Chocolate covered Christmas tree pretzels are so much fun to make as a sweet treat for holiday parties or for your kids’ class parties. Chocolate Christmas tree pretzels are the perfect mix of sweet and salty, made with simple ingredients, and they’re the perfect treat to make with your kids.
In this article we’ll make little trees with small pretzels and some big trees with large pretzel rods too, so you can see which type you’d like to make or you can make both like I did!
- Ingredients:
- dark green candy melts (or white chocolate chips and green food coloring)
- pretzel sticks and/or pretzel rods
- holiday sprinkles
- Materials:
- baking sheet
- wax paper or parchment paper
- double boiler or microwave safe bowl
- spoons
- piping bag or ziploc bags
How to make chocolate covered Christmas tree pretzels
Step 1: Prep
Before I started making my salty Christmas tree pretzels, I made some yellow stars with a silicone candy mold and some yellow candy melts. There are a few different ways to decorate your pretzel trees and I thought the star chocolates would be a great addition to make them look super festive. Another easy way to decorate your Christmas tree pretzels would be to just use festive sprinkles, or use a large edible candy as a ‘star’ on top of your tree.
Decide on which fun treats you want to use and get your materials together. Once the chocolate is melted you’ll want to have everything else set up and ready to go so you can make the shape of a tree before the chocolate starts cooling down too much.
To prep your work area, put wax paper or parchment paper on top of a baking sheet to make things more sturdy and to allow you to move your treats easily while they’re cooling.
Step 2: Melt chocolate
If you’re using candy melts, follow the package instructions for best results. You can also use white chocolate and add artificial coloring like gel food coloring, or go with a cute white chocolate Christmas tree pretzel – any color is fine!
Using a double boiler will give you even heat and more control over how your chocolate or candy melts heat up. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a pot of water with a glass dish on top of it on your stove.
Alternatively, you can melt your candy melts or chocolate in the microwave. I lowered the power to 50% and then put my chocolate in the microwave for one minute in a microwave-safe bowl. After stirring the chocolate, continue with 20 second intervals in the microwave. If your chocolate comes out hard, it’s likely overcooked and about to burn. Dump the whole thing out and use a fresh bowl and chocolate and start with less power or a lower amount of cooking time.
Step 3: Stir in food coloring
If you’re using candy melts, skip this step. Once your chocolate is at your desired consistency you can stir in the color. I used green food coloring. Gel food coloring will give you better results than water based food coloring (which can cause your heated chocolate to seize and get grainy).
Step 4: Put chocolate in a piping bag
Spoon your melted green chocolate (or your green melted candy melts) into a piping bag, or a ziplock bag and cut the tip off so you can drizzle it over your pretzels.
Step 5: Pipe across the pretzels
Pipe your melted chocolate across the pretzels. Starting at the top, go slowly and increase the width as you move down the ‘tree’ then double back up towards the top to finish.
A smaller cut/hole in your piping bag will give you a light fine drizzle and a larger hole will give you a thicker stream of chocolate.
Step 6: Decorate
While the chocolate is still setting and sticky, decorate your trees. Add a chocolate star to the top if you prepared one in advance. Use some fun festive Christmas sprinkles to make the tree look like it has lights or ornaments.
Step 7: Cool
Let your chocolate harden fully before you move the chocolate Christmas tree pretzels off the wax paper or parchment paper you laid down on your baking sheet. Then you can put them in an airtight container to stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature.
Ta-da! You have adorable chocolate Christmas tree pretzel rods!
Extra tips:
Tips for melting chocolate in the microwave
- If you can, lower the power setting of your microwave (50% power). On a low setting, microwave a cup of chocolate at a time in a microwave safe bowl, give it a stir and then microwave it again in 20 second intervals.
- Overcooking your chocolate will make it turn hard and burn. If this happens, start over with fresh chocolate and a new bowl. Try shorter microwave intervals and/or a lower power setting.
How to color melted chocolate
- Using water based food coloring might cause your chocolate to seize and get crumbly.
