Looking for the best easy Christmas candy recipe? It's these simple Rolo Pretzels that are made with just three ingredients and can be made in less than 10 minutes! Everybody loves the creamy, crunchy, salty-sweet combo of pretzels, caramel, and chocolate!
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These Rolo pretzels aren't anything new but it's worth sharing because they are such a favorite! When it comes to making Christmas candy, it doesn't get any easier than arranging pretzels on a baking sheet and topping them with Rolos and M&M's or pecans.
My kids love making them, along with our other pretzel and chocolate favorites like Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods, Christmas Pretzel Hugs, and Easy Flower Pretzel Bites (which can be made with green centers surrounded by red M&M's to resemble poinsettias!).
If you love simple sweets that can be made to share with friends and neighbors, be sure to also check out our Homemade Turtles Candy, Homemade Peppermint Patties, and Easy Christmas Crockpot Candy next!
Why this recipe works
- This "recipe" is so easy that kids can do it all by themselves.
- It's so satisfying to press M&M's or whole pecans into the softened Rolos!
- The salty sweet combo with the chewy caramel and crunch of the pretzels is just plain irresistible.
Ingredient Notes
- Pretzels: Look for the pretzel snaps that are square-shaped with a waffle pattern to them. These seem to hold the chocolate and caramel a bit better than the traditional pretzel shape, although either will work in a pinch.
- Rolos: You can actually buy bags of unwrapped Rolos and save yourself that trouble of unwrapping each individual candy. Or just get your kids involved because they love that job!
- M&M's or Pecans: You get to choose which way you want to make your Rolo pretzels! I like them with toasted whole pecans on top best, but the kids always go for the red & green Christmas M&M version.
How to Make This Recipe
- Toast pecans (if using): If you are planning to top your Rolo pretzels with pecans, I highly recommend toasting them first to bring out their flavor. The easiest way is to just scatter your pecans on a baking sheet and pop them in a 350°F oven to 8-10 minutes until they smell toasty.
- Arrange pretzels squares: Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper first makes for easy cleanup. Just lay out as many pretzels as you want (or can fit!) on your baking sheet. I usually do about 56 per pan and I'll do a couple of pans if we are planning to package them up to give away with other goodies.
- Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Rolo candy: There's no technique involved here!
- Pop them in a warm oven for 3-5 minutes: You just want to soften the Rolos, not melt them into puddles. Look for the chocolate to start to turn shiny, and remember that you can always stick your tray back in the oven for a minute if they aren't as soft as you would like.
- Press an M&M or a whole pecan into each Rolo: No need to squash them flat, but pressing the candy or nuts into the top of each Rolo is what sort of sticks everything together. The chocolate and caramel Rolo should slowly bend down into a soft round with gentle pressure. If they are too firm, just stick the whole pan into the oven again for a bit. The chocolate will reharden as the candy cools, then you can package everything up. We always like to sneak a few while they are still gooey and warm!
Recipe FAQ's
There are typically around 90 Rolos in a 17.8-ounce family-size bag of wrapped Rolos. Which is what you'll want to make these because they are so poppable that they always go quickly that you might just need a double batch. Plus, you'll lose a few Rolos along the way to sneaky helpers if your house is anything like mine.
Recipe Tips
- Storage: You can keep your cooled Rolo pretzels in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 weeks before they start to go stale.
- Variation: You can use mini Reese's peanut butter cups or Hershey's Kisses or Hugs in place of the Rolos if you prefer. You can also use any flavor of M&M you like rather than just the classic milk chocolate ones.
More Easy Candy Recipes
- Candied Almonds
- Oreo Balls (aka Oreo Truffles)
- Creamy Easy Chocolate Fudge
- German Chocolate Cake Truffles
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Easy Rolo Pretzels
Ingredients
- 56 pretzel snaps
- 56 Rolo candies, unwrapped
- 56 Christmas M&M's or whole pecans, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Arrange the pretzels on the baking sheets and top each pretzel with an unwrapped Rolo candy.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft enough that you can press an M&M or pecan into it. Let sit until cooled and the chocolate has hardened again.
Notes
- Storage: Keep the Rolo pretzels in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
- Toasting pecans: If you are planning to top your Rolo pretzels with pecans, I highly recommend toasting them first to bring out their flavor. The easiest way is to just scatter your pecans on a baking sheet and pop them in a 350°F oven to 8-10 minutes until they smell toasty.
- Variation: You can use mini Reese's peanut butter cups or Hershey's Kisses or Hugs in place of the Rolos if you prefer.
- Serving size: I consider 4 Rolo pretzels to be a serving size since they are small.
We made these for a Christmas party tonight, and they were the first to go! Toasting the pecans was a game changer, and they’re the perfect balance of salty and sweet. For a very small amount of effort, these are better than they deserve to be. 🙂
Such a delicious and easy treat! My kids loved helping make these
In your instructions to toast pecans, you say both times to scatter the pretzels instead of the pecans. And just thought you might like to correct.
Thank you for pointing that out! Fixed!
How many ounces would you say is 80 pecans? Or how many cups would they be? I'm trying to enter ingredient amounts on this website to see how much a batch of these would cost.
I did a quick google search and 1-ounce of pecans is about 20 pecans, so roughly 4 ounces of pecans.
Thanks, Amy!!
My chocolate turned”foggy” a d didn’t look pretty when they re hardened. How do I prevent this?
I think that's usually because either the chocolate gets too hot when melted or the rolos are not quite as fresh.
When I was making these, the ones I left out in the open to re-harden over night did this, but the ones I left in the fridge to harden did not, and I have no idea why...
awesome and easy