Grinch Pretzel Treats

Oftentimes, these types of snacks are prepared with a Hershey’s Kiss or a Rolo chocolate candy. But, Grinch Pretzel Treats needed something green and red, so the obvious choice was to top the pretzels with a green candy melt and a big shiny red heart. Aren’t they cute!?

With only three ingredients, Grinch Pretzel Treats are one of those confections that can be made in just a few minutes. It requires very little clean up too, which is always a bonus! When we get closer to Christmas Day, I start to do things that are a little easier so that I don’t have so much work to do.

Christmas baking starts for me in July or August. I plan and test recipes before sharing them with you guys in November and December. By the time December comes around, I’m literally exhausted and don’t care to make a sink full of dirty dishes just for a cookie recipe. That’s why I turn to snacks and treats to get me through the next few weeks.

Snacks and treats may require some baking or they might not. My favourite thing about them is that in nearly all cases, you will not end up with lots of cleaning up to do. And, most snacks and treats recipes are like crafts. Rather than baking or cooking, look at it as crafting, because most of them require assembly only. Because they’re so easy, there’s really no excuse not to have a few snacks and treats for your guests! Now, who’s ready to get into my new series!?

LORD BYRON’S 12 SNACKS & TREATS OF CHRISTMAS

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to my last Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Snacks & Treats of Christmas. Unlike the 24 Cookies of Christmas series that ended a few days ago, this series will focus on easy-to-make snacks and treats that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require the help of a microwave rather than an oven. And, a bunch of them will involve more assembly-type tasks rather than preheating, beating, whipping, etc.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared here, this series will also see a new snack or treat recipe shared with you, Dear Reader, each and every single day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday snacks and treats year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Snacks & Treats of Christmas! Fresh off of my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas, my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, and Volume 5 of my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series, I’m ready to plow through the next 12 days with you once again.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pretzels – You will need to use mini pretzels for this recipe. As you can see, I used the mini squares, but you can use the mini pretzels with the traditional knot shape.
• Green Candy Melts – You will need one candy melt for every pretzel base. When it comes to candy melts there are different shades of green. My choices were limited this year so it was this dark green one or a very light, lime-coloured candy melt.
• Red Heart Candies

LET’S TALK SPRINKLES!

Where do you buy sprinkles?  Do you have a favourite vendor or brand?  A few Christmases back, I changed my sprinkle game.  I would always buy sprinkles from the baking supply section at Bulk Barn, but not anymore – no way!  Let me tell you how this all went down.

In November 2018, I was baking a few Christmas goodies and just could not source sprinkles that looked anything like what I was imagining in my head. John.e was on a major sprinkle hunt.  He used to work in close proximity to Michael’s, HomeSense, Winners, and Marshall’s.  He purchased at least ten different sprinkle colours, shapes, and brands.  But, I wasn’t impressed with any of them as much as I was with Sweetapolita.

After Christmas, I needed Valentine’s sprinkles, so I tracked down the brand and found their online store.  I ordered enough sprinkles to last a lifetime!  Shopping for sprinkles online might seem a little over the top, but I’ve never once pretended to shy away from getting what I want!

For these Grinch Pretzel Treats, you can use any heart-shaped sprinkle or candy. I found these on Amazon. They are Wilton brand, so you might find them at Michaels – the baking section at Michaels is well stocked with Wilton-brand sprinkles and confections.

WHAT ARE CANDY MELTS?

Candy melts are small, round discs that are made to emulate white chocolate. They come in a wide range of colours and are usually melted down and used in confections such as the coating on cake pops. I think the term candy melts is owned by Wilton, which is the only type I’ll use.

I use Wilton’s because I have used the brand many times before and have never been disappointed, but also because they have a lot of different colours to choose from. Oh, and the price is always good too!

If you cannot find candy melts, you can either order them online here, or you can use generic brands that can be found at your local baking supply store. The generic brands are sometimes called melting wafers. As you can see, I used green candy melts in this case, which is pretty obvious! Ha!

HOW TO MAKE GRINCH PRETZEL TREATS

First, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. While the oven is heating, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the pretzels evenly without allowing them to overlap or touch. Next, place one candy melt in the center of each pretzel. It’s always a good idea to buy more candy melts than you need because some are bound to be broken. Set the broken ones aside and use them in any recipe that requires you to melt the candy melts.

Once all of the pretzels are topped with a candy melt, place the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack for exactly 3 minutes. Once done, remove the tray from the oven and immediately place a red candy heart onto the now soft candy melt and slightly press the candy in. This will ensure that the candy sticks to the confection.

Allow the pretzels to cool completely before transferring them to a bowl or a cellophane bag. I highly recommend that you allow these to cool at room temperature. Sometimes, if you refrigerate melted candy melts, they will cool too quickly which will force the milk solids to separate. That’s when you will get that unappealing white streaky mess on your candy melt. It looks like powder or residue. It’s completely harmless, but not pretty. Allowing the candy melts to firm back up slowly is the best route.

CANDIES, CANDIES, AND MORE CANDIES!

I know I’ve talked mostly about red heart candies in this post, but there are other candy options that you can use if you can’t find a suitable red candy heart. Consider using red M&Ms or even red Smarties. Here in Canada, we have something called Smarties. I think in the United States, smarties are those flat, pressed-powder-like candy that comes in cellophane-wrapped rolls. They’re often found in large bags for Halloween treats. In Canada, smarties are candy-coated chocolate much like the popular M&M.

You might also consider using Cadbury Mini Eggs – they are my all-time favourite! They release bags at Christmastime with red and green candy-coated mini eggs. Although, in comparison to Hershey’s Eggies, Cadbury Mini Eggs are quite muted. Hershey’s brand has very bright and vivid red and green colours.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most snacks and treats, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. They will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Grinch Pretzel Treats, I would advise against it. In almost all cases, freezing results in some measure of moisture being absorbed into the frozen item. And, condensation forms during the thawing process. In the case of a pretzel, it’s pretty safe to assume that you will lose that crisp crunch.

But you really don’t need to freeze snacks and treats, because for the most part, they are ready in very little time and you should easily be able to prepare them the day you plan to eat them or serve them to guests.

IF FREEZING IS A MUST…

In the case that you are certain you have to freeze a snack or treat, I have the following advice. Once completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods, so I would use the same if freezing snacks and treats too. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

If you plan to give previously frozen snacks or treats as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation (if any) has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!