Turn pretzel rods into magical, brightly coated Christmas delights by first dipping them in white chocolate and then picking your favorite holiday sprinkles to decorate. I like to use nonpareils, the tiny sugar balls that commonly come in white, but at Christmastime are packaged as a combination of red, green, and white. This is another fun cooking project with kids and a delightful gift to give to children. Long, clear cellophane bags work best for wrapping these pretzel logs.
YIELD
Makes 12 pretzels
INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces white baking chocolate chopped
12 pretzel rods
1/3 to 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles (mixed red, green, and white nonpareils)
INSTRUCTIONS:
To melt the chocolate, place 3/4 of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the top of the double boiler or the bowl and wipe the bottom to prevent any water from coming in contact with the chocolate. Stir in the remaining chocolate. Continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted.
Have ready a rimmed baking sheet lined with waxed paper or use parchment paper. (Do not spray the paper with cooking spray.) Dip the top half of each pretzel in the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip back into the pan. You can also use the back of a spoon to remove the excess. Place the pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to dip all the pretzels. Allow the chocolate dipped pretzels to cool and set slightly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chocolate-covered halves with the sprinkles, turning to coat all sides.
Refrigerate until the chocolate is hardened, about 20 minutes. The pretzels will release from the paper once dry. (The dipped pretzels can be made up to 1 week ahead. Store the pretzels without touching in a flat airtight container between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)