Whip up these easy sweet and salty Valentine’s treats to share with everyone you love! These chocolate covered, caramel filled pretzels are crunchy, chewy, salty and sweet, they are the perfect homemade treat!

I don’t think there is any better flavor combination than sweet and salty! I love chocolate covered pretzels, and these little Valentine’s treats take those flavors to the next level!

FAQ & Tips for Success-

Can I use different pretzels?

I like to use little pretzel twists for these because they are heart shaped and perfect for Valentine’s Day! However if you would like to use square pretzels they work really well too! You want to make sure that the holes are not too large or the caramel will melt through.

Can I dye white chocolate?

If you only have white chocolates you might be tempted to color them to get more colors. You can but only if you have the correct coloring. For chocolate you need to use an oil based food coloring, regular water based food coloring will cause the chocolate to seize.

Tips for using candy melts-

Make sure they are fresh– Candy melts tend to be much smoother and creamier if they are fresh. Older packages that have been opened for awhile can end up lumpy.

Do NOT add water– It can be tempting to thin out your candy melts with water to make them smoother, however that is NOT what you want to do! The best way to make them smoother and more liquid is to add shortening like Crisco. You can also use coconut oil if that is what you have on hand.

Use a piping bag– When decorating these the easiest way to do it is with a disposable plastic piping bag. I like to use these. You can allow the melted chocolates to cool a little and then fill the piping bag. Snip off the end and you’ll be able to control easily where the melted chocolate goes.

Melting the candy melts– There are a few ways that you can go about melting your chocolates when you are ready to use them. The first is the microwave. Place them in a microwave safe bowl and heat them in 20 second increments stirring between each until they are smooth. If necessary add in shortening 1/2 tsp at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. You can also use a double boiler or place a heat safe bowl over a small pan of water. Heat the water over medium heat and place the candy melts in the bowl. Heat the candy stirring frequently until they are smooth and melted. If necessary to thin or smooth the candy melts add shortening 1/2 tsp at a time. For this recipe, since it uses multiple colors, I like using the microwave so that each color can go in it’s own bowl.

Here’s What You’ll Need for these pretzel bites-

48 Mini Pretzels– You can use your favorite brand, make sure they are fresh so they’re nice and crunchy.

12 Soft Caramels– Any brand will work. You want them to be the soft kind.

1 Cup Each Pink, White & Purple Candy Melts– You can use your favorite brand, make sure they are fresh they’ll melt nicely.

1-2 Tbsp Shortening– You’ll need this if your candy melts aren’t melting as smoothly as they need to be.

Valentines Sprinkles– You can use any sprinkles you’d like. I like to use jimmies and the tiny round ones.

Here’s how to make these Valentine’s treats-

Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Unwrap all of your caramels and cut them in half.

Evenly place 24 pretzels on the prepared baking sheet and top each one with half of a caramel.

Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes until caramels are softened.

Remove from the oven and quickly press another pretzel on top of each caramel creating a sandwich.

Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.

After they are completely cool it is time to decorate!

I dipped my pretzels in 3 different colors and then drizzled them. If you want these to be quicker and easier you can dip them in one color and drizzle with the other two.

Place the purple candy melts in a microwave safe bowl with about a tsp of shortening. Microwave in 30 second increments stirring between each until the candy is completely melted and smooth.

Alternately you can place them in the bowl of a double boiler or in a heat safe bowl over a pan of water. Heat over med/high heat stirring frequently until completely melted. If necessary to achieve a smooth consistency add in shortening a tsp at a time until the melts are perfectly smooth.

Dip 2/3 of the pretzel in the melted chocolate. If you’d like to dip the pretzels in all three colors repeat with the white and pink candy melts until all the pretzels are dipped.

Repeat with the white and pink chocolate melts.

Now place the remaining melted chocolate in a piping bag, if they have hardened while working with other colors you can easily reheat them to liquify them again. Cut of the point to create a small opening.

Drizzle each color across the pretzels adding sprinkles immediately after the last color is drizzled so that they stick.

Allow to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.