4-Ingredient Pretzel Turtles Treats

Store-bought caramel pretzel bites are dipped in chocolate and topped with nuts for a super fast, no-bake gooey caramel treat.

“You need to try one of these.”

“Mooooom! You know I can’t eat pretzels. Or caramel. Or nuts.”

“But, you’ve been helping me make them. Your braces will be fine. The warm chocolate totally softens the caramel. You still need to try one. They’re insane.”

“Oh. These are really, really good, mom.”

Yes, yes they are good. And easy. And there’s nothing better than that combo when you’re in a race against Santa’s sleigh.

So maybe I didn’t really plan ahead. Actually I’ve done a ton of planning. I just had some issues with execution.

Time. It has a way of escaping us.

That’s why these little nuggets of salty, caramel, chocolate, nutty goodness are one of my go-to Christmas treats.

There’s no baking involved. Not even a stove to boil water in. If you have a microwave and a few nimble fingers, call in the troops and you are more than good to go.

About the Recipe

This recipe seriously couldn’t be easier. Nugget style pretzels are the salty, flaky base. They’re really the only kind of pretzels I like. Must be that flaky center.

If you wanted to make mini sticks, or big pretzels too, you could totally give that a go, but the whole chunk in the mouth experience is what I crave most.

The key to this recipe is finding soft caramels. You know the kind you use for caramel apples? The ones that come in the bag with each caramel wrapped like a present in the clear plastic wrap that you can never seem to get unwrapped? Steer clear of those. They’re just too hard to roll out.

Instead, I used the soft Werther Originals because they are so much softer and creamier. Both to roll and to chew.

The next key ingredient is the chocolate. This past fall at the Better Blog Retreat (where we invited a few food bloggers to Utah’s Deer Valley Resort to work, brainstorm and eat until we couldn’t possibly fit in another bite) Lindt Chocolates and their master chocolatier, Ann Czaja, shared the secrets to great chocolate.

Not just great chocolate, but gourmet chocolate made from the world’s finest cocoa beans to create the finest texture and flavors. It’s what Lindt is known for.

After we learned about cocoa pods, raw chocolate and how it’s processed, we put put all five of our senses to work—sight, touch, sound, smell and taste—for a sneak chocolate and wine pairing peek of the new flavors Lindt Excellence will be rolling out soon (can’t tell you yet what they are!) in addition to chocolate flavors available now like Pomegranate, Red Chili, Pineapple (I know! It was a group favorite!), and Blackberry with Acai.

For this recipe you could certainly use any of the Lindt dark chocolate bars above to coat the caramel and pretzels but I used the Intense Orange flavor because it just reminds me of the tastes of Christmas. It’s incredibly good.

The final touch is a roll in finely chopped nuts. You could use any nuts of your choosing—almonds, walnuts or pistachios would be good—but I went for pecans. And because I had a can of these in the pantry, I doubled the sweetness value.

These are perfect for neighbor gifts or holiday parties.

They’re easy. They’re no bake. And everyone loves ’em. Even when you have braces to pick all of the caramel out of and four legs to beg with.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.  

Print

4.19 from 11 votes

4-Ingredient Pretzel Turtles

Store bought caramels wrap pretzel bites dipped in chocolate and nuts for a super fast, no-bake cookie caramel treat.

Servings 40 pretzel turtles

Ingredients

• Two 4.5-ounce bags about 40 soft caramels (I used Werther's Originals)
• One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets
• 12 ounces chocolate such as three 3.5 ounce Lindt Excellence chocolate bars I used the Intense Orange flavor
• 2 cups finely chopped nuts I used Honey Bourbon Sweetened Pecans but plain works too

Instructions

• Unwrap the caramels and use a rolling pin to roll out each one into a ⅛-inch thick oval. Wrap the caramel around each pretzel nugget, sealing the ends.
• Roughly chop the chocolate bars and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. The chocolate should be melted but if needed, microwave in 15 second bursts until melted. If using flavored chocolate bars the chocolate may have chunks in it.
• Place the chopped nuts in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet, cooling rack or cutting board with parchment paper. Dip a caramel-covered pretzel nugget in the chocolate and toss to coat. Transfer to the chopped nuts and use a small fork or spoon to cover with the nuts. Place the coated pretzels on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. Allow to set and chocolate to harden, about 3 hours.
• Adapted from Rachel Ray magazine

Wait! More Easy Treats to Add to Your Santa Bag

Okay! These didn’t take nearly as long as you thought and you have an extra 5 on your hands? Here’s a few more simple bites to add to your paper plate of neighbor gifts. Hey. It’s the thought that counts!

5-Ingredient Graham Cracker Toffee

I should have known when my friend gave me this treat yesterday that it came from Ali, one of her favorite blogs for easy and fast recipes on the run. OMG, so addicting.

Get the recipe | Gimme Some Oven

5-Ingredient Mini Reindeer Treats

How can you say “no” to these googly eyes! So cute!

Get the recipe | Chelsea’s Messy Apron

White Chocolate and Peppermint Christmas Wreath Cookies

I’ve made these since I was in, like, 4th grade. They must be easy!

Get the recipe | FoodieCrush

Chocolate Peppermint Bark With Oreos

As if the peppermint wasn’t enough. Oreos!

Get the recipe | Foodness Gracious

5-Ingredient Pecan Pie Fudge

Pecan pie? My husband would be ALL over this dessert.

Get the recipe | The Texanarian

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you try the recipe and here’s to getting into the kitchen and cooking something good!

This is not a sponsored post, but I do love the companies who make great products, like chocolate!, so I just had to share. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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