With Independence Day around the corner, these red, white and blue Patriotic Pretzels treats are the perfect blend of crunchy, salty and sweet. These are super easy to make. No baking required and can be prepped ahead.
4th of July is the time to break out all the red, white and blue. These Patriotic Pretzels are a perfect treat for when you want you something simple but festive! We're making these with just 4 ingredients but these can be customized to your preference and the kids can help decorate!
If you're looking for more recipe ideas for 4th of July, check out my 4th of July Cookie Cake, Chicken Club Pasta Salad, Tortellini Caprese Salad or Cabbage Pasta Salad.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Limited Ingredients - you only need pretzels, white chocolate wafers and red and blue candy melts to make these delicious and adorable treats.
Easily Customizable - while I show one way to decorate, these could be simply made by just dipping them in one solid chocolate and covering them with 4th of July sprinkles. There are so many ways to design patriotic pretzels. Whether its with pretzels rods, mini twists or the large sourdough these can be made with a variety of hard pretzel shapes, you'll just have to adjust the amount of chocolate you'll need.
Festive and Easy to Make - Perfect for picnics, your dessert table or as an easy homemade treats to gift.
Ingredient Notes
Pretzels -I used pretzel rods, but any kind of hard pretzel you have on hand, you might just need to adjust how much chocolate you need. Other pretzels shapes are mini pretzels, large pretzels, pretzel twists, pretzel sticks or square pretzels. I recommend finding the tub of pretzel rods as they have a high chance of them not being broken compared to the bags.
Chocolate - For all my chocolate dipping needs I use Ghirardelli Melting Wafers. They are delicious, easy to use and come in a variety of flavors - milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. For this recipe, I used white chocolate. No tempering is required to get that glossy chocolate coating! Find them at most grocery stores in the baking aisle, Target, Walmart and even Amazon. It's the only ingredient in my One-Ingredient Chocolate Bag.
Candy Melts - For this recipe, you want red and blue. I found mine off Amazon. You can also find different brands at art and craft stores like Michaels, I would recommend looking at the reviews of the product.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat Ghirardelli Chocolate Melting Wafers according to package. I am using the double boil method. Melt chocolate until smooth and completely melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate in a tall long glass. Dip roughly ¾ of pretzel rods into the melted white chocolate one at a time. Twisting the pretzel rod against the side of the glass to remove some of the excess melted chocolate.
- Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted red colored melts according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the red melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod in a zig-zag motion. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted white chocolate melting wafers (~⅓ cup) according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the red melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod next to the red in a zig-zag like-pattern. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted blue colored chocolate melts according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the blue melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod next to the white drizzle in a zig-zag like-pattern. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods. Let them sit at room temperature until completely cooled and dry.
Expert Tips
Make sure all your equipment is absolutely dry and free from any water droplets, otherwise your chocolate will seize and be grainy.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy removal of the pretzels and easy cleanup!
Melt one chocolate at a time. You don't want to rush this process. Also, I sometimes feel that remelting chocolate melts or wafers can seize, becoming grainy and unusable. Take you time!
Recipe FAQ
Tempering chocolate is the tried and true method for chocolatiers. It's the process of heating and cooling chocolate to stabilize it. This process gives chocolate its shiny, glossy appearance and gives the chocolate a 'snap' when eaten. Usually, you need additional tools to temper like a chocolate tempering machine, cooling marble slab, chocolate thermometer, etc. This process also takes additional time.
Alternative, chocolate melting wafers takes much less time than tempering and achieves a smooth finish. Also, not need to a ton of extra equipment but items dipped in chocolate melting wafers are more 'fragile' as they can easily ding if touched by other treats and will slightly melt if held in hands too long.
You can read more about tempering chocolate with this guide.
No. I would recommend melting wafers as they are made for dipping. They melt super smoothly and set up firmly when used compared to chocolate chips which do not hold their shape.
These pretzels will last at room temperature in an airtight container for about 2 weeks. Store them in a cool, dry place and remember that if chocolate can melt when it gets too hot!
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Patriotic Pretzels
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Piping Bags
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 10 ounces white chocolate melting wafers (set ⅓ cup of white chocolate melts off to the side)
- 2 ounces red chocolate melts
- 2 ounces blue chocolate melts
- 16 pretzel rods
Instructions
- Heat Ghirardelli Chocolate Melting Wafers according to package. I am using the double boil method. Melt chocolate until smooth and completely melted.
- Pour the melted chocolate in a tall long glass. Dip roughly ¾ of pretzel rods into the melted white chocolate one at a time. Twisting the pretzel rod against the side of the glass to remove some of the excess melted chocolate.
- Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted red colored melts according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the red melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod in a zig-zag motion. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted white chocolate melting wafers (~⅓ cup) according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the red melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod next to the red in a zig-zag like-pattern. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods.
- Melted blue colored chocolate melts according to package directions. Carefully transfer to a piping bag. Snip a small incision at the top of the bag. Working one pretzel at a time, drizzle the blue melted chocolate on about ⅓ of the white chocolate surface on the pretzel rod next to the white drizzle in a zig-zag like-pattern. Repeat with remaining pretzel rods. Let them sit at room temperature until completely cooled and dry.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!