Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (2024)

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (1)

Christmas Eve is in 3 weeks, but who’s counting?! It has been a busy past few weeks in the kitchen as I’m sure many home bakers can relate. I’ve been baking batch after batch of holiday Christmas cookie recipes and I’ve been dreaming about making other Christmas desserts to share. Every year, I make the classics like Gingerbread Men Cookies, Crinkle Cookies, Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies, Pecan Fingers, and Spritz Cookies.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (2)

HOW TO MAKE PRETZEL HUGS

  1. Spread pretzels out on a baking sheet.
  2. Unwrap kisses and place 1 on the center of each pretzel square.
  3. Bake in a 200°F oven for 5-6 minutes.
  4. Allow chocolate candies to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Pretzel Hugs are made with chocolate kisses and theycouldn’t be any easier to make. They are so easy to make that I can whip batch after batch up for office parties, close friends, and family. This year, I picked up a few new chocolate kissvarieties from the grocery stores and tried them in this super easy Christmas dessert recipe.

Chocolate pretzel treats are nothing new. In fact, this time of year, you’ll find pretzel rods dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. I know a lot of gourmet chocolatierS sell their version of chocolate covered pretzels but it’s so easy to make them at home without spending a small fortune or buying and candy with extra corn syrup added in the mix.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (3)

PRETZEL HUG CANDY INGREDIENTS

■ PRETZELS: Pretzel snaps that are flat and square works best for this recipe. Be sure to get the original flavor and not garlic butter snaps or any other savory flavors.

■ CHOCOLATE CANDY: I like to use kisses or chocolate hugs with the white chocolate and classic chocolate candy flavors both in each piece. During the Christmas season, stores carry a large variety of flavors that include classic chocolate, cookies and cream, sugar cookie flavor ( I want to try these next!), cherry, mint, peppermint, hot chocolate and so many more.

My aunt first turned me onto these pretzelkisses back when I was in high school. Its been a tradition to include them in our annual Christmas cookie tray every year since. She got the recipe out of a church cookbook so we’re not really sure where this recipe originated from but our family loves it to this day. I’ll be shipping this batch home to family and friends over the holiday season.

The Christmas season is my absolute favorite time to bake. I’m always amazed and blown away when I’m given holiday desserts that I’ve never heard of before. There are millions and millions of Christmas recipes in cookbooks, magazines, blogs, and on the internet. It’s just always fun to see what friends and family bake during the holidays. Plus, it’s always fun to do a cookie swap with friends or church type potlucks this time of year. I never tire of Christmas cookies because they just make me incredibly happy.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (4)

This Christmas candy recipe couldn’t be any easier to make. It starts with square pretzels and Hersey kisses. Once the chocolate is warmed in the oven, a chocolate M&M is placed on top. This step allows the chocolate to deflate and bind to the pretzel.

Since Hershey’s came out with new chocolate kiss varieties, I tried a few in this recipe. My favorite is the Hershey’s kiss cherry cordial candy. It’s flavorful, sweet, and tastes amazing with salty pretzels. If you have the opportunity to try new flavors, I highly recommend the mint kisses, peppermint kisses, and cherry cordial kisses. Be sure to read my notes in the recipe card to adjust baking time for the stuffed kisses.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (5)

Pretzel Hugs are an easy Christmas snack to make in a pinch. Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. Skip the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzel rods and make your own Christmas pretzel shapes with mini chocolate kisses and candy. One bite of thesechocolate pretzel hugs and you won’t be able to stop eating them.

For more holiday cookie recipes, try thesePecan Snowballs,Whipped Shortbread Cookies,Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies, and theseChocolate Crinkle Cookies.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (6)

CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY

  • Peanut Butter Blossomspeanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss.
  • Strawberry Thumbprint CookiesButtery almond cookies with strawberry jam in the centers.
  • Chocolate Crinkle CookiesClassic chewy chocolate cookies!
  • Italian Christmas CookiesBest flavored Italian sugar cookies
  • Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookiesgingerbread cookies with white chocolate centers
  • Christmas Pretzel HugsEasy 3-ingredientpretzel chocolate candy!
  • Lemon Cream Cheese CookiesSoft lemon cookies with cream cheese.
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup CookiesPeanut butter cookies baked in a mini muffin tin with Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center.
  • Chocolate Chip Maraschino Cherry Shortbread CookiesClassic chocolate chip shortbread cookies with maraschino cherries.
  • Pecan Fingers: Addictively rich and flavorful pecan shortbread cookies rolled in powdered sugar. You’ll find these cookies just about everywhere during the Christmas season.

