These white chocolate pretzel clusters are loaded with creamy white chocolate, crunchy pretzels, and red and green M&M's, and they come together in about 15 minutes with just three ingredients. Sweet, salty, and festive, they're the easiest holiday candy you'll make all season.
I will go with fun and easy holiday treats any day of the week. And a treat that takes me just a few minutes to melt down, smash up, and mold together is just plain perfect in my book. (It also means getting out any frustration I might have by smashing half a bag of pretzels into smithereens.)
One of my all-time favorite holiday snacks has always been the chocolate covered pretzel, and I've always enjoyed making them. But dipping pretzels one by one takes a lot of time, and sometimes I just don't have all that extra time. These clusters give you the same chocolate covered pretzel taste in a fraction of the time. If you like the idea, check out these chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels for a fun twist, or my master list of 85 Christmas cookie recipes if you're looking for more holiday treats to make.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White chocolate chips. A 16-ounce bag (about 2 ⅔ cups) holds everything together. Good-quality chips like Ghirardelli Classic White baking chips melt smoothly and taste creamy. Chopped white chocolate bars or white candy melts work too (see the tips below).
- Pretzels. You'll need about 2 ½ cups of mini twists, give or take, depending on how crunchy you want your candy. Pretzel sticks or thins break up just as well, and gluten-free pretzels are an easy swap.
- M&M's. I used red and green holiday M&M's for Christmas, but any color works. Mini M&M's stick especially well and spread the color more evenly.
How to Make White Chocolate Pretzel Clusters
First, melt your white chocolate. Second, smash up the pretzels. They don't have to be finely crushed; coarse and unruly is just fine and gives your clusters character. Third, stir the pretzels into the chocolate, drop the mixture into mounds on parchment paper, and press M&M's on top before it sets. That's it!
Helpful Tips
Melt white chocolate low and slow. White chocolate scorches and seizes more easily than dark chocolate because of its high milk and sugar content. Microwave it at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each one, and stop when a few small lumps remain; the residual heat will melt them as you stir. If you prefer the stovetop, use a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water.
Keep water away from the chocolate. Even a drop of water or steam can make melted chocolate seize into a thick, grainy paste. Use a completely dry bowl and spatula. If it does seize, stir in a teaspoon of vegetable oil or shortening at a time until it loosens again; it won't be quite as glossy, but it will still work for clusters.
Candy melts vs. chips. White chocolate chips taste creamier and more like real chocolate, but they contain stabilizers that help them keep their shape, so they melt thicker and set a bit softer. White candy melts are made for candy making: they melt thinner, set firm and shiny at room temperature, and are much more forgiving if you overheat them. You can also use half of each for the best of both.
Crush the pretzels coarsely. Put them in a zip-top bag and give it a few whacks with a rolling pin. You want bite-size pieces, not crumbs; pretzel dust just thickens the chocolate and hides the crunch.
Work quickly with the M&M's. Press the candies onto each cluster right after you scoop it, before the chocolate starts to set. Otherwise they won't stick and will pop off when you pick the clusters up.
Variations
- Other holidays. Just switch the M&M colors: red and pink for Valentine's Day, pastels for Easter, orange and black for Halloween, green for St. Patrick's Day (pair them with these shamrock pretzels), or red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July.
- Dark or milk chocolate. Swap the white chocolate for semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips for a richer, less sweet cluster. You can also drizzle melted dark chocolate over the white clusters once they've set.
- Add sprinkles. Scatter holiday sprinkles, nonpareils, or sanding sugar over the clusters along with the M&M's for extra color and crunch.
- Peppermint. Stir ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the melted chocolate and top the clusters with crushed candy canes.
- Nutty clusters. Replace up to a cup of the pretzels with roasted peanuts, pecans, or almonds, or swap in peanut butter M&M's.
- Bark instead of clusters. Spread the mixture into a thin layer on a lined baking sheet, top with M&M's, and break it into pieces once it sets.
Serving Ideas
These clusters are a natural fit for a Christmas cookie tray. Set them next to fudge, like this peppermint bark fudge, and a few classic cookies, and their bright colors will make the whole platter look festive. They're also a great addition to a hot chocolate charcuterie board or a holiday movie-night snack bowl.
They also make an easy homemade gift. Tuck them into mini cupcake liners and pack them into gift tins, cellophane bags, or mason jars tied with ribbon for teachers, neighbors, and coworkers. Add a few homemade peanut butter cups and you've got a sweet treat box.
Storing & Freezing
Store the clusters in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks, with parchment or wax paper between layers so they don't stick together. If your kitchen is warm, keep them in the refrigerator instead, where they'll last up to 3 weeks; let them sit out for a few minutes before serving so the chocolate isn't too hard.
To freeze, arrange the clusters in a single layer in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag, separating layers with parchment, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, still sealed, so condensation doesn't form on the chocolate and make the M&M colors bleed. That makes it easy to get a head start on holiday baking in early December.
More Holiday Treats
If you love these white chocolate M&M clusters, be sure to check out these other tasty ideas:
- Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Candy Cane Fudge
- Peppermint Snowball Christmas Cookies
- Red Velvet Fudge
Recipe
White Chocolate Pretzel Clusters with M&M's
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces white chocolate chips or white candy melts
- 2 ½ cups pretzels coarsely crushed (mini twists work well)
- ¾ cup holiday M&M's red and green, or any color
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the white chocolate chips in a dry, microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each one, until only a few small lumps remain. Stir until completely smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes total).
- Put the pretzels in a zip-top bag and crush them coarsely with a rolling pin. Stir the pretzels into the melted chocolate until evenly coated. Add a few more pretzels if you'd like a crunchier candy.
- Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment, about 1 inch apart.
- Immediately press a few M&M's onto each cluster before the chocolate starts to set. Press lightly so they stick; otherwise they will pop off once the clusters harden.
- Let the clusters set at room temperature for about 1 hour, or refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Robin G. says
Oh my, this looks so easy and so delicious! Thanks for the idea!
Jessica McCoy says
Yes, truly the best type of recipes in my opinion are those that are easy peasy! 😉