Halloween Pretzels

Featuring salty pretzel sticks dunked in chocolate and decorated with Halloween-themed fondant toppers, these no bake Halloween pretzels are a fun activity for the entire family, and make great party favors or classroom treats!

Why Make These Halloween Pretzels?

Halloween is one of my favorite times to get creative in the kitchen, and making these fondant Halloween pretzel treats is one of the best ways to get into the spirit of the spooky season.

These Halloween pretzels are easy to make, with no baking or cooking required (other than melting the chocolate, and you can use the microwave for that step!)) so kids can help with the dipping and decorating. You can also make the fondant decorations as simple or as fancy as you’d like, depending on your skill level and the amount of time you want to devote to the project.

A batch of cute Halloween pretzel sticks will add a whimsical touch to any Halloween celebration, and they’re an especially eye-catching centerpiece if arranged in a shallow glass or vase with a handful of shredded orange crinkle cut paper.

These make great Trick-or-Treat treats, classroom gifts, or Halloween party favors, too!

Ingredients for Making Decorated Pretzel Sticks

To make your own homemade Halloween pretzels, you will need the following ingredients:

• Pretzel Sticks – For this recipe, opt for thin pretzel sticks rather than rods. I used Lajkonik, a Polish brand readily available on Amazon. These measure about 5 inches long and are roughly 1/4-inch thick. Any similarly-sized pretzel sticks will work.
• White Fondant – I used about 200 grams, or 7 ounces, of white fondant (soft white icing) to make the decorations for my pretzel sticks. You might need a little more or a little less fondant, depending on the designs you want to make.
• Gel Food Coloring – I divided my fondant into six portions, and tinted it in Halloween colors (orange, green, black, purple, yellow; the other I left white) but you can choose any colors you’d like. For gel food coloring, my go-to brand is Chefmaster. You can also use pre-colored fondant if you happen to have some left over from other projects.
• Chocolate – For dipping the pretzels. I used white chocolate for the white decorations (ghosts, mummies), and dark chocolate for the black decorations, but feel free keep things simple by using one chocolate for all of your pretzels. You can dip your pretzel sticks in milk, white, dark, or even something like ruby or blonde chocolate.

How to Make Halloween Pretzel Treats

To make Halloween pretzels, start by tinting white fondant (also known as decorator’s fondant, ready-to-roll fondant, or soft white icing) into your favorite Halloween colors—I chose black, orange, bright green, purple, and yellow. Wrap each ball of fondant in clingfilm/plastic wrap to prevent the fondant from drying when not in use.

Then it’s time to get creative! Use your hands to shape fondant decorations, each about 1 inch in size. I made candy corn, ghosts, mummies, monsters, pumpkins, bats, and witches’ hats. Press each decoration on top of a thin pretzel stick to make a deep indentation. Arrange the decorations on a tray and allow them to dry.

To assemble, dip one end of each pretzel stick in melted chocolate, then place a fondant decoration on top. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature, then package or serve as desired. See below for some of my favorite ways to present and gift homemade Halloween pretzels.

Tips for Making the Fondant Decorations

The fondant decorations are fun and easy to shape, and you can make each one as simple (or as elaborate) as you’d like, depending on your skill level and the amount of time you want to devote to this project. Feel free to follow my examples, or create your own. Other ideas include spiders, jack o’ lanterns, caramel apples, cauldrons, tombstones, zombies, black cats, brooms, gourds, or candy shapes. If making this recipe with younger children, I suggest sticking to one or two simple designs, like pumpkins or ghosts.

No matter which Halloween-themed decorations you decide to make, it’s important to keep them on the smaller side. Aim for about 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) in size. Larger, heavier decorations will make your pretzel treats top-heavy or possibly cause the pretzel sticks to snap. If you want to make very large or elaborate decorations, opt for pretzel rods instead.

Another tip: Keep the extra fondant covered at all times. After tinting it into Halloween colors, I suggest wrapping each color in its own sheet of clingfilm/plastic wrap. This will prevent the fondant from drying when not in use.

Tools and Supplies for Making These Cute Halloween Treats

When making Halloween pretzel treats, it helps to have a few basic tools on hand. I recommend:

• Fondant Tool Set – A cheap set of fondant tools makes crafting the decorations much easier. (These also come in handy for all sorts of kitchen projects, from cookie decorating to novelty macarons, so they’re a nice addition to your toolkit!)
• Toothpicks – Toothpicks (cocktail sticks) allow you to add texture, and help with adhering small pieces such as eyes.
• Sharp Paring Knife – For cutting the fondant. You can also use the back of your knife to score the pumpkins as shown.
• Microwave  – For melting the chocolate. If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate over a bain marie or double boiler instead.
• Silicone Mat – I like to line my countertop with a silicone mat for easy cleanup, and line a tray with a second mat as a place to arrange and dry my finished decorations. If you don’t have a silicone mat, use parchment or wax paper instead.
• Clingfilm – It’s important to keep a roll of clingfilm/plastic wrap nearby. You’ll need it to cover the tray as you’re working, and to wrap the balls of fondant so the fondant doesn’t dry out mid-project.
• Rubber Gloves – Don’t skip these! You’ll want to wear rubber gloves to work the gel coloring into the fondant, or you’ll find yourself with Halloween-themed hands for a couple of days.

Packaging and Gifting Halloween Pretzels

Store finished Halloween pretzels in an airtight container at room temperature. These will last a couple of weeks, but the pretzels might eventually start to go a bit stale.

For a Halloween party, arrange and display bouquets of pretzel sticks in shallow glasses, cups, or vases.  Stuff the bottom of each cup with shredded black and orange paper, or with Halloween confetti. You could even fill the bottom of each glass with a handful of homemade candy corn.

To package Halloween pretzels for classroom treats, party favors, or Trick-or-Treat gifts, I love the idea of using Halloween themed cello bags, and finishing each one with a big orange bow.

Other autumn recipes you might enjoy:

Halloween Candy Corn
Pumpkin Spice Caramels
Parsnip Cookies
Spiced Pumpkin Butter

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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