the still-slightly wet chocolate.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling, without stirring, at a moderate-steady rate for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in milk.  Return to the heat.  Reduce to medium-low; cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 245 degrees (firm-ball stage).  Keep warm.

Pour 2 cups caramel mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  Quickly dip each pretzel halfway into caramel.  Allow excess to drip off.  Place on well-buttered (I used Pat Butter  flavor)   baking sheets; let stand until hardened.

In a microwave, melt white candy coating; stir until smooth.  Dip half of the caramel-coated pretzels into coating.  Melt milk chocolate coating; dip remaining pretzels.  Drizzle white-chocolate pretzels with milk chocolate coating; drizzle milk chocolate pretzels
white  coating.  Sprinkle with walnuts, or whatever topping appeal to you or your gift recipients.