Incredibly fast and easy to make and so pretty! These Pretzel Candies are a fun treat to make with the kids.
Tell me if this scenario rings any bells for you. It’s 8 p.m. and I’m loading the dishes from dinner into the dishwasher while the boys hunker down with their homework, when from a distance I hear a sweet, calm voice…
“Oh yeah, Mom, tomorrow is our class holiday party and I said we’d bring something”.
Looking back I can laugh. When it was happening…not so much.
Hopefully, your children always give you weeks of advance notice and you’ve got these things on your calendar but just in case, this is a good recipe to hold on to. Instead of running to the store to buy a package of commercially prepared treats, just grab some pretzels, Kisses, and M&M’s and you can put together these festive little sweet bites in a matter of minutes. And, they’re so pretty!
There are a huge variety of candies to choose from but for this batch, I’m going with Hershey’s Hugs, some dark chocolate Kisses and the standard, old school variety of plain M&M’s (no peanuts). I’m using square pretzels as the base.
Line up the pretzels on a baking sheet and top them with the Kisses, centering them as well as you can. Transfer the pan to a 300 degree oven just long enough to soften the chocolate, but not melt it down. It will only take a minute or two, max so stay put near the oven.
Now, carefully set an M&M on the top of each softened Kiss and lightly press it down a bit. I think it looks prettier to place the M&M into the chocolate with the printed side down. Transfer the pan to your fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes to let them set up and you’re good to go.
Let’s do some more!
For this batch I’m using standard, circular shaped pretzels so you can see how that looks. I’m going with all dark chocolate Kisses this time.
Very nice! I like this batch.
Let’s do more.
The candies come in different flavors and colors for the holidays so you can make them look special for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, etc. Considering we are just a couple of weeks away from Christmas, l grabbed a bag of seasonal Candy Cane Kisses and M&M’s in Christmas colors. The Hugs will look pretty for Christmas too so we’ll include some of those in this batch.
Line them up and plop a Kiss on each pretzel. The Kisses swirled with white melt faster than the milk or dark chocolate variety so be vigilant near that oven.
Festive little Christmas bites. Toss some of these on your Christmas cookie trays to add a bright, festive touch.
More..more..let’s do more! I think I need an intervention.
I saw these caramel filled Kisses and couldn’t resist. I mean, pretzel, chocolate, and caramel. Please!
Here’s a shot of them in the oven. It’s been just about a minute and the chocolate is shiny but the Kiss is still holding it’s shape. It’s time for them to come out.
These may not be the prettiest of all the batches, but they were the tastiest. The caramel will ooze out a bit when you press the M&M down into the the Kiss but oh, my…
After my exhaustive research in the field of pretzel candies I have come to the following conclusions.
- Different types of Kisses melt at varying rates of speed. White swirled Kisses melt FAST. It’s best to bake each type separately for this reason.
- Don’t walk away from the oven. One to two minutes is all it takes.
- It’s challenging to open 50 chocolate Kisses and not eat one…or five.
Pretzel Candies
Ingredients
- Pretzels, square or round
- Hershey’s Kisses, any variety
- Plain M&M’s, regular or any seasonal variety
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Line baking sheet with pretzels. Center one Kiss on each pretzel.
- Bake for 1 to 2 minutes. Kisses will soften but still hold their shape.
- Remove from oven and carefully place one M&M, printed side down, on top of each Kiss, pressing lightly.
- Refrigerate until set.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
I have made them using non pariles ? Dark chocolate, with little white beads on top, they are round then placing m&m in center. Very good
For some reason my chocolate kisses are not melting fully?!?! I’ve tried 200° I’ve tried 250°. Also tried 300°. Help!!!
I’m sorry you are having issues with this, Kelli. I wouldn’t turn the oven temp up because I’d be concerned the chocolate could scorch. Instead, I’d just let it go a bit longer. Also, be sure the oven rack is in the middle and not high (closer to the heating elements). I hope you got it figured out!
I would suggest using parchment paper, as mine stuck to my cookie sheet.
I think the caramel kisses with a peanut M&M would be really good!!! Might be a bit funny looking, but have you ever tried that?
i made these and stored them in a tin, not refrigerated. After one day, the chocolate looked spotted. What did I do wrong?
I can’t really say for sure if you did anything wrong at all. I’ve never experienced this although have heard others talk of it when making other types of chocolate confections. I believe the white spots can come from moisture so you want to be sure that the candies are stored in an airtight container that has no moisture in it. It’s also best to use very fresh chocolate kisses as they can get spotty with age. I’m sorry you had this issue!
I had the same issue, this year, with the chocolate becoming spotted. In the past I’ve never put them in the refrigerator to cool, but I couldn’t find my original recipe and the one I found which worked said to refrigerate about five minutes after adding the M&M to quickly cool them. I think this was the error, as I took them out of the refrigerator when cooled and put them in the containers without making sure they weren’t still ‘sweating’. Ibwill revert back to my previous method of letting them air cool. I found one recipe that said to bake them at 225 degrees for 5-minutes – do not do this. It only ‘burns’ and dries out the Kisses.
How far ahead can you make these without them getting stale?
You can easily make them a couple of days ahead. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them very fresh.
I stored them in airtight containers but didn’t put them in the fridge because I thought it would change the color of the chocolate
I was wrong. The kisses became lighter in color and slightly speckled. They still taste the same, but next time I will keep them in the refrigerator until ready for gifting.
I make these with Rolo’s excellent. Very easy..
The ONLY way I’m supposed to make them is with Rolos, according to my family. I’ve been making them for 20 years. 😂
My kids have always loved those things, and they are so easy to make. This time of year that is a huge plus in my book. Hope you have been well!
Thanks for stopping by, Jen! It’s been way too long 🙂
I love that these only need three ingredients and a couple minutes, Val! Such an easy and adorable holiday appetizer. Great recipe!
love the simplicity of these babies-plus so cute and snackable! mm!