White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels

Name: White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 52 min
Ingredients: 11 oz white chocolate chips (approximately 2 cups); 2 teaspoons coconut oil; 50 count mini pretzels (approximately 2 oz. total); 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

These white chocolate peppermint pretzels are a favorite recipe around Christmas and the winter holidays. They’re so easy to make, with just 4 ingredients and minimal effort. Perfect for your holiday dessert table or gift giving!

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

A closeup of white chocolate candy cane covered pretzels in a bowl.

A bowl of white chocolate covered pretzels topped with crushed up candy canes with a christmas tree napkin underneath it on a pink table.

Why I love this recipe/why this recipe works

These white chocolate peppermint pretzels are the perfect dessert this holiday season. With just 4 ingredients, you can have a tasty dessert that everyone will love! Plus, they’re a fun holiday activity for the whole family to make together.

Head to the kitchen and make these adorable white chocolate covered pretzels for your next Christmas party or a fun family night watching Christmas movies by the fire.

They also make a great gift for someone special. Just place them in an airtight container and wrap them up with a bow! Perfect for your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers!

They’re one of my favorite treats for good reason – so easy, but SO delicious!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

White chocolate – Not all white chocolate is created equal. I find that some brands just don’t melt as easily as other brands.
Coconut oil – I love to use coconut oil when I’m melting chocolate because it smooths it out for easy dipping, creates a shiny chocolate coating and helps the chocolate harden on the pretzels. You can use vegetable oil or shortening in its place, though it will not harden as quickly as coconut oil.
Mini pretzels – I love to use mini pretzels in this recipe, but you can use flat pretzel crisps, large pretzel rods, square pretzels, or pretzel twists for this recipe instead. You may need more or less white chocolate to get the same yield depending on how large the pretzels are.
Candy canes – You can use mini or regular candy canes for this recipe since you’ll be crushing them up to sprinkle over the pretzels.

Step-by-step instructions

These white chocolate peppermint pretzels are so easy to make, which makes them perfect for an easy holiday dessert or homemade gift.

Follow the step-by-step instructions below with matching pictures to help you make these white chocolate covered pretzels perfectly every time.

For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.

An overhead view of a ziploc bag with crushed up candy canes in it. — Add candy canes to a sandwich bag. Smash with a rolling pin until the candy canes are broken up. Set aside.

A glass bowl of white chocolate chips with coconut oil before melting. — Add the white chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl.

A bowl of melted white chocolate. — Microwave on 50% for 90 seconds. If the white chocolate chips still aren’t melted, microwave an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

A bowl of melted white chocolate with a fork holding a dipped pretzel over the bowl. — Place the pretzels into the white chocolate. Remove with a fork and tap off any excess chocolate.

An overhead view of white chocolate peppermint pretzels drying on a silicone baking mat. — Place the white chocolate covered pretzels on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Immediately top with crushed candy canes.

Expert Tips

Be careful, because even a small amount of water can ruin your melted chocolate so make sure your bowl is very dry before adding chocolate chips to it.
You want to make sure that you add the crushed candy canes to the pretzels when the chocolate is still wet. I like to dip a row of pretzels and then add candy canes to ensure they won’t dry too quickly.
If you need to crush your candy canes, place them in a plastic bag and hit them with a rolling pin until they break up into small pieces.
Use a combination of the candy cane dust and larger chunks for the perfect amount of peppermint flavor and crunch.

Why Did My Chocolate Get Hard When Melting?

If your chocolate gets hard while melting, it may have seized up. Either you might have gotten some water into your white chocolate or you may have cooked the chocolate too long.

I suggest melting white chocolate in the microwave at 50% for 60-90 seconds, then removing it from the microwave and try stirring.

If the white chocolate is not yet smooth, continue microwave at 50% in 15-30 second increments until it is able to be stirred smooth.

You don’t want to overheat white chocolate or any chocolate really, because it can easily seize up and become useless. You want a smooth white chocolate for coating your pretzels, so always err on the side of less time and keep stirring and microwaving in small increments until it’s ready.

FAQs

What other toppings can be added to white chocolate covered pretzels?

Christmas sprinkles, chopped nuts, sea salt, M&ms, and other small candies are all great options for adding to your pretzels. Be sure to add your toppings while the chocolate is still wet so they adhere to the pretzels.

Instead of white chocolate chips, can I use almond bark or candy melts?

Yes, you can use almond bark or candy melts in place of the white chocolate chips. If you do, you should not add the coconut oil that is specified in the recipe because candy melts and almond bark already have additives that help it melt smoothly so it’s not necessary.

Can I use other types of chocolate in this recipe?

Yes, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are all great options. Melt them the same way you would the white chocolate chips. However, I find that they take less time to melt than white chocolate chips so start checking and stirring at 45-seconds to ensure you don’t overheat the chocolate.

A hand holding a white chocolate peppermint pretzel over a bowl of pretzels.

Related recipes