Christmas Pretzels are an easy, festive treat perfect for holiday snacking and gifting. No baking or special tools are needed—just pretzel rings, melting chocolate, and sprinkles. Quick to make and fun for the whole family, these bite-sized candies are ideal for dessert tables, gift tins, or an after-school craft session.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Need a last-minute gift or one more item for the cookie plate? These chocolate-filled pretzel rings transform into festive candies with just a handful of sprinkles. Simple shapes, nonpareils, or tiny holiday icons instantly change plain chocolate into cute seasonal treats.
Sprinkles allow endless creativity—snowmen, stars, trees, holly berries, and multicolored ornaments all work beautifully. You don’t need special holiday sprinkles; whatever you have on hand will create charming results.
They come together in minutes. Display a few in foil cupcake liners on dessert buffets, tuck a batch into decorative tins for teachers and neighbors, or add them to care packages. Taste-testing during the process is highly encouraged.
Recipe ingredients
For this recipe you need just a few items:
- Pretzel rings (about 20)
- Melting chocolate (about 1 cup)
- Assorted sprinkles and shaped decorations
Ideas for sprinkle designs:
- Christmas-colored nonpareils
- Gingerbread people with heart accents
- Snowmen with white nonpareils for “snow”
- Pine trees topped with a gold star and dusted with white nonpareils
- Snowflakes accented with white nonpareils
- Holly leaves with tiny red berry sprinkles
- Multicolored nonpareil trees with a gold star
Instructions
This is an overview of the process. Full steps follow in the recipe card below.
The basic method for most pretzels uses five simple steps:
- Arrange pretzels on a pan lined with wax or parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate and put it into a small zip-top bag.
- Cut a corner of the bag and pipe chocolate into the pretzel centers; tap the pan to level the surface.
- Immediately add sprinkles while the chocolate is soft.
- Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate firms.
To create multicolored Christmas trees on a green background:
- Place pretzels on a lined baking sheet.
- Melt white chocolate and tint with candy coloring to a green shade.
- Pipe the green chocolate into the pretzel centers and chill until firm.
- Let chilled pretzels sit at room temperature briefly (about 5 minutes).
- Pipe a small green triangle on top of a pretzel, add a gold star at the tip, and cover the triangle with multicolored nonpareils. Tip off and reuse excess sprinkles.
- Repeat for remaining pretzels.
Tips
- Use quality melting chocolate for the best flavor and to reduce the risk of chocolate bloom (the white coating that can appear on untempered chocolate).
- Work in small batches so the chocolate stays fluid while you decorate.
- Chill just until the chocolate firms for a nice shine—don’t over-chill.
- Only use oil-based candy coloring with chocolate; water-based food coloring can make chocolate seize.
- Tweezers are helpful for placing small sprinkle shapes precisely.
- If you prefer, make the tree designs on uncolored white or dark chocolate instead of green.
More easy Christmas treats
Try other simple holiday sweets to complement these pretzels: chocolate-dipped orange sugar cookies, chocolate nonpareil buttons, hidden-kiss cookies, peppermint fudge, festive Oreo treats, and classic cinnamon hard candy. Homemade candies make thoughtful gifts and attractive cookie-tray additions.
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Christmas Pretzels
Ingredients
- 20 pretzel rings
- 1 cup melting chocolate
- Sprinkles
Instructions
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Line two small baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.
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Arrange 5 round pretzels on each lined cookie sheet.
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In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate at 50% power for 1–2 minutes, stirring until smooth.
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Transfer the melted chocolate into a small zip-top sandwich bag.
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Cut a small piece off one corner of the bag.
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Pipe chocolate to fill the centers of the pretzel rings on one pan.
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Gently tap the pan on the counter to flatten the chocolate surface and remove bubbles.
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Immediately add sprinkles to the soft chocolate.
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Place the pan in the refrigerator to firm for about 3 minutes.
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Repeat with the second pan: pipe chocolate, tap, and add sprinkles.
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Chill the second pan for about 3 minutes.
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When firm, remove pretzels from the pans.
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Arrange remaining pretzels on the pans and continue until the chocolate and pretzels are used.
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If the chocolate in the bag begins to firm, gently reheat it in short bursts in the microwave.
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Store Christmas Pretzels in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
- Choose good-quality melting chocolate to improve flavor and appearance.
- Decorate in small batches so chocolate doesn’t set before you finish.
- Chill only until firm for the best sheen—avoid over-chilling.
- Use candy (oil-based) coloring when tinting chocolate to prevent seizing.
- Tweezers make placing tiny decorations easier.
- Try crushed candy canes, red or green mini M&Ms, mini white chocolate chips, candy eyes, or other holiday sprinkles as alternatives.
- Homemade candies are a popular, personal gift for the holidays.
Packing tips
Place pretzels in a freezer-weight zip-top bag and remove as much air as possible. Pad the bag with tissue or bubble wrap and pack securely. Only ship chocolate during cool weather to avoid melting.
Nutrition
First Published: September 22, 2019. Last Updated: August 14, 2021. Updated for better reader experience.