Chocolate-covered pretzels are always a favorite for any party, so why not step it up a notch!
These Farm Animal Pretzel Pops are fun to make and will make great party favors or treats for a farm-themed party or will look super cute in an Easter basket.
Did you know that April 10th is National Farm Animal Day?
I found this little-known holiday when I went searching for special occasions celebrated in April and I couldn't let this opportunity to make these decorated chocolate pretzel farm animals pass me by.
These sweet treats would be great to use when celebrating Earth Day, an animal-themed birthday, or just the arrival of spring.
The idea to make animals using chocolate-dipped pretzel rods has been rolling around in my head ever since I saw the barnyard full of animals that Amanda, from Crafts by Amanda, made out of craft sticks.
She painted and added googly eyes, felt, and buttons to ordinary wood sticks and turned them into adorable cows, horses, pigs, cats, and chickens.
When you look at these farm animal craft sticks, do you see pretzels, too?
I used Amanda's basic designs but made everything edible.
I first dipped each pretzel rod into melted chocolate then used modeling chocolate to make most of my decorations.
I find working with modeling chocolate to be easier than working with the candies and I prefer the flavor combination too, but you may not, so I will share ideas for using store-bought candies in the tutorial.
I used this same technique to make Jungle Animal Pretzel Pops too. If you are looking for lion, giraffe, hippo, elephant, or zebra treats, be sure to check out that tutorial.
Chocolate Pretzels Farm Animals
TIP to keep the chocolate from cracking on your pretzels:
Chocolate shrinks as it cools and when it shrinks onto something hard, it usually cracks.
If you take the pretzels out of the bag and allow them to sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight they will soften just enough to keep this from happening, but not enough to become stale.
You'll Need:
- melted and tempered white and milk chocolate
- OR melted white or light cocoa confectionery coating/candy melts
- Read my Chocolate Making Tips page for melting and tempering instructions.
- pretzel rods
- candy eyes
- modeling chocolate (click to see the 2-ingredient recipe)
- or candies like Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy, Starburst, etc.
- food coloring
- black food coloring marker
Supplies:
- baking pans lined with parchment paper
- tweezers (used for food only)
- kitchen shears or knife
- optional: rolling pin, small metal cutters
Items used to create this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)
Wilton Light Cocoa and Brig...Shop on Amazon 
Belgian Milk Chocolate Baki...Shop on Amazon 
Wilton Pink Candy Melts Can...Shop on Amazon 
Merckens Super Coatings, Wh...Shop on Amazon 
Americolor 2-Count Gourmet ...Shop on Amazon 
Makin's Clay Cutters 22/Pkg...Shop on Amazon
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminu...Shop on Amazon
ChefLand Parchment Paper Pa...Shop on Amazon
⅜" White And Black Icing ...Shop on Amazon
¼" White And Black Icing ...Shop on Amazon
White And Black ½-Inch Ca...Shop on Amazon
7/16" Blue And Black Icing ...Shop on Amazon
¼" Assorted Icing EyesShop on Amazon
Instructions:
Dip Pretzel Rods in Chocolate
- Dip your pretzels into melted and tempered pure chocolate (contains cocoa butter) or melted compound chocolate (also known as confectionery coating, candy melts, melting wafers, almond bark, etc. (contains vegetable fat like palm kernel oil).
- CHOCOLATE MAKING TIPS - be sure to read my detailed tutorial on melting and tempering chocolate.
- If using pure chocolate, one coat will probably be sufficient to cover the pretzel rods.
- If using confectionery coating/candy melts, you might want to put on two coats.
- If making cows, chickens and lambs dip pretzels in white, if making pigs use pink, and for horses use milk.
- Unless you want to melt enough of each color to actually dip your entire pretzel into the chocolate, just spoon it over the surface of the pretzel, leaving the tip you are holding, uncovered.
- Shake off excess chocolate before setting the dipped pretzels on your parchment paper-lined baking pans.
- Refrigerate if using pure chocolate, freeze if using candy melts just until set.
- If freezing, it will only take about 3-4 minutes. Don't leave them in too long or the candy coating will crack.
PRO TIP: If you are using compound chocolate (candy melts), dip a few pretzels then get them into the freezer. Compound chocolate will become spotty and streaky if left to air dry.
Decorate the pretzel pop animals.
- Decorate your pretzels using candy eyes and modeling chocolate or assorted candy.
- You can either pinch off pieces of the modeling chocolate or candy and shape them into ears, spots, snouts, beaks, feathers etc. or roll the modeling chocolate or candy out using a rolling pin then cut using small metal cutters or kitchen shears.
- I did a combination of the techniques.
- Then use melted chocolate as "glue" to attach the candy to the chocolate dipped pretzels.