- Try a gel based food coloring and white chocolate chips.
- Add the food coloring after the chocolate is heated to your desired consistency.
Tips for decorating Christmas tree pretzels
- To get the same look I made, use a candy melt mold to make yellow stars to place on top of large pretzel rod Christmas trees
- You can also use a piping bag to pipe a star shape out of yellow candy melts (or white chocolate colored with yellow food coloring)
- Another option is to use colorful candy or Christmas sprinkles to decorate your Christmas pretzel rods.
How to serve Christmas tree pretzels
- Small chocolate Christmas tree pretzels look cute as cupcake toppers, or you can layer them in parchment paper in a container.
- Large chocolate Christmas tree pretzels can be served on a platter, or in a short glass jar or cup.
Conclusion
I hope you have a lot of fun making this festive treat this holiday season! Chocolate covered pretzel Christmas trees are easy holiday treats that are so fun to make. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of tree shapes or try a different color of candy melts, there’s so much room to get creative with this recipe. I’m sure they’ll be a total hit with whoever you’re sharing them with.
Christmas Tree Pretzels
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 wax paper or parchment paper
- 1 double boiler or microwave safe bowl
- 1 spoons
- 1 piping bag or ziploc bags
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark green candy melts or white chocolate chips and green food coloring
- 1 package pretzel sticks and/or pretzel rods
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions
Step 1: Prep
- To prep your work area, put wax paper or parchment paper on top of a baking sheet to make things more sturdy and to allow you to move your treats easily while they’re cooling.
- Before I started making my salty Christmas tree pretzels, I made some yellow stars with a silicone candy mold and some yellow candy melts. There are a few different ways to decorate your pretzel trees and I thought the star chocolates would be a great addition to make them look super festive. Another easy way to decorate your Christmas tree pretzels would be to just use festive sprinkles, or use a large edible candy as a ‘star’ on top of your tree.
- Decide on which fun treats you want to use and get your materials together. Once the chocolate is melted you’ll want to have everything else set up and ready to go so you can make the shape of a tree before the chocolate starts cooling down too much.
Step 2: Melt chocolate
- If you’re using candy melts, follow the package instructions for best results. You can also use white chocolate and add artificial coloring like gel food coloring, or go with a cute white chocolate Christmas tree pretzel – any color is fine!
- Using a double boiler will give you even heat and more control over how your chocolate or candy melts heat up. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a pot of water with a glass dish on top of it on your stove.
- Alternatively, you can melt your candy melts or chocolate in the microwave. I lowered the power to 50% and then put my chocolate in the microwave for one minute in a microwave-safe bowl. After stirring the chocolate, continue with 20 second intervals in the microwave. If your chocolate comes out hard, it’s likely overcooked and about to burn. Dump the whole thing out and use a fresh bowl and chocolate and start with less power or a lower amount of cooking time.
Step 3: Stir in food coloring
- If you’re using candy melts, skip this step. Once your chocolate is at your desired consistency you can stir in the color. I used green food coloring. Gel food coloring will give you better results than water based food coloring (which can cause your heated chocolate to seize and get grainy).
Step 4: Put chocolate in a piping bag
- Spoon your melted green chocolate (or your green melted candy melts) into a piping bag, or a ziplock bag and cut the tip off so you can drizzle it over your pretzels.
Step 5: Pipe across the pretzels
- Pipe your melted chocolate across the pretzels. Starting at the top, go slowly and increase the width as you move down the ‘tree’ then double back up towards the top to finish.
- A smaller cut/hole in your piping bag will give you a light fine drizzle and a larger hole will give you a thicker stream of chocolate.
Step 6: Decorate
- While the chocolate is still setting and sticky, decorate your trees. Add a chocolate star to the top if you prepared one in advance. Use some fun festive Christmas sprinkles to make the tree look like it has lights or ornaments.
Step 7: Cool
- Let your chocolate harden fully before you move the chocolate Christmas tree pretzels off the wax paper or parchment paper you laid down on your baking sheet. Then you can put them in an airtight container to stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature.
