With 99.% of my loved ones scattered across multiple states and counties, I’m always on the hunt for recipes that not only mail well, but make great gifts. In my family homemade presents are always the ones most loved, and since we have a BIG family, it definitely helps cut costs comes holiday season.
These salted caramel pretzel pecan bon bons are definitely going to be in high demand this year! Crunchy pretzels topped with soft, chewy caramel, salty pecans, and, if desired, a sprinkle of toasted coconut.
They’re pure perfection!
This recipe yields 40 bon bons, meaning you could eat 10 and still have enough to make 3 loved ones very happy! I find 10 bon bons per bag/box is the perfect amount for gifting! But you can of course give more/less, as you see fit.
Because I love you – step by step pics! <3
First you’re going to line your baking sheet with the pretzels. So seriously simple.
Next place a caramel on top of each pretzel…
And bake them for 7-8 minutes. You want the caramel soft enough to accept the pecan, but definitely not melted! So keep an eye.
Once the caramel pretzels have emerged from the oven, you’ll want to quickly press a toasted pecan into the top of each one. Mmm!!! Things are getting good!!!
Do you know what time is? Chocolate o’Clock! You’ll need 10 ounces of chopped chocolate…
and you’ll melt it down with a smidge of coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon. YUM—>I want to drink it straight. Chocolate shots anyone?
Now it’s time to get messy. You’ll dunk each bon bon in the melted chocolate (I find lining the table with parchment paper during this process really helps when it comes time to clean up) and then sprinkle the toasted coconut on top, if using. You may also choose to only dunk the bottoms, or dunk the bottoms and drizzle the tops with chocolate, or, well, there are endless creative options here! Feel free to be as wild or modest as you feel… you know I went MAD crazy with the chocolate, right? I am a chocoholic through and through. I have my mother to thank for that 😉
The chocolates will need to come to room temperature before you eat/box them, so be sure to keep that in mind.
Salted Caramel Pretzel Pecan Bon Bons are SO easy to make and really do make an amazing gift to any chocolate lover! I also like to make a big batch and slip a few in C’s lunchbox everyday as a special treat. I’m such an enabler 😉
Salted Caramel Pretzel Pecan Bon Bons
Ingredients
- 40 Mini-pretzels (be sure to use whole, unbroken ones)
- 40 Kraft Caramels, Unwrapped
- 10 ounces, Baker's Semi-sweet Chocolate
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 40 whole Pecan Halves, toasted
- 1/2 cup toasted Baker's shredded coconut, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the pretzels in neat rows on the pan, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped caramel. Place the pan into the oven for 6 minutes, or until the caramels are softened; remove the pan from the oven.
- Gently press a toasted pecan half onto each caramel; set aside and cool completely.
- In the meantime, melt the chocolate, coconut oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- When the caramel covered pretzels have cooled, remove them from the baking sheet.
- Place a few in the bowl of melted chocolate, stir them around to coat completely, then remove them one at a time, allowing excess chocolate to drip off; repeat until all pretzels have been dipped; transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Top wet chocolate with coconut, if using.
- Allow chocolate coating to cool completely before serving.
Sandi says
I love the idea, but I’ve had issues with similar recipes in the past. My mom always did the Rolos version, but they didn’t impress me much either. Last year I finally put some effort into it and figured out what I liked (pecan, caramel and chocolate) and didn’t (pretzels that got soft/stale after a short time, hard caramels unless they were in a warm-ish room). My variation eliminates the pretzels and melts the caramels with a bit of cream to keep them softer. After all that unwrapping, a few minutes on the stovetop is no big deal. Finally, I really cheated when it came to the chocolate. I just broke Hershey bars into their bite size sections, put half a section on each caramel, then popped it in the over for a minute. Touch the chocolate with a spatula and it just melts into a delicious little puddle over the caramel. After reading your recipe, I’m thinking I could hit the top with a little coarse salt, or maybe even a light dusting of cinnamon.
Shar Hallborg says
I made these last night the caramels were so hard after they cooled with the pecans on top that the nut popped off when I tried to dip them. I stuck them back on with a little chocolate. They were just ok for me. I would try them again but make sure that I had a fairly soft caramel when I started, maybe Werthers. 🙂
bakerbynature says
Hi Shar! Another good tip is too bake them for less time 😉 The caramel will become tough it gets too hot in the oven. Thanks for the honest feedback. Happy Thanksgiving!
Nancy says
can I use something other than coconut oil??
bakerbynature says
Hi Nancy. I can’t say for sure. Shortening may work.
RaLena says
Is coconut the only kind of oil you can use to help firm the chocolate? I can’t do coconut.
bakerbynature says
Hi RaLena. I can’t say for sure. Shortening may work.
angela says
I can’t get the chocolate to drizzling consistency. Will have to look up how to do this.
bakerbynature says
Did you melt it on low heat with the oil?
Kris says
Great recipe especially for little ones and gift giving. Just a little hint to make it even more simple and easier. I use the same pretzels but use a rolo candy and then the pecan,saves on melting chocolate….
bakerbynature says
Hi Kris! Thanks for sharing your spin 🙂 xo
Jean says
These look great. Can you make them ahead of time and freeze them?
bakerbynature says
Hi Jean. Thank you! You can make them a few days ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. I wouldn’t freeze them though…
Staci honey says
Sounds like a great treat! I want to make these for the holidays and put in gift baskets. How far in advance do you think I could prepare these?
bakerbynature says
Hey Staci! If you keep them in the fridge, up to a week 🙂
Michelle says
is the reason for the coconut oil to make the chocolate not melt in your hands when you eat them? I made these without the coconut oil and while they were delish, they tended to melt when they came to room temp or even in my hands ( not that chocolate covered hands are a bad thing
bakerbynature says
Hi Michelle. Yep. The coconut oil helps keep the chocolate firm 😉
Amanda says
Do you think I can just melt down Hershey’s chocolate chips and use this as the chocolate coating. ?
bakerbynature says
Hey Amanda. I’m not sure how it’ll work, but worth a try! Just be sure to melt the chocolate on low, whatever method you use 🙂
Vicki says
I routinely use chocolate chips for this type of application (great for dipped strawberries). The one thing that may be different than the Baker’s chocolate is that you can’t add water based ingredients because it makes the chocolate seize up… so no vanilla if you use it. I made them this way and they’re good!!