For more Christmas recipes, visit my Christmas section on Swanky Recipes.

Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (7)

Easy Christmas Pretzel Hugs

Favorite Recipe

Christmas Pretzel Hugs – Easy, 10 minutes, 3 ingredients, Christmas candy. Pretzel Hugs are made with chocolate kisses, mini pretzels, and chocolate candies. A festive Christmas dessert to make last minute.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 108 pieces

Calories 22 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 (8.5) ounce bags ( 108 pieces total) chocolate hugs SEE NOTES FOR CHOCOLATE VARIETIES
  • 108 pretzel snaps don’t use butter snap flavored
  • 108 red and green M&M candies 1 large bag
  • sprinkles, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°F.

  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

  • Unwrap chocolate hugs or chocolate kiss varieties.

  • Line baking sheet with pretzel snaps in even rows.

  • Top pretzelsnaps with a chocolatecandy in the center.

  • Bake in oven 5-6 minutes. Candy should still hold its shape. Take sheet pan out and test a kiss by placing an M&M in the center. If chocolatehug easily flattens, they are done. If the chocolatehug doesn't flatten, bake at 30-second intervals but do not over bake.

  • Place a chocolateM&M in center of chocolate hugs.

  • Allow chocolateto set until firm then store in an airtight container.

    * If using chocolate stuffed kisses with a filling, see notes.

Notes

  • This recipe can easily be halved – Just use 1 (8.5 oz.) bag of chocolate kisses/hugs and pretzels. Yield= 54 pieces

Chocolate candy kiss and hug varieties

  • For this recipe, I used Hershey’s Chocolate Hugs – These are the chocolate kisses with milk chocolate hugged by white creme.
  • NOTE – the stuffed kisses, such as the chocolate cherry cordial kisses, and marshmallow cream kisses won’t flatten like the non-stuffed kisses. If you do decide to use them, still melt them to the pretzel then immediatelycover with sprinkles once out of the oven.Of course, the stuffed kisses are delicious but be aware they don’t flatten like the hugs in this photo due to the filling. The stuffed kisses may just need additionaltime baking to allow the filling to soften.
  • Other Hershey kiss candies I like to use include the hugs, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, mint, and peppermint.

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 16mgPotassium: 1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.

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Christmas Pretzel Hugs | Swanky Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do Hershey Kisses melt in the oven? ›

Hershey Kisses melt at about 108 degrees.

How to decorate pretzels for Christmas? ›

Use a fork to drizzle the different colors of chocolate melts over the pretzels. Or, decorate with Christmas sprinkles. You can also place small candies, like holiday m&m's, and your favorite toppings in the center of the pretzel. Allow the candy coated pretzels to dry completely before storing.

Will melted Hershey Kisses harden? ›

Whether you're using it in a recipe, drizzling it over ice cream, or using it some other way, melted Kisses should be used quickly. As the chocolate cools, it will harden back up and no longer be malleable.

What is the best way to melt Hershey Kisses? ›

Place chocolate in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on 30% power. Stir well and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Note: if only a few lumps remain in the melted chocolate, microwave for only 15 seconds on 30% power.

What is the meaning of the pretzel at Christmas? ›

Pretzels and symbolism

Traditional pretzel shapes have also taken on religious meaning over the years. By the 16th century, children commonly hung pretzels on both Christmas trees and around their necks on special occasions, German even hid tiny pretzels on Easter, an early version of modern Easter egg hunts.

How do you keep pretzels warm for a party? ›

Purchase a ceramic bread warmer at a kitchen supply store or online. Heat the warmer in the microwave for about a minute and place it in a basket using an oven mitt. Cover the bread warmer with a clean dish cloth and place your warm pretzels on top of it to serve.

How do you keep Hershey's kisses from melting? ›

Note: The Hershey's Kisses tend to melt when they are placed on top of the warm cookies. To help prevent this, put the Kisses in the freezer the night before you bake.

At what temperature does Hershey's chocolate melt? ›

Chocolate contains cocoa butter, a vegetable fat that is sensitive to heat and humidity. Temperatures above 75°F will cause chocolate to melt.

What is the melting point of Hershey's Kisses? ›

At between 86 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the melting point of chocolate is significantly lower than human body heat. This explains why it commonly melts when people hold it in their hands for too long. Most chocolate melts best between 104 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

Will Hershey Kisses melt in the mail? ›

However, chocolate is not a good gift to send in the mail. The melting point for most types of chocolate is 86 - 90 degrees Fahrenheit (lower than body temperature), this means there is a good chance that if you mail chocolate overseas or even within the US, it will not arrive in the condition you sent it.

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