Tasty Treat Thursday: Awesome Little Pretzel Chocolate Goodies

I am making some of these tasty treats today, so I thought I'd pass along the recipe!

There isn't much to these little guys, and most of you probably already know how to make them, and make them often. Sometimes the best treats are the simplest ones, which we often overlook or forget! Several people in my life were into making these and giving them as gifts, and a few years ago, I started doing the same. They are great because they can easily coordinate with any holiday or also blend in with the "everyday." I'm making them today for Bill to bring in to school (for the other teachers, not kids) tomorrow to celebrate Spring Break arriving!

The treats are unnamed, so for posterity, I'll quickly entitle them...

Tasty Treat Thursday

Awesome Little Pretzel Chocolate Goodies

(Aren't I so original?)

• 1 bag mini wagon wheel/circle-shaped pretzels
• 1-2 bags of milk chocolate baking wafers/melting chocolates
• 1-2 larger bags of M&M's

1) Preheat oven to 250*

2) On a baking sheet (preferably with sides, as it makes it a LOT easier), lay out a layer of pretzels, not overlapping. Top each pretzel with a chocolate baking wafer.

3) Put in warm oven for 5-7 minutes or until they look wet on top (check often, you don't want them to melt, just become soft). Remove from oven.

4) While still warm and soft, top each pretzel/wafer with an M&M (Press M&M into the melted chocolate). Place in refrigerator/freezer for a few minutes so chocolate will harden.

ENJOY!

Notes:

1) I know you can definitely find mini circle-shaped pretzels by Herr's in the grocery store. If not, the circle shape is not necessary (only for aesthetics), and any mini pretzel shape will do!

2) Baking/Molding chocolate wafers can be found at craft stores like Michael's or AC Moore. My grocery store (Giant) has a bulk/barrel section, and I bought them there as well. If you cannot find them or do not have time, pick up a few bags of Hershey Kisses. They work just the same, you might just need to melt them a little bit longer (by a minute) in the oven.

3) I like to coordinate the M&M's with the season/holiday. So, I bought Easter/Pastel/Spring ones for the ones I am making today. Christmas = Red and Green. Halloween = Black and Orange. St. Patrick's Day = Green and White. Valentine's Day = Pink, White and Red. You get the drift. M&M's make so many specialty M&M's, it's crazy. If you want them just to have around the house or at a gathering for a non-holiday, just get the regular assorted bag.

4) I think these are fun to just have around the house to nibble on! They also make GREAT gifts! At Christmas (or birthdays), I make a batch and fill up a cool mug, glass, tin or plasticware, then wrap it in decorative cellophane or with a ribbon. My friend, Heather, always made these for me at Christmas, and I LOVED them. It's really hard to stop at eating one or 2.

5) This would be a really fun treat to make with kids. They can easily do each of the steps (minus the oven part) - laying out the pretzels, topping with the wafers and "racing" to get the M&M's on!

6) As always, BE CREATIVE! Try white chocolate baking wafers, dark chocolate baking wafers. Instead of M&M's, try Reese's Pieces or chunks of Snicker's bars. Crushed Oreo's! I bet you could even top with small slices of Strawberries if they were going to be served immediately. In the picture below, I made a combo batch. On the far left, I put whole/raw/unsalted almonds instead of M&M's. In the middle I put M&M's AND Almonds. On the far far right, you'll see I ran out of baking wafers, so I sprinkled a few semi-sweet chocolate chips and topped them with 2 M&M's.

Let me know what variations you came up with - send pics!

Send me your Tasty Treat recipes! moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com