Red, White, and Blue Pretzels are a fun, festive, sweet, and salty treat and Fourth of July dessert. Dipped in delicious chocolate candy melts and decorated with festive sprinkles, 4th of July pretzels are as delicious as they are adorable.
For more patriotic desserts, try Red, White, and Blue Fruit Kabobs and Patriotic Individual Trifle Cups.
🎥Video: How to Make Red, White, and Blue Pretzels
I've only lived in small Minnesota lake towns, where the population swells during the summer, and the 4th of July is a weeklong celebration with events ranging from art shows to turtle races. The 4th of July in Minnesota is truly a slice of Americana. So to keep up our energy for a full week of festivities, WE NEED SNACKS.
And these adorable American flag pretzels are the perfect red, white, and blue dessert for any patriotic celebration.
It's a really easy recipe—if you can even call it that—but it does take a bit of time. So, it's the perfect sweet treat to make with kids and grandkids.
❤️You're Going to Love These
- Adorable patriotic pretzels for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day parties
- Delicious flavor combination of salty pretzels and sweet candy coating
- Fun and easy treat to make with kids
🥨Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
- Pretzels. I used Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Snaps -- those checkerboard-shaped pretzels. Regular pretzel twists will also work.
- Red, white & blue candy melts. I opted for colored vanilla candy melts -- even for the white chocolate. You can also use melted white chocolate chips for the white layer and color white chocolate with oil-based food coloring for the red and blue colors (liquid or gel food coloring won't work).
- Clear colored oil. Melt candy coating with a little shortening or coconut oil to thin it, as needed. I prefer shortening because it dries with a firmer finish, but coconut oil also works.
- Sprinkles. I used red, white, and blue sprinkles, but white sprinkles, star sprinkles, or white sugar sprinkles would all look great!
🥣Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, melt white candy coating with oil in the microwave. Drop pretzels into the melted chocolate, lift out with a fork, and tap it on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place pretzels horizontally on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
Step 2: In a small bowl, melt red candy melts with oil in the microwave. Drizzle or pipe the red melted candy in horizontal stripes. Place in the refrigerator to harden.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, melt blue candy melts with oil in the microwave. Gently remove any excess red chocolate, then dip the left side of each pretzel in blue candy coating.
Step 4: Add the sprinkles while the blue candy coating is still wet. Place onto a clean sheet of wax or parchment paper to dry.
👉Top Tip: Pretzel snaps are rectangular-shaped. Arrange them on the baking sheet horizontally for the most flag-like appearance.
☑️Tips
- For the cleanest red stripes, pour slightly cooled red candy into a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and pipe the stripes on.
- Gently reheat the candy melts as needed.
- If necessary, add a little more shortening or coconut oil until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Want a shortcut? Instead of dipping in blue chocolate, drizzle with red and blue chocolate and decorate with sprinkes before they dry.
🎁Storage
Once they are completely dry, store red white and blue pretzel bites in a ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for about one week.
Freeze in a freezer bag or freezer safe container for a month. Thaw on the counter.
🎆More 4th of July No Bake Desserts
💌Let's Stay in Touch
Follow Midwestern Holidays on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!
📖 Recipe
Red White and Blue Pretzels (4th of July)
Ingredients
- 70 pretzel snaps
- 12 ounces white candy melts
- ½ cup red candy melts
- ¾ cup blue candy melts
- 3 ¼ teaspoons oil, divided, plus more, as needed shortening or coconut oil
- red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or waxed paper.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt white candy melts with 2 teaspoons oil at 50% power for 30-seconds, then in 15-second increments until smooth, stirring in between. Drop several pretzel snaps into the white candy and turn to coat. Use a fork to lift each pretzel out of the candy coating, tap it onto the side of the bowl to remove excess coating. Arrange pretzel snaps horizontally on the prepared baking sheets. Reheat candy coating as needed, being careful not to burn.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt red candy melts with ½ teaspoon oil at 50% power for 30 seconds, then in 15-second increments until smooth, stirring in between.With a spoon or ziptop bag with the corner snipped off, drizzle or pipe the red chocolate over the white chocolate covered pretzels creating horizontal stripes. Set the pretzels into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to harden.
- Line the countertop or baking sheets with clean sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt blue candy melts with ¾ teaspoon oil at 50% power for 30 seconds, then in 15-second increments until smooth, stirring in between.One by one, gently remove any excess hardened red chocolate from the edges of each pretzel. Dip the left side of the pretzel into the melted blue candy melts. Hold the dipped pretzel over a small bowl and sprinkle the wet blue coating with sprinkles, letting the excess fall into the bowl. Place onto the parchment paper to dry.
Notes
- I prefer to melt chocolate and candy melts with shortening because it hardens with a firmer finish. Coconut oil also works, but can dry with a softer finish.
- For the cleanest red stripes, pour slightly cooled red candy into a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and pipe the stripes on.
- Gently reheat the candy melts as needed.
- If necessary, add a little more shortening or coconut oil until the chocolate reaches your desired consistency.
- Want a shortcut? Instead of dipping each one in blue chocolate, drizzle the white pretzels with red and blue melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkes before they dry.
Leave a Reply