Chocolate Candy Cane Pretzels

I was not going to do neighbour gifts last year.  I had decided to try and simplify my gift giving and spend less, but then gifts of chocolate and baking all started slowly showing up at our door.  Naturally my husband asked what we were giving, so I had to scramble to come up with an easy and affordable last minute gift.

My kids love the Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps and they are a staple in our house since Costco sells the large bag for around $7.  I came across the Candy Cane Coated version on pinterest and since they weren’t available yet in stores here, I decided to grab some and make my own by drizzling melted chocolate and sprinkling candy cane bits on the original version.

The most expensive part of this recipe is definitely the melting chocolate, but for $20 at Bulk Barn I was able to get all the chocolate and crushed candy cane I needed to cover almost 2 full bags of the Pretzel Crisps.  We had plenty for gifting to our seven neighbours, plus a full tin leftover for us to enjoy at home.

Chocolate Candy Cane Pretzels

Ingredients

• Pretzel Crisps
• Melting chocolate – white and milk chocolate
• Coconut oil
• Crushed candy cane pieces

Directions

1. Begin by preparing your Pretzels Crisps.  Lay out large sheets of tinfoil on a large surface (to minimize mess) and lay whole Pretzel Crisps face up, and side by side so they are all touching.
2. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler.  Put the chocolate pieces in a bowl with a small spoonful of coconut oil, then put on top of a pot of boiling water.  Stir occasionally until everything is melted and combined.
3. Use a small spoon or fork to dip into the bowl of melted chocolate and begin drizzling all over the surface of the Pretzel Crisps.
4. If you are doing only one flavor of chocolate, immediately sprinkle the crushed candy cane over the drizzled chocolate.
5. If you are doing a second chocolate, allow the first drizzle layer to set as you melt the second batch in the double boiler and then sprinkle with crushed candy cane as above.

*If you are doing a really large batch, it is helpful to have a second set of hands for the candy cane sprinkling.  I worked in smaller areas and my husband sprinkled behind me to ensure the chocolate was still wet enough for the crushed candy cane to stick to.
**If your chocolate is begin to thicken, you can place the bowl back over the boiling water to re-melt.

Once all my pretzels were dried (allow several hours), I carefully broke them apart and bagged them in cellophane Christmas bags for gifting.  They looked so pretty with the layers of milk and dark chocolate and colorful candy cane bits!  (And, don’t throw out all the scrap little bits and pieces that are left on the tinfoil – they are great stirred into coffee or hot chocolate, as an ice cream topping.)

I love the combination of sweet and salty with the hint of peppermint flavor.  If candy cane is not your thing, could try different toppings like sprinkles, toffee bits or nuts.  There really is no right or wrong with this “recipe”.

This holiday season you CAN buy the actual Snack Factory White Chocolate & Peppermint versions in Canadian Costco stores, so I grabbed a bag to do a taste comparison ($9.89).  Their version are fully coated (front and back) in white chocolate so they are quite sweet and a bit more decadent then my version.  Their candy cane bits are also bigger then what I used so there is more of a crunch to it.

You can’t go wrong with either, but I am biased and prefer my version a bit better.  The milk chocolate definitely adds to it and I prefer the balance of sweet and salty from drizzling vs coating.  Plus it is more economical to DIY if you have lots of friends and family to share with!