Orange chocolate-dipped pretzels decorated with Jack-O-Lantern faces make tasty Halloween treats. These sweet and salty Pumpkin Pretzels are fun to decorate using candy melts.
Have you crafted pumpkins out of popsicle sticks? Well, this fun Halloween food craft is designed to look like those popsicle stick pumpkins.
Each pumpkin is created by dipping six pretzel dipping sticks in Orange Candy Melts (or orange-colored white chocolate) and attaching them all together into a rectangle. A pretzel stem and green candy melts vines are added to make them look like a pumpkin.
To make the Halloween pretzels look really festive, Jack-O-Lantern faces are piped on using black candy melts.
The pretzels are fun to make, taste great, and look amazing too. So, let's make some!
Ingredients
- Orange Candy Melts (or pure white chocolate that is melted and tempered and colored using oil-based orange candy coloring)
See my chocolate making tips page for detailed information about the different types of chocolates and confectionery coatings.
- Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Dipping Sticks
- These pretzel sticks are longer (3 inches) and thicker (about ¼ inch) than traditional pretzel sticks, and they work great for these types of treats. I've used them to make my popular Chocolate Pretzel Snowman Craft, Frankenstein Pretzels, Penguin Pretzels, Rudolph Pretzels, Scarecrow Pretzels, and more.
You can use traditional pretzel sticks but your finished pretzel pumpkins will be smaller.
Supplies
- parchment paper-lined baking sheet
- dipping fork or kitchen fork
- small Squeez-it Mold Painter Bottles or zip-top bags - Squeeze-it Mold Painter Bottles are small squeeze bottles that are fitted with a plastic coupler and pastry tip. They are easy to use when piping chocolate but you can use a zip-top bag with one tip snipped off instead.
You can find all the supplies needed to make these pumpkin pretzels from Amazon. I earn a small commission when you make a purchase using any of the Amazon affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
Instructions
Dip pretzels in orange candy melts.
- Dip one pretzel dipping stick into the orange candy then lift out using a dipping fork or kitchen fork.
- Set the coated pretzel on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Dip a second pretzel in the orange chocolate and set it next to the first, pushing them together so they stick.
- Dip 4 more pretzels, setting each of them in a row, next to the previous pretzel.
- Pop the baking sheet into the freezer if using orange candy melts or into the refrigerator if using white chocolate until the candy hardens, 3 to 5 minutes. Set your timer if you need to!!!
- Do not let the chocolate chill for too long or the chocolate coating can crack.
- Chill each pretzel pumpkin as soon as you get all 6 pretzels attached.
- If you dip and make several pumpkins and let the pretzels sit at room temperature for too long the orange candy coating may become spotty.
Pipe on Jack-O-Lantern faces.
- Break off about ½ inch from the end of a pretzel dipping stick.
- Dip it into the orange chocolate and attach it in between the third and fourth pretzel along the top edge of the pumpkin to create a stem.
- Pour melted green-colored white chocolate or green candy melts into a small squeeze bottle fitted with a #4 pastry tip.
- Pipe some leaves and vines on each pumpkin.
- Fill a squeeze bottle with black candy melts or melted and tempered dark chocolate and pipe on a jack-o-lantern face.
- Make two triangle-shaped eyes and one nose.
- Add a toothy grin.
- Freeze or refrigerate for about 1 minute until the candy hardens.
Recipe
Be sure to watch the video in the recipe card below to see how to make these pretzel pumpkins.
Sweet and salty Halloween treats. Each pumpkin pretzel is made up of 6 pretzel dipping sticks that have been coated in orange-colored white chocolate or candy melts and are decorated with a pretzel stem, green candy leaves, and black candy jack-o-lantern faces.
- 12 ounces Orange Candy Melts, melted
- 65 Pretzel Dipping Sticks
- 2 ounces Green Candy Melts, melted
- 4 ounces Black Candy Melts, melted
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Dip one pretzel into the orange candy melts and coat it completely.
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Remove from the candy using a dipping fork and allow excess to drip off.
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Set pretzel on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
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Dip a second pretzel and set it right next to the first pretzel.
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Repeat until you have a row of six candy-coated pretzels lined up forming a rectangle pumpkin.
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Freeze for about 3 minutes, just until the candy coating hardens.
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Repeat creating a total of 10 pretzel pumpkins. You should have 5 extra pretzels.
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Break about ½ inch off each end of the remaining pretzels.
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Attach one small pretzel piece to each of the pumpkins to create the stem.
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Pour the melted green candy melts into a squeeze bottle or zip-top bag.
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Pipe on some green leaves and a vine going down one side of each pumpkin.
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Pour the black candy melts into another bottle or bag.
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Pipe two triangle eyes, one triangle nose, and one toothy grin onto each pretzel pumpkin to make them look like jack-o-lanterns.
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Chill for about one minute just until the decorations harden.
Recipe Video
- Do not chill for too long or the candy coating on your pretzels may crack.
- If you prefer to dip your pretzels in pure white chocolate, you will need to melt and temper the chocolate then color it using an oil-based orange candy coloring.
- Allow the white chocolate dipped pretzels to chill in the refrigerator, not the freezer, for about 5 minutes just until the chocolate hardens.
Related Recipes
I hope you enjoy making your Pumpkin Pretzels. Be sure to check out all these other fun chocolate-dipped pretzel treats too...
Chocolate Snowman Pretzel Craft • Black Crow Pretzels
Chocolate Pretzel Turkeys • Chocolate Penguin Pretzels
White Chocolate Pretzel Olaf • Chocolate Pretzel Scarecrows
- Irresistible Sweets with Dixie Crystals® - July 13, 2024
- How to make peanut butter? - February 15, 2024
- OREO Penguins - December 20, 2023
Karen @ Sugartown Sweets
I love smiling jack-o-lanterns, and yours are so cute, plus the music for your video puts you right into the mood for making these Fall cuties! Thanks for the tips on candy melts...explains some of the problems I've had before! :o)
Beth
I'm so glad you enjoyed my candy melts tips and the music in the video!
gomovies
It is very cute. Thank you for your article and recipe.
The Partiologist
If I could pick a pumpkin, these are the ones...the cutest pumpkin pretzels ever!!!