I love this next project a lot. Probably too much. Chocolate covered pretzles are such yumminess, you can rest assured that your guests will definitely devour your hard work!
Here is the breakdown…
From Rachelle, the cute bride…
My wedding was last weekend, so what better timing than to submit the favors that I actually made for my guests. My inspiration came from the chocolate-covered pretzel rods I make every year as Christmas treats. I have been making them for years and my family just loves them. They present well on a pretty tray or make fabulous goodie bags for friends, co-workers, or neighbors. When it came time to plan my wedding, I knew chocolate was going to be one of the colors since it coordinated with the chairs at my venue (saving money on the chair covers). Sooo…what better favor to make than my gourmet pretzels that pay homage to my Christmas-calorie tradition AND my wedding palette. Enjoy!
Materials ( from local grocer)
10 oz. bags of Pretzel Rods (plan to get about 20 per bag, which allows for broken/unusable ones)
12 oz. bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips or melting bark (1 bag will cover three-fourths of about 40 pretzels)
12 oz. bag of Nestle white-chocolate chips
Shortening
wax paper
Optional: sugar crystals, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sprinkles can be substituted to coordinate with your affair
Materials (from craft store like Michael’s)
Wilton brand pretzel bags (20 cellophane bags per package – each bag can hold 2 pretzels)
fine-tipped plastic bottle (like the hair-dye bottles)
Ribbon
Scrapbooking paper for favor tags or use ready-made tags (I incorporated the paper I used from our DIY invitations purchased at Target. A box of 50 invitations cost about $35. Visit www.gartnerstudios.com for samples.)
hole-punch
paper-cutter
scissors
Notes and Instructions
I first used Microsoft Publisher to design and personalize our favor tags. I cut out the tags in a simple rectangular shape and affixed them to a solid paper for a visual border. (I’m sure there are fancier tags that could be made, but I am more tech-savvy than scrapbook-savvy. So, use your strengths when creating your DIY projects and your personality will show through.) I double hole-punched the tag to feed through my ribbon. These I made in advance and set aside. I wanted to wait until the last minute to create my edible favors and knew time would be valuable that week.
To melt your chocolates, I use a TALL coffee cup as this accommodates the depth needed to cover most of the pretzel. Pour your chips into the mug along with a tablespoon of shortening and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until almost melted. (Be sure not to overheat as this will ruin the chocolate). I then put the mug in a pan of warm water to hold the chocolate temperature. The next step is to dunk your pretzel leaving just enough of a tip as an edible handle. If you are adding sprinkles, you will want to do this before the chocolate melts. If you want to drizzle white-chocolate as I did, go ahead and place your pretzel on wax paper to dry. Once all my pretzels were dunked, I melted my white-chocolate and poured into my drizzle bottle. Like a windshield wiper, move your bottle back and forth as you squeeze to make the drizzle lines. The more messy, the more gourmet they look.
Let pretzels dry overnight and place in your cellophane bags. Tie up the bags with your favor tags and wah la…your DIY favor becomes a yummy labor of love!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Rachelle on her marriage. May you have many years as delicious as these pretzels!