Make These Tropical Pretzel Rods For a Hawaiian Luau Party!
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Tropical Pretzel Rods made with pretzel rods dipped in melted candy wafers and topped with cute tropical sprinkles are a must for any Luau themed party! One of the great things about pretzels dipped in chocolate is that everyone loves them, they are totally portable so your guests can nibble while they mingle!
I’ve got lots more Luau Party Food recipes for you to try out – right-click and open them in a new tab to read next!
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Tropical Pretzel Rods
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
One of my favorite party themes is tropical and for my 40th birthday I hosted a fun Hawaiian Luau Party!
If you are planning a summer celebration then a Luau Party is an absolute must! When you host this kind of event for your friends and family, it’s like you are bringing the tropical breeze to your backyard!
It’s so easy (and so much fun!) to make tropical pretzel rods and these candy-coated treats are a kid-friendly recipe to do with your littles! They can decorate the pretzel rods after they are dipped with the sprinkles!
Ingredients Used In This Recipe
Just three ingredients are needed in this recipe – pretzel rods, candy melts, and sprinkles!
For your convenience, I’ve linked any specialized ingredients needed for this recipe to Amazon below.
- Pretzel Rods
- Candy Melts – this recipe uses white, pink, green, and yellow, but you can use whatever color you like for your tropical pretzels – blue and turquoise would be awesome!
- Tropical Sprinkles – you can use whatever tropical-themed sprinkles you like such as:
- Flamingo Sprinkles
- Pineapple Sprinkles
For my UK readers: Pretzel rods are longer and chunkier than pretzel sticks – and the latter seems to be the kind that I see in our supermarkets. The brand that I bring home from the USA is called Snyder’s of Hanover, and they sell a range of pretzel products, which I have seen on Amazon UK. However, pretzel rods do not seem to be one of them, which is super annoying! You could check out stores like Aldi or Lidl which might carry larger pretzel sticks. Or if you can’t find pretzels in rod or stick form, just use this method on regular shaped pretzels! Or even plain breadsticks (just don’t use garlic or cheese ones because I can’t imagine that would be a good combo!!)
Equipment used in this recipe
You can melt candy melts/candy wafers in the microwave or a double boiler, or if you plan on making lots of candy covered treats in the future, I recommend investing in a candy melting pot as treat-making life is then so much easier!
Try this PME one if you’re in the UK, as the Wilton one is not available on Amazon.co.uk.
If you want to drizzle candy melts onto the pretzels you’ll need zip-top freezer bags or disposable piping bags to get the job done. And some wax paper to lay the coated pretzel rods on so that they can set.
Melting Tips for Candy Melts Wafers
If you use the Wilton Candy Melting Pot, you can check out Wilton’s demo video on YouTube which is really helpful. They also give tips on how to melt candy melts in the microwave, as well as using the double boiler method.
The two most important things are
- Do not overheat – use an even melting temperature
- Do not add water – it makes the candy seize up and become unusable. Make sure the equipment used is completely dry, and avoid using utensils that retain moisture like a wooden spoon.
If you find that the candy is too thick, add vegetable shortening or (solid) coconut oil in 1 teaspoon increments, up to 1 tablespoon, and stir well.
Another reminder – do not add water. The very first time I used candy melts I managed to get water in the bowl and it was ruined. Learn from my mistakes! Additionally, do not use vegetable oil, butter, milk, or any other liquids as this will also make the candy seize up.
If you are using your microwave, test melt a small amount of candy melts first, to see how it works. You may need to adjust the temperature and time to suit your machine. Heat in 15-30 second increments, stirring the candy melts each time. They may not look melted, but they might have started melting from the inside. Stirring helps to distribute the heat.
Pretzel Dipping Tips
You want to cover the pretzel rods about two-thirds, and I think it’s easiest if you can do that in one dunking.
My tip is to use a taller container – like a mug or glass jug – rather than a bowl. That way you can dip the pretzels into the melted candy, and voila, candy-coated pretzel rods! Or you can use a spoon to help you to cover.
Tap off any dipping excess candy. (Speaking of excess candy, any that is leftover can be transferred to an airtight container, and you can re-melt it for another recipe.)
Store the coated pretzels in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Storing in the fridge may cause the pretzels to soften – not good when you want them to be a crunchy treat!
More Recipes Using Candy Melts
Candy Melt Wafers are such a fun ingredient to use in sweet treats, so here are some more recipes you might like to check out next:
- Make These Tropical Fish Cupcakes For An Under The Sea Party!
- Pink Encrusted Marshmallow Pops
- Oreo Cookie Pops
More Tropical Party Recipes
Need some more tropical party food ideas? Take a look at these recipes next:
- Tropical Island Breeze Cocktail with Bourbon & Rum
- A Delicious Pina Colada Layer Cake Perfect for a Tropical Luau Party!
- Tropical Rice Salad
How Do I Make Tropical Pretzel Rods?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Tropical Pretzel Rods
Tropical Pretzel Rods are so easy and fun to make and are a must for any Luau themed party!
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz) package pretzel rods (approx 20)
- 1 (12 oz) package White candy melts
- 1 (12 oz) package Pink candy melts
- 1 (12 oz) package Green candy melts
- 1 (12 oz) package Yellow candy melts
- Pineapple shaped sprinkles
- Flamingo shaped sprinkles
- Tropical themed sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a large tray or baking sheet with wax paper.
- Melt the candy melts according to package directions giving special care not to overheat the candy as it will become too thick. If the candy is too thick, add vegetable shortening or coconut oil in 1 teaspoon increments, up to 1 tablespoon, and stir well. Do not add water or any other type of liquid as the candy will seize and harden and be unusable.
- Pour melted candy into a tall container to dip the pretzel rods about two-thirds - use a spoon to help cover if required. Shake gently to remove the excess candy.
- If applying small sprinkles (such as nonpareils, jimmies, etc.,), do so immediately rotating the pretzel rods to coat all sides.
- Larger sprinkles work best if placed individually.
- Place candy-coated pretzel rods onto the wax paper.
- To add additional colored candy melts allow the first coating to set first.
- Place melted candy into a disposable piping bag or zip-top freezer bag with the corner snipped and drizzle the candy coating over the pretzel rods. Before te pretzel sets, gently pick up and move to clean wax paper.
- Let pretzel rods dry completely before packaging or serving.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Placing in the refrigerator may cause the pretzel to soften.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- PME Electric Chocolate Melting Pots
- Wilton Candy Melting Pot
- Wilton Tropical Sprinkles Dessert Decorating Set, 8-Piece
- Pineapple Sugar Cake Sprinkles - 56g - Wilton
- Pink Flamingo Shaped Sprinkles
- Yellow Wilton Candy Melts
- Green Wilton Candy Melts
- Pink Wilton Candy Melts
- White Wilton Candy Melts
- Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Rods, 12 oz
- Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Rods, Old Fashioned, 27 Ounce Canister
- Wilton Tall Dipping Containers
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Main Dish: Sweet & Spicy Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
- Vegetarian Dish: Tropical Curried Rice Salad
- Side Salad: Tropical Island Rice
- Beverage: Totally Tropical Blue Hawaiian Cocktail
- Another Dessert: Fruit Salad Cupcakes
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!