Chocolate Covered Pretzels & Stout

Making chocolate covered pretzels is nearly the easiest thing to do in the kitchen. To make something like this stand out in the crowd, you have to do two important things. 1) Buy high quality chocolate. I was lucky enough to receive samples of Kallari Chocolate in the mail and knew that I wanted to make their version of this recipe right away. Kallari is a sustainable, organic chocolate coalition out of Ecuador. They provide jobs and support for hundred of families in Ecuador, and on top of that make outstanding chocolate. 2) Create some unusual chocolate covered pretzel flavors.

Today I’ll show you how to make three flavors that pair well with stout beers. Stout beers are dark in color and have a bold, toasted flavor. The natural choice is Guinness but you can choose from a gazillion other types. I picked an oatmeal stout. Beers of this nature have notes of caramel and coffee, so my first choice was caramel, chocolate, and chopped pecans. The second is chocolate with sea salt, and the third is Mexican chocolate with cayenne and cinnamon (I found this on the Kallari website). All three pickup different flavors in the beer, which make for a fun and interesting pairing.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels & Stout
Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes    Cooling Time: 30 minutes   Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
16 large pretzel rods
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
4 oz 70% dark chocolate
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Parchment paper
Sea salt
1 cup pecans, food processed to very small pieces
sprinkles for decoration (optional)

For Caramel Covered Pretzels:
6 oz caramel squares

For Mexican Chocolate Pretzels:
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne pepper

6 stout beers, or 1 per guest

Directions:

1. Heat a double boiler over medium heat. Add the chocolate and vanilla in the top bowl and melt until it has a smooth consistency. Reduce the heat to low.

2. Lay the parchment paper out on a cool countertop, making sure you have enough paper to lay each pretzel out with some room around it.

3. Start by making the plain chocolate pretzels with sea salt. Gently dip 4 pretzels into the chocolate, leaving about 1 inch at the bottom as a handle. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the pretzel before placing it on the parchment. Quickly sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat for the remaining pretzels.

4. To make the pecan or sprinkle coated pretzels, lay the pecans or sprinkles out on a plate in an even, thick layer. Dip the pretzels in the chocolate as before, and then gently dip into the pecans or the sprinkles. I prefer to lay it, pick it up, and rotate it instead of rolling it. I think this helps keep excess toppings from being coated with chocolate. Lay the pretzels on the parchment to cool.

5. To make the caramel pretzels, melt the caramel in a microwave safe bowl. Dip the pretzels in the caramel and let it dry for about 30 seconds before placing the pretzels into the chocolate. Lay on the parchment to cool.

6. Lastly, to make the Mexican chocolate, add the cayenne and cinnamon to the chocolate. Stir well to combine. Dip the pretzels into the flavored chocolate and top with some sea salt once they are on the parchment paper.

7. Let the pretzels dry for at least 30 minutes, as much as overnight.

8. Serve the pretzels with a cold stout beer of choice.