Gourmet white-chocolate dipped caramel pretzels

Who doesn't love a treat that is sweet, salty and crunchy??
Here is a treat that you can make to celebrate Valentines Day or any other day of the year!!


Tools Needed:

• Cookie sheet that has been coated with butter
• Pot
• Pyrex bowl & pot or a double boiler 
• 2 measuring cups
• Plate
• Fork
• Mixing spoon

Ingredients:

• 12 pretzel rods broken in half
• 1-14 oz bag of caramels unwrapped
• 1 tbls water
• 1 package of white bark 
• Various sprinkles

Set-up: Cookie sheet coated with butter or margarine. Two measuring cups. A Pyrex bowl filled with white bark. A plate to catch the bark drippings. A fork and mixing spoon. 

Over a low to med-low heat, melt your caramels together with 1 tbls of water. If you have a microwave, heat the caramels and water until melted, stirring every 2.5 minutes. 
Once melted, transfer the caramel to a measuring cup and dip each rod into the caramel. Leave about a 1/2 inch of un-coated pretzel for the "handle". Place each rod about a 1/2 inch apart on a cookie sheet. 

Once the rods have sat for a few minutes, you will notice that the caramel has formed a pool around the bottom. To eliminate this, just roll each rod back and forth on the cookie sheet. 

Next, fill a pot or double boiler about 1/2 full with water. Place the bark filled Pyrex bowl on top of the pot ensuring that the water will not touch the bowl when it starts to boil. 
If you have a microwave there are directions on the back of the package for melting in the microwave. Bring the water to a rapid boil over a med-high temp occasionally stirring the bark until melted. 

Once melted, pour your bark into the second measuring cup and dip each rod into the melted bark. I used the fork to scrap the bottom or the pretzel before placing it on the cookie sheet. This decreased the amount of bark that pooled around the bottom (see example). 
Hold the rod over your plate and sprinkle with your decorations before placing them back onto the cookie sheet or a wire cooling rack.

Pretzels that were not scrapped

Pretzels that were scrapped

I let the rods cool for a for a couple hours before placing them into bags and tie them with curling ribbon. Not including the cooling time, this project took me about an hour. The results are SUPER tasty!!
Enjoy!

Tips -
Do not try to save yourself "clean up" by using wax paper. The caramel will stick to it even if you spray it with non-stick spray. See below