Homemade Christmas Gift (easy!)

Handmade Chocolate Covered Pretzels

(easy peasy!)

Grabbed this container at Target

my homemade double-boiler

Putting on the chocolate

The  berbere action shot!

Get the kids involved in this!

Oh, YUM!

Recipe:

Pretzel Rods (can do dried fruit too!)

Chocolate (pick the kind you want) We used Ghirardelli 60% cacao, bittersweet chocolate chips.

We used about 2 cups worth.

1-2 Tbs. coconut oil (you could use Crisco shortening if you don't have coconut oil.

Sprinkles

Cinnamon and sugar mix

Berbere (Ethiopian spice mix...kickin' hot)

Chopped up nuts (we used some smashed up peanuts)

wax paper to let them cool on

transparent gift bags

pretty ribbon

handmade gift labels

Make a double boiler if you don't have one.  Basically a pan with an inch or two of water that will host a bowl of chocolate above it.  Warm chocolate and oil until melted.  (stay with the pot...you just want it to melt).  Turn it off once chocolate is melted.  Put back on double boiler if chocolate begins to harden.

Grab pretzels and baste with chocolate. Making sure to only cover 1/2- 3/4 of each pretzel rod. Allow excess to drip off.

While chocolate is still wet on pretzel, coat with desired coating.  (The berbere is yummy. Cayenne would work too.)  We tried bits of dried cherries, but they were just too heavy.

Lay out on wax paper, making sure they don't touch each other.  Give them time to dry and then bag those beauties up!

I didn't get a shot of ours before we blessed our friend Robin with a beautiful bundle of love!

We used all the left over chocolate to make some Bark.  We spread a cookie sheet with wax paper, poured out the remaining chocolate, spreading it fairly thin with a spatula.  We sprinkled all the goodies that were left over the top.  We set it into the fridge for a few hours and then broke it into bits and bagged it up too!

Merry Homemade Christmas!