Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Continued
Now, it is time to actually make the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels. If you bought gourmet chocolate bars,
you will need to chop them up into tiny pieces. Place the gourmet chocolate and cocoa butter into a medium
sized, heat resistant bowl. Now, place a pan of hot water on the stove and heat on low. Next, place the bowl
over the pan (make sure the bowl does not touch the water) and begin whisking the gourmet chocolate gently.
Continue whisking until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and smooth. If the chocolate gets too hot, just remove
it from the heat for a moment. You can reheat gourmet chocolate many times without ruining it. You may discover
that even gourmet chocolates can be stubborn about melting. For this reason instead of using this method to make
gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels, we highly recommend using a double boiler or chocolate melter.
The next step in making gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels is to dip the pretzels. This is a great time to get the
children involved in the process. If you are using pretzel sticks, then just hold one end of the pretzel and dip the
other end in the melted gourmet chocolate. (You do not need to coat the entire pretzel.) Otherwise, place a pretzel
on top of the melted gourmet chocolate. Then, use a fork to gently push the pretzel just under the surface of the
chocolate until it is completely covered. Now, slide the fork under the pretzel and pick it up so that it lies flat
on the fork. Using short up and down motions, very gently shake off any excess gourmet chocolate from the pretzel.
Then, carefully place the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzel on the baking sheet.
Continue dipping and placing the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels close together on the baking sheet. You may
end up with some excess gourmet chocolate pools where gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels touch the baking sheet,
but these should be minimal in size.
After dipping every five or six gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels, sprinkle the ones you've just dipped with a
small pinch of the grated chocolate, crushed nuts or candy sprinkles. Try not to over do it with the decorations
as you want the sprinkles to add some flavor not overwhelm the taste of your gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels.
Once you have finished dipping, place the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels into the refrigerator. Let them stand there
until the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels have hardened. This typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes.
You may test the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels by peeling attempting to peel several from the sheet. (Use a paper
towel to protect the chocolate covering on the pretzels from your fingers.) The pretzels should look dull and dry, not shiny and wet. When the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels are done they
will peel easily from baking sheet. Once they have set, remove them from the refrigerator, gently peel
from them from the baking sheet and store the gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels in an airtight container at room
temperature.
As with most types of gourmet chocolate covered foods, gourmet chocolate covered pretzels done at home simply can not be
compared to gourmet chocolate covered pretzels which have been prepared by professionals. However when you consider how
easy they are to make, homemade gourmet chocolate dipped pretzels are well worth the time and effort.
