When I saw these cute-as-a-button treats on Bonibella's Chrysanthemum, I practically jumped out of my seat to make them. We all know I have a deep love for the chocolate and pretzel combination, as evidenced here, here, and oh my goodness, here.
But these are so quick and easy, I can see them becoming a regular feature in our house.
Wait--cute, quick, easy--I forgot to mention tasty. They're so yummy! I have to pre-portion my servings because I would eat an entire pan of these if I didn't. They're so pop-in-your-mouth wonderful, it's easy to get carried away.
Bonus: the kids can help make them! I like to get them started early taking off the Hershey Kiss wrappers. (That's the only tedious part of this treat. Well, that and waiting for them to cool and harden.)
The kids are good at the first stage of assembly, too--placing unwrapped Kisses on a cookie sheet full of mini pretzels:
After each pretzel has been Kissed, pop the tray into a 275° oven for 3 minutes. This melts the Kiss to prepare for the next stage--the topper.
I didn't photograph this step, but it's pretty self-explanatory. You just pop your favorite little candy on top of the melted Kiss.
I used "dark" Kisses (really semi-sweet, but whatever) and Peanut Butter M&Ms. Delicious. One person that commented on the original post suggested Rolos topped with pecans. What combination would you choose?
On a cool day, I suppose you could leave these at room temperature to cool and let the melted chocolate harden. I am impatient, and wanted my treat as fast as possible, so I put the whole tray in the freezer for 5 minutes. (That's why my M&Ms are a little cloudy and off-color.) I think these little treats are even better cold than they would be at room temperature. I'll probably never find out, though, because they don't last long enough around here to warm up to room temperature! We're like piranhas for these tiny delights.