Chocolate covered pretzels are one of my favorite treats! My mom bought them for me for every holiday when I was a child, and I still love them. The ones she got were big pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, but I have celiac disease, and can’t find any gluten free ones to buy. Snyder’s does make little gluten free pretzel rods, though, and these nests are both really delicious and very cute! They are more rustic looking than my Vegan White Chocolate Coconut Nests, but I think that only adds to their charm!
Here are the ingredients you will need to make them:
If you are not eating gluten free, you can use any vegan pretzel sticks. You can also use any kind of vegan chocolate chips that you like. This tutorial on vegan chocolate explains how to get the depth of chocolate flavor that you prefer. To see which jelly beans are vegan, see this post.
To make the nests, start by removing the extra salt from the pretzels and then break the sticks into irregular pieces:
Next, you will need to temper your chocolate by following the directions here. (Be sure to only use 2 oz of the mini chips for tempering, because you will need the other 2 oz later.) Stir in the vanilla and then the pretzels:
Drop the mixture into 18 little stacks on a sheet of parchment. Make a well in the center of each one for the jelly bean eggs, and then allow the nests to fully harden. Get your jelly beans ready while you wait:
When the chocolate is fully hardened, heat the remaining 2 oz of mini chocolate chips on 50% for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval until the chips are melted. Spoon a little melted chocolate into a nest, and then press four jelly beans firmly into it. Repeat until all the nests are done.
Chill the nests in the fridge for 30 minutes before the next step. While you are waiting, get your candy wrapping supplies ready to go. If you have clear cellophane, cut squares to fit the nests. I only had large treat bags, so I improvised by cutting the sealed end off the bag, cutting the side open, and trimming the plastic to fit:
Only take one or two nests out of the fridge at a time, because you want the chocolate to be very hard while you wrap each nest. This helps to keep the chocolate from melting and smearing on the plastic. Place a nest upside down in the center of a square of plastic, and wrap it just like you would a package:
A reader asked me where I got my kitty tape dispenser. It was my grandmother’s and looks just like her cat, Morgan, that she had when I was a little girl. My grandmother taught me to bake, and I love having this kitty that reminds me of her!
Continue wrapping your nests until they are all done:
They are ready for your Ostara or Easter basket!
Vegan Chocolate Pretzel Nests
Make adorable vegan chocolate pretzel nests at home!
Ingredients
- 10 oz bag Kroger Chocolatey Chips (or other vegan chips)
- 8 oz bag Pretzel Sticks
- 4 oz (2/3 c) Vegan Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
- 6 g (1 1/2 tsp) Shortening
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 72 Vegan Jelly Beans
Instructions
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Get all of your ingredients ready, and have everything in place to use when needed. Be sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
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Poor the pretzels into a sieve, and shake gently to remove the excess salt. Break the pretzels into irregular pieces, and set them aside while you temper the chocolate.
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Follow these directions to temper your chocolate, using 2 oz (1/3 c) of the mini chips. Save the rest of the mini chips for later. Stir in the vanilla extract, and then mix in the pretzels.
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Drop the mixture into 18 little stacks on a sheet of parchment. Make a well in the center of each nest for the jelly bean eggs. Allow the nests to fully harden before proceeding.
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Divide the jelly beans into groups of four colors that look pretty together. Heat the remaining mini chips on 50% power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
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Spoon a little of the melted chocolate into the well of a nest, then firmly press four jelly beans into the chocolate. Repeat until all the nests are done.
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Chill the nests in the fridge for 30 minutes before wrapping them in clear cellophane or adding them to treat bags. Only take one or two nests out of the fridge at a time, because you want the chocolate to be very hard while you wrap each nest. This keeps the chocolate from melting and smearing on the plastic. Once they are wrapped, the nests can be stored at room temperature.