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Not all homemade candy recipes require a thermometer or tricky techniques! My 3-ingredient Rolo Pretzel Candies are the perfect quick and easy dessert recipe.
Come holiday season (or really any time of year, if I’m being honest), I don’t always have the time or motivation to bake an entire cake or pie from scratch. If you, too, are feeling too busy, too tired, or are simply short on ingredients, recipes like my Ritz Cracker Cookies and these Rolo Pretzel Cookies can come in clutch.
To make this easy candy recipe, simply upwrap the Rolo candies, place them on a square pretzel, and bake until the caramel is soft. Pop another pretzel on top and gently press to make an ooey-gooey chocolate-caramel sandwich, dunk in warm candy melts, and decorate as desired.
You’re never more than minutes away from a cravings-buster; no pastry degree or floury kitchen mess required!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Rolo candies: I enjoy the chocolate-caramel combination here and they melt and spread beautifully once heated, but you can recreate these any chocolate with another small- to- medium meltable chocolate, such as Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs, if desired.
- Bright white candy melts: Or chocolate, if you’re craving even more cocoa flavor.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup. Arrange 50 pretzels on prepared baking sheet. Top each pretzel with a Rolo. Bake until the Rolos are shiny and have softened slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately top each with a second pretzel, pushing down slightly to form a sandwich. Chill until completely cool, at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set candy melts in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each pretzel in melted chocolate and lay on baking sheet.
- Immediately top with sprinkles. Chill until completely cool, at least 30 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: One batch of Rolo Pretzel Candies will give you 50 “sandwiches.” Few people can stop at one (I know I never do!), so these go quickly. But feel free to halve the quantities for a smaller yield of 25, or double to share 100 with a crowd.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator (or in your cold garage or patio in winter) for up to 1 month.
- Make ahead: These are a great treat to make ahead and then pull out for your holiday cookie plate.
- Freezer: For best results, freeze the cookies on a plate or tray until individually frozen solid, then transfer to freezer-safe bags (so the candies don’t stick to each other). Thaw at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Decorate as desired for any reason or season! If you’re not sharing Rolo Pretzel Candies as a Christmas food gift, consider blue sprinkles for Hanukkah, red and pink for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, pastels for Easter or Mother’s Day, red and blue for 4th of July, team colors for a tailgate buffet, or orange for Halloween.
This lower heat level allows the chocolate to temper at a slower rate, which prevents the chocolate from getting too hot (and, in turn, clumping up) in the microwave. Stirring at 30-second intervals also helps the candy melts cook evenly into a smooth, dippable consistency.
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Rolo Pretzel Candies
Ingredients
- 100 square pretzels
- 1 (12 ounce) bag Rolo candies unwrapped (about 50 pieces, see note 1)
- 1 (12 ounce) bag Bright White Candy Melts (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup holiday sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Arrange 50 pretzels on prepared baking sheet. Top each pretzel with a Rolo. Bake until the Rolos are shiny and have softened slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from oven and immediately top each with a second pretzel, pushing down slightly to form a sandwich. Chill until completely cool, at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set candy melts in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments. Stir until smooth.
- Dip half of each pretzel in melted chocolate and lay on baking sheet. Immediately top with sprinkles. Chill until completely cool, at least 30 minutes.
Notes
- Rolo candies: I enjoy the chocolate-caramel combination here and they melt and spread beautifully once heated, but you can recreate these any chocolate with another small- to- medium meltable chocolate, such as Hershey’s Kisses or Hugs, if desired.
- Bright white candy melts: Or chocolate, if you’re craving even more cocoa flavor.
- Yield: One batch of Rolo Pretzel Candies will give you 50 “sandwiches.” Few people can stop at one (I know I never do!), so these go quickly. But feel free to halve the quantities for a smaller yield of 25, or double to share 100 with a crowd.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator (or in your cold garage or patio in winter) for up to 1 month.
- Make ahead: These are a great treat to make ahead and then pull out for your holiday cookie plate.
- Freezer: For best results, freeze the cookies on a plate or tray until individually frozen solid, then transfer to freezer-safe bags (so the candies don’t stick to each other). Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I’m sorry to be critical. These are amazing.
I just wanted to point out your simpler version using Almonds. Those look like pecan halves in the photo.
Either way. Great ideas.
These turned out so cute and are a great alternative to bring to a cookie exchange when you’re short on time. Thank you!
Hi Adrienne, YES! Thank you. They are so easy and everyone likes them. Can’t beat the sweet + salty combo. I appreciate your kind words, thanks again and take care!
Well, Christmas is well and truly over, but this is a lovely idea for any party or special occasion. I especially love the turtle version!
What a clever idea, these look so cute and I’m sure they’re a tasty treat :)
Thanks so much, Jessica! Happy New Year. :)