Cinnamon Sugar Hard Pretzels are a harmonious balance of sweet and salty crunch drizzled with a creamy white chocolate finish. These little snacks are so addicting – I bet you can’t eat just one! Create the ultimate sweet snack mix in under 30 minutes.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a sucker for those warm mall pretzels. Just the aroma gets me every time! Now you can satisfy that sweet treat craving from the comfort of your home in less than 30 minutes!
These little cinnamon sugar hard sweet pretzels can be quite addictive. Consider yourself forewarned. My husband was out of town the first time I made a batch. He was disappointed to find the pretzel container empty upon his return; no taste test for him. Oops!
Truthfully, there are so many year-round excuses for these little bites. Sprinkle with red or green sugar for your next holiday cookie swap. And, like our dessert recipes for Chocolate Candy Apples, and Marshmallow Pops, these are great to make with kids or as a gourmet food gift during the holiday season. They are easy to store, simple to ship, and irresistible as a game-day dessert snack.
Ingredient Notes
Make this fragrant finger food and crowd-pleaser with five common, simple ingredients.
Pretzels: We make these super easy by using a pre-made bag of pretzels but homemade ones would work well too. Any pretzel shape can be used although I prefer the classic hard twists. I try to find the unsalted variety if I can find it (almost never), but some may prefer the mixture of sweet and salty.
Oil: A touch of oil is used to bind the topping, so I use a regular vegetable oil blend for no added taste. Canola or Coconut Oil should be fine. I have not used melted butter specifically, but it generally has a lower burning point than oil.
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon. Always use the freshest spices available.
Sugar: White granulated sugar is used here. However, you can sub half brown sugar & half white sugar or use larger sugar crystals.
White Chocolate. For most of my recipes, I use melting chocolate. However, since these are drizzled rather than coated, white chocolate chips are perfectly fine. You could also use other chocolate flavors too.
Step by Step Recipe Guide
The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, and this is super simple to execute but I include this section for progress photos and tips.
First Coat: Stir in the pretzels to coat evenly with the cinnamon sugar-coating mixture. An additional layer is added after baking to pump up the flavor.
Bake: Parchment paper allows for easier cleanup of the large baking sheet. You can also use a baking mat. It’s best to put the pretzels in a single layer on top of the prepared baking sheet to make chocolate drizzling easier. Since we are using store-bought pretzels, they will already be a nice golden brown and cooked. We just want the coating to harden and become tacky.
Melt the Chocolate: While the sweet cinnamon sugar pretzels are cooling, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave using a microwave-safe small bowl.
You can use a spoon, or a chocolate decorating bottle to produce more even lines. However, make sure the chocolate isn’t too hot for the bottle.
Tips and Variation Ideas
- If the white chocolate chips aren’t melting to an easy piping consistency, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil while melting and stir.
- Pipe the white chocolate with a chocolate bottle for controlled lines. An icing bag or a Ziplock bag with the tip snipped off will also create a nice even stream.
- Sprinkle with colored sugars to decorate the pretzels for holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
- Make a party mix by adding nuts, chocolate candies, and/or dehydrated marshmallows. Crush some up to serve over vanilla ice cream.
- These cinnamon pretzels also make great Christmas gifts when individually wrapped in cellophane bags or mason jars.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
Serving Ideas: I often make these during the holiday season along with Carmelitas Cookie Bars and my Famous Peanut Butter Balls. They can stay out for eating, but I’d keep them away from hot lights and other heat sources. If you are looking for a dip for this simple snack, this cheesecake dip would pair amazingly well!
How long do cinnamon sugar pretzels last? Store these hard pretzels in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. I don’t think they have lasted more than a week for eating but the ingredients are pretty shelf stable so they will last awhile.
Make Ahead: These can definitely be made a few days ahead of time and stored. They are also a great, easy snack recipe for car trips the next day!
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Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
Ingredients
Coated Pretzels
- 8 oz Classic Twist Pretzels 1 medium bag
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ¼ cup Granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Parchment Paper
Topping After Baking
- 3 tablespoon Granulated White Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 cup White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a very large bowl or soup pot, whisk together oil, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in pretzels until well coated.
- Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread pretzels out in a single layer. This will probably take more than 1 cookie sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes, turning once half way through. While baking, whisk remaining sugar and cinnamon. After pretzels are done baking, but still warm, sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes.
- Melt white chocolate in microwave at 30 second intervals and stirring between each interval until smooth. If white chocolate is too thick, add 1-2 teaspoon of oil. Drizzle over pretzels using a spoon or chocolate sauce bottle.
- After chocolate has hardened, transfer to an airtight container. Enoy!
Crafty Woman says
Congratulations! You’ve been featured on Wicked Awesome Wednesday! Thank you for sharing your pretzel treats! Feel free to drop by the website and pick up your “I’ve been featured button!”
jessica says
These look great. I am pinning them! Thanks for linking up with me! Link party is now live, hope you make it back this week 😉
Jess
Kimberly says
Hello cute lady! These are amazingly good. Pinned. We couldn’t think of anyone better to party with. We hope to see you tonight at 7 pm.
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Julie@Sweet and Spicy Monkey says
I love the sweet and salty mix you’ve created here! This sounds yummy! If you get a chance, stop on by my blog where I’ve recently posted a Sweet & Salty snack mix that you might want to try and for a chance to enter Annie’s Homegrown giveaway that I’m hosting from today until Oct. 24th (next Friday). Pinned! 🙂
Kim @ The Cookie Puzzle says
These look absolutely…I can not wait to try these…Pinning now. Could I use a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat, or should I stick with parchment paper?
Rachel says
I have had this recipe before I purchased my silpats and I wish I had thought of that! I am sure that the silpat would work great in place of parchment paper.
RebeCca says
These look divine!!! I must pin them when I’m on a desktop- I would’ve eaten them all too lol
Megin says
These sound yummy!
Thank you for sharing your post this week at Brag About It Link Party on VMG206. I’m featuring you at Next Weeks Brag About It Link Party, Monday at midnight!
~ Megin of VMG206
Audrey says
What a deliciously easy snack! I love sweet and salty mixed snacks and my son has a thing for pretzels lately so I will be making these soon.
Thanks for sharing on Tasty Tuesdays.
Jennifer Dawn says
These look delicious! A perfect snack–salty and sweet! Thanks for sharing! (pinning!)
Jess says
Oh my gosh! YUM! I totally pinned this!
Thanks for joining the Link Up this week
Erlene says
My girls love making chocolate covered pretzels and the cinnamon sugar sounds like a great addition to an already favorite treat.
Rachel says
The cinnamon sugar really does kick it up a notch. And colored sugar makes it so festive looking.
Amanda @ The Kolb Corner says
These look so yummy! I love white chocolate and pretzels. Adding cinnamon and sugar is just the icing on top!
Rachel says
Oh these bad boys are so addicting. I love white chocolate and pretzels too but the cinnamon sugar is definitely worth the extra effort (and calories)!
Leslie says
YUM! I pinned because this looks amazing!
Rachel says
They truly are amazing. The first time I ate these, I was actually surprised at how good they were!