If you have a mermaid birthday party coming up, these easy mermaid pretzel rods are the perfect addition to your dessert table. You can even use them as party favors by simply putting a couple in a plastic bag with some ribbon at the top.
If your child is obsessed with mermaids, they’re going to go wild for this mermaid themed treat. They’re the perfect combination of salty and sweet and the best part is you can follow these easy steps and have them whipped up in no time, or invite your child to make them alongside you.
For another great mermaid party food recipe, check out this Chocolate Mermaid Bark. You can make it at the same time as these pretzel rods because they use the same ingredients! You’ll also love this colorful and fun Mermaid Cupcake recipe, this beginner Mermaid Sheet Cake, and these Mermaid Rice Krispie Treats.
How To Make Mermaid Pretzel Rods
Prep
Before you get started melting your chocolate, you’ll want to prepare your kitchen. It’s handy to have everything ready to go and set out so that once your candy melts are liquid you can get right to work. Otherwise, your chocolate may cool and harden and you’ll need to melt it again before you can work with it.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Arrange your pretzel rods on your baking sheet so you know how much space you have to work with. Get out your ingredients and equipment before you get started.
Make Sea Creature Chocolates
If you’re using a silicone candy mold to make chocolate sea creatures to decorate your mermaid pretzel rods with, it’s a good idea to do that now before you start dipping and decorating your pretzels.
You can use a mermaid silicone candy mold or a candy mold that has various ocean animals. Use melted chocolate candy melts in whatever color you like best. Tap out the air bubbles and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
Melt Chocolate Candy Melts
You’ll use white chocolate candy melts as a base to coat your pretzel rods. You can melt your white chocolate candy melts according to your package instructions. Usually, you’ll use a double boiler on the stove, or your microwave at 50% power.
I put my white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and used short 20 second intervals at a lower power setting on my microwave.
Dip Pretzel Rods
Use a spoon to help smooth melted candy melts over your mermaid pretzel rods. The key to getting smooth candy melts is tapping the excess chocolate off your pretzel. Otherwise, your chocolate will be too thick and lumpy. Gently tap it on the side of your bowl.
Once your pretzel rod is covered in chocolate, set it on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxpaper.
Melt Colored Chocolate Candy Melts
Follow the same melting instructions for your teal and pink candy melts in separate bowls until they are liquid. Use a spatula to scoop each color of the melted candy melts into their own piping bag or plastic bag.
Cut the very tip of the piping bag or plastic bag off. Make sure you only cut a small amount so you can easily control how much chocolate is coming out.
Drizzle the melted pink and teal chocolate over your mermaid pretzels to give them a more layered look.
Decorate Mermaid Pretzel Rods
While the chocolate candy melts are still drying they will be sticky enough for sprinkles to attach to them.
Shake your mermaid sprinkles over your chocolate candy-coated mermaid pretzels. Use a dot of melted chocolate to secure your chocolate sea creatures or mermaid tails to the base of your mermaid pretzel rods.
Cool & Serve
Allow your mermaid pretzel rods to cool completely on your baking tray until they are room temperature and fully hardened. You can put them in the fridge to speed along this step. I don’t recommend putting them in the freezer because once they come out, the condensation from water in the air can make the chocolate sweat and look dull or ruined.
Mermaid Pretzel Rods Ingredients and Materials
- Ingredients
- White chocolate candy melts
- Pink chocolate candy melts
- Teal chocolate candy melts
- Mermaid sprinkles (or a mix of purple, gold, teal, blue and white sprinkles)
- Pretzel rods
- Materials
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Plastic bags or piping bags
- Microwave safe bowls
- Knife
- Spoons
- Spatula
- Silicone candy mold (sea creature shapes or mermaid tails)
Mermaid Pretzel Rod Trouble Shooting & FAQ’s
- What if the chocolate on my pretzels looks lumpy?
- If your chocolate candy melts are nice and liquid smooth, you should have less problems with lumps and texture. Check with a spoon to make sure there are no solid lumps left in your candy melts and either wait a bit longer for the heat of their container to finish melting them, or see if you need to heat it for longer.
- You’ll also need to tap off the excess chocolate from your pretzel rods. If your pretzel rod is dripping chocolate everywhere when you go to transfer it to your baking sheet, tap off more chocolate back into the bowl you dipped from.
- What if I only have white chocolate?
- You can color your white chocolate candy melts with gel food coloring or powdered food coloring. You shouldn’t use regular water based food coloring because it will cause your chocolate to seize up and harden. (Chocolate candy melts are oil based and water & oil don’t mix well in this case.)
- What if I can’t find mermaid-themed sprinkles?
- First, check your local craft store in the baking section. You can also check Etsy and Amazon for mermaid themed sprinkles if you have the time to order them in.
- You can also make beautiful mermaid themed pretzel rods by using a combination of sprinkle colors. You can use blue sanding sugar, small gold sugar balls, blue and purple jimmies, and teal colored sprinkles for a nice underwater vibe and combination of fun sprinkles.
- You can also use edible glitter, or make some mermaid tails from a silicone candy melt mold instead of using ocean animals for a different fun look.
- Can I store Mermaid Pretzel Rods?
- You can put your mermaid pretzel rods in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge or at room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing them because when they thaw, the water condensation on your chocolate can ruin the way it looks.
Final Thoughts on Mermaid Themed Pretzel Rods
Mermaid chocolate pretzel rods are perfect for little mermaid themed birthday parties, ocean themed parties and under the sea baby showers too! Don’t forget to check out this Chocolate Mermaid Bark recipe and these Mermaid Cupcakes for more mermaid party food fun! For another perfect party food, check out this recipe for garden fresh salsa or add some marshmallow fluff dip for fruit to your dessert table!
I hope you love this mermaid pretzel recipe as much as the kids and mermaid lovers in my life do! Share this recipe with someone who is planning a mermaid party, and save it to your Pinterest so you can find it next time!
Mermaid Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- baking sheet
- Plastic bags or piping bags
- Microwave safe bowls
- Knife
- spoons
- Spatula
- Silicone candy mold (sea creature shapes or mermaid tails)
Ingredients
- White chocolate candy melts
- Pink chocolate candy melts
- Teal chocolate candy melts
- Mermaid sprinkles or a mix of purple, gold, teal, blue and white sprinkles
- Pretzel rods
Instructions
Prep
- Before you get started melting your chocolate, you’ll want to prepare your kitchen. It’s handy to have everything ready to go and set out so that once your candy melts are liquid you can get right to work. Otherwise, your chocolate may cool and harden and you’ll need to melt it again before you can work with it.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Arrange your pretzel rods on your baking sheet so you know how much space you have to work with. Get out your ingredients and equipment before you get started.
Make Sea Creature Chocolates
- If you’re using a silicone candy mold to make chocolate sea creatures to decorate your mermaid pretzel rods with, it’s a good idea to do that now before you start dipping and decorating your pretzels.
- You can use a mermaid silicone candy mold or a candy mold that has various ocean animals. Use melted chocolate candy melts in whatever color you like best. Tap out the air bubbles and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
Melt Chocolate Candy Melts
- You’ll use white chocolate candy melts as a base to coat your pretzel rods. You can melt your white chocolate candy melts according to your package instructions. Usually, you’ll use a double boiler on the stove, or your microwave at 50% power.
- I put my white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and used short 20 second intervals at a lower power setting on my microwave.
Dip Pretzel Rods
- Use a spoon to help smooth melted candy melts over your mermaid pretzel rods. The key to getting smooth candy melts is tapping the excess chocolate off your pretzel. Otherwise, your chocolate will be too thick and lumpy. Gently tap it on the side of your bowl.
- Once your pretzel rod is covered in chocolate, set it on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxpaper.
Melt Colored Chocolate Candy Melts
- Follow the same melting instructions for your teal and pink candy melts in separate bowls until they are liquid. Use a spatula to scoop each color of the melted candy melts into their own piping bag or plastic bag.
- Cut the very tip of the piping bag or plastic bag off. Make sure you only cut a small amount so you can easily control how much chocolate is coming out.
- Drizzle the melted pink and teal chocolate over your mermaid pretzels to give them a more layered look.
Decorate Mermaid Pretzel Rods
- While the chocolate candy melts are still drying they will be sticky enough for sprinkles to attach to them.
- Shake your mermaid sprinkles over your chocolate candy-coated mermaid pretzels. Use a dot of melted chocolate to secure your chocolate sea creatures or mermaid tails to the base of your mermaid pretzel rods.
Cool & Serve
- Allow your mermaid pretzel rods to cool completely on your baking tray until they are room temperature and fully hardened. You can put them in the fridge to speed along this step. I don’t recommend putting them in the freezer because once they come out, the condensation from water in the air can make the chocolate sweat and look dull or ruined.
