Crisp mini pretzels, a delicious baked toffee center covered in a thin layer of chocolate – this is the perfect blend of sweet and salty for the holiday season!
Christmas Pretzel Candy is a takeoff from “Christmas Crack” – the saltine cracker based candy that is popular at this time of year.
The pretzels offer the same salty contribution as saltines but somehow make this treat a little lighter. Such a cute festive idea topped with red & green M&M’s too!
Why make your own Holiday Treats?
The holiday season always makes me feel grateful for my friends and family. All year long we travel along doing our thing and we never really stop and appreciate what we have. As the end of the year approaches, no matter what holiday you may be celebrating, another whole year has come and gone.
Holiday treats are a way of doing something nice for your friends, neighbors, coworkers, family members, really whoever you want, to show them that you appreciate them!
How to make Christmas Pretzel Candy
Christmas Pretzel Candy is another festive and fun holiday treat that is perfect for sharing and parties! Salty pretzels, crisp, buttery toffee and a layer of chocolate all together in a delicious bite!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment and lightly spray with cooking spray.
Spread the mini pretzels evenly over the baking sheet in a single layer, covering as much of the baking sheet as possible.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the brown sugar, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to bubble.
Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. The color will lighten and the mixture will thicken. If you cook for too long or at too high of a temperature, the mixture will get too thick and not spread out properly in the oven. Set a timer – three minutes is perfect!
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt.
Pour the mixture over the pretzels immediately, spreading out as evenly as possible. The heat from the oven will thin out the caramel mixture and it will allow it to spread across all of the pretzels so don’t worry too much about areas without any caramel.
Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in the 350 degree F oven.
Bake for 6-8 minutes until the caramel mixture begins to bubble and has spread out to fill the holes between the pretzels.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate chips become slightly shiny and soft.
Remove from the oven and using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel layer.
Sprinkle M&M’s over the melted chocolate.
Please Note: It doesn’t have to be M&M’s. It can be whatever you want to sprinkle – or nothing at all! Crushed candy cane, nuts, sprinkles… whatever you have and whatever you want to use.
Chill in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours until set.
Cut into pieces or break apart into chunks. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a week. Enjoy!
Other Holiday Treat Recipes you may like
Christmas Pretzel M&M Hugs – These festive holiday treats are so easy and brighten up any table or holiday tray!
Rolo Turtles – these little bites of sweet and salty with a pecan half on top are perfection in one bite!
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies – A sweet maraschino cherry surprise in the middle, surrounded by a cookie base and a rich chocolate topping.
Brown Sugar Candy – this is a childhood favorite of mine! Only during the holidays though. Chocolate covered or not, it’s a special treat!
Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies – cakey chocolate cookies rolled in chopped pecans, filled with caramel and then drizzled in chocolate.
Christmas Pretzel Candy
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 4 cups mini pretzels
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup M&M candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Spread mini pretzels evenly over the baking sheet in a single layer, covering as much of the baking sheet as possible.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the brown sugar, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to bubble.
- Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often. The color will lighten and the mixture will thicken.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and sea salt.
- Pour the mixture over the pretzels immediately, spreading out as evenly as possible.
- Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in the 350 degree F oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the caramel mixture begins to bubble and has spread out to fill the holes between the pretzels.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate chips become shiny.
- Remove from the oven and using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the caramel layer.
- Sprinkle M&M's over the melted chocolate.
- Chill in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 hours until set.
- Cut into pieces or break apart into chunks. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a week. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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