Thanksgiving Treats – Chocolate Pretzel Scarecrows

Combine salty and sweet to make these whimsical Thanksgiving treats. Each peanut butter and Chocolate Pretzel Scarecrow is adorably decorated to brighten up your holiday dessert table.

I’m going to bet that at some point in your life you have made a craft project out of popsicle sticks. Am I right?

Back in the day, I made quite a few, and had to eat a lot of popsicles to get the sticks I needed for my crafts. We couldn’t just go to the store and buy them like you can now.

Well, it’s been a very long time since I played with popsicle sticks, now I just play with food, but I have been inspired by several scarecrow craft stick projects I’ve seen on-line to create these cute fall treats.

Last winter I created snowmen, penguins, and even Olaf out of chocolate dipped pretzels, and had drawn up designs for all the other holidays throughout the year. I can’t believe it is now November and I’m just getting around to sharing another one with you.

I had my drawings tucked away and they were gathering dust, sadly forgotten, until two weeks ago, when I was reminded just how much you all liked my  Chocolate Snowman Pretzel Craft. That post went nuts so I got back in the kitchen to make more pretzel treats.

I pulled out my sketches yesterday and got to work creating more festive pretzel crafts. I couldn’t stop. I have a few more treats that will be perfect for Thanksgiving, but for now, let me show you how to make these sweet scarecrow pretzels.

 Chocolate Dipped Pretzel  Scarecrows

Ingredients: (makes 20-24)

1 – 2 bags Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Dipping Sticks (some will be broken, so you may need 2 bags)
4 ounces Peanut Butter Candy Melts (confectionery coating)
12 ounces White Candy Melts (confectionery coating)
8 ounces melted and tempered pure milk chocolate or melted Light Cocoa Candy Melts*
8-12 ounces white modeling chocolate*
yellow, orange, dark brown (or black) food coloring
40-48 large (1/2 inch) candy eyes
black food coloring marker

*See the modeling chocolate recipe and tutorial along with detailed information regarding using Candy Melts/Confectionery Coating and Pure Chocolate on my Chocolate Making Tips page.

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Instructions:

To create this food craft you are going to need pretzel dipping sticks. They are about 3 1/2 inches long and about 3/8 inch in diameter. These are not your standard pretzel sticks which are much thinner and shorter.

I found that the pretzel dipping sticks are not all the same size, so it’s best to line them up and group them according to size. Get 6 that are reasonably close in size for each scarecrow. Then you’ll need an additional pretzel to create the brim of each hat.

Combine the peanut butter and white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the wafers on high for 20-30 second increments, stirring after each until melted.

Pour candy coating into a tall glass or jar. Dip a pretzel stick into the candy, remove and allow the excess to drip off. Then set 6 of them next to each other on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Pop in the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes just until the candy coating sets.

You’ll need a chocolate pretzel to create the hat brim for each of your scarecrows. So, make as many as you need.

Drop a pretzel into a bowl of melted and tempered pure milk chocolate or melted light cocoa candy melts. Use a dipping fork or kitchen fork to remove the pretzel. Set it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 3 minutes until the chocolate sets.

I used modeling chocolate to make my decorations. You could use store bought candies, like taffy or fruit rolls, or even fondant, if you prefer. I think the modeling chocolate tastes the best and is the easiest to work with.

To make the modeling chocolate decorations, you’ll need to color some white modeling chocolate orange for then noses, yellow for the sunflowers, a yellow orange for the hair, and some dark brown or black for the centers of the sunflowers.

Roll out some of the yellow orange modeling chocolate and cut thin strips for the hair. I pressed a JEM Strip Cutter, dusted with corn starch, into the modeling chocolate to get perfect little strips, but a pizza cutter or knife would work find.

Roll out the orange and cut small triangles for the noses.

To create the sunflowers, use a daisy plunger cutter to cut two yellow daisies, set one on top of another, press into the center using a wood dowel, then brush a dab of water on a small ball of dark brown modeling chocolate and insert it into the center. You can also just use any small flower cutter if you don’t want to get that fancy.

Now you are ready to decorate your pretzels to look like scarecrows.

• Attach some hair to the un-coated pretzels. Use small dabs of chocolate to make them stick if needed.
• Dip top of pretzel in milk chocolate.
• Set on a non-stick mat or a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Set one chocolate dipped pretzel across the bottom edge of the wet chocolate.
• Set one sunflower in a corner of the chocolate hat.
• Use chocolate to attach two candy eyes to the peanut butter pretzels.
• Attach one orange triangle nose using a dab of chocolate.
• Use a black food coloring marker to draw on a smile.**

**If you are having trouble getting your black food coloring marker to work properly, check out my Food Coloring Marker Tips tutorial.

The modeling chocolate will firm up as it dries, making it easy to package them in clear cellophane bags to give as gifts, if you’d like.

You can also just set them on a serving platter and add them to your Thanksgiving dessert table.

If you think these decorated chocolate pretzels are fun, be sure to check out my other designs.

Chocolate Snowman Pretzel Craft • Black Crow Pretzels
Chocolate Pretzel Turkeys  • Chocolate Penguin Pretzels
White Chocolate Pretzel Olaf • Chocolate Pretzel Scarecrows

Also, check out these Fun Thanksgiving Treats. (click link to see all the Thanksgiving Recipes.)

You can find the tools needed to make this project on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)

   

    

If you’d like to have the ultimate guide to working with Candy Clay (modeling chocolate) be sure to get your printed or e-book copy of Candy Clay Creations. This 102 page book is filled with tips and tricks for making and working with candy clay along with 17 step-by-step tutorials for decorating cupcakes, cookies, and more using candy clay. It’s a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to make festively decorated treats.

If you’d like to make a more permanent version of this project be sure to check out the tutorial for a Reversible Scarecrow Snowman Pallet Craft at Crafts by Amanda.