Cow Pretzel:
- 2 candy eyes
- dark modeling chocolate or Tootsie Rolls for the spots and ears
- pink colored modeling chocolate, pink taffy or Starburst Fruit Chews for the snout
- draw on the nose and mouth using a black food coloring marker
Pig Pretzel:
- 2 candy eyes
- pink colored modeling chocolate, pink taffy or Starburst Fruit Chews for the snout and ears
- draw on the nose using a black food coloring marker
Chicken Pretzel:
- 2 candy eyes
- red modeling chocolate, or Watermelon Air Heads, Starburst, or red taffy for the head feathers
- orange modeling chocolate, or Orange Air Heads, Starburst, or orange taffy for the beak
Horse Pretzel:
- 2 candy eyes
- light brown/milk modeling chocolate or chocolate taffy for snout and ears
- dark chocolate or black modeling chocolate or Tootsie Rolls for the main
Lamb Pretzel:
- 2 candy eyes
- white and pink modeling chocolate or Strawberry & Vanilla Tootsie Rolls or taffy for ears and snout
- black food coloring marker to draw on nose and mouth
- optional - Make the lamb look furry by spreading white chocolate over the white chocolate dipped pretzel, as the chocolate begins to set use a fork to press down on the chocolate then quickly pull up creating spikes of fur all over.
How to store pretzel animals.
- Store your Chocolate Pretzel Farm Animals at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- To keep them fresh, I recommend storing them in an airtight container.
- Wrap in clear plastic cellophane bags and tie with a bow to use as party favors for an animal-themed birthday party, to celebrate Farm Animal Day or Earth Day, or just for fun.
The cow pretzel is my favorite. I love the spots! Which do you like best?
Check out all of my cute Kid's Recipes, here.
Decorate chocolate-dipped pretzels using modeling chocolate to create cute farm animals including a sheep, pig, cow, chicken, and horse.
- 6-16 ounces melted and tempered pure chocolate or melted candy melts *(see notes)
- 15 pretzel rods
- 30 candy eyes
- 3 ounces white modeling chocolate
- oil-based candy coloring
-
Dip the pretzel rods in the chocolate. Use milk chocolate for the horses, pink-colored white chocolate for the pigs, white chocolate for the sheep, cow, and chicken.
-
Freeze if using candy melts (or other compound chocolate like almond bark or melting wafers) until hardened 3-5 minutes. Refrigerate if using pure chocolate until hardened, about 5 minutes.
-
Use melted chocolate to attach two candy eyes to each chocolate-dipped pretzel.
-
Color white modeling chocolate using oil-based candy coloring. You'll need pink, orange, black, and brown.
-
Cut, shape, or mold two ears and a snout out of pink-colored modeling chocolate for each pig. Attach to the pretzel using melted chocolate.
-
Cut, shape, and mold two ears using white and pink modeling chocolate, and 1 snout using pink modeling chocolate for each sheep. Attach to the pretzel using melted chocolate.
-
Cut spots out of black-colored modeling chocolate and attach to the white pretzel to create a cow. Cut out two black ears and some hair along with a pink snout and attach using chocolate.
-
Create red head feathers and an orange beak for each chicken.
-
And a mane out of black modeling chocolate and a snout out of light brown modeling chocolate.
- You will use about 0.3 ounce of chocolate to cover each pretzel rod and you'll use a small amount more to attach the modeling chocolate decorations, but you'll want to melt more if you plan to dip the pretzels.
- Store the pretzel animals at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Originally published April 10, 2013.
You might also like these other fun pretzel animals...
Peanut Butter Bunny Butt Pretzels
Hippo Pretzel Pops, Zebra Pretzel, and Elephant Pretzels
Milk Chocolate Pretzel Teddy Bears
Baby Chick Pretzels for Easter
Did you make this recipe or do you just think it is super cute? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. If you love the recipe, please give it a 5-star rating.
I love making fun food for parties and special occasions and sharing my creative ideas with you.
If you make this recipe and share it online be sure to link back to this post and use #hungryhappenings.
Thanks and have a sweet day! -
Beth
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Anonymous says
love your critters. If you use store bought candies, the face parts will not be the same color as the covering will they? I have never mottled chocolate. Will research more -- do you find the store bought candies are ok? ............ thank you...sue
beth says
I have a great tutorial all about working with chocolate or confectionery coating here - https://hungryhappenings.com/p/chocolate-making-tips.html. I personally prefer to use pure chocolates, but for most of the projects here on HungryHappenings I use confectionery coating (aka Candy Melts or Candy Coating.) It doesn't taste as good as pure chocolate, but it does have a decent flavor and is super easy to use. If you read the Chocolate Making Tips Page, I explain all the differences.
I like using modeling chocolate for my decorations, but know that many of my readers find working with store bought candy to be simpler. It will alter the flavor and the look of the pretzel pops.
Lexy says
Thank you for adding the "eye" information. I am going to order and just wanted to ask if you could say what size you used for the lamb? It's hard to tell for sure from photos and I think what you did was too cute to not copy it exactly. Thanks for this great interpretation with food from an artistic use by Amanda. I love your honesty and promotion of another talented artist.
beth says
Hi Lexy,
Oddly enough, those pretzel sticks are still hanging around in my kitchen. I never let anyone eat them. I don't know why! Anyway, the eyes that I used are 5/16 inches, which I couldn't find on amazon. The 1/4 inch would work well too. They are just a tiny bit smaller and the 3/8 would work to give the animals just a bit bigger eye, which actually would look really cute. I have eyes in every single size they make and just grab what works well for me. You can also make the eyes yourself using royal icing. Then you get the exact size and shape you are looking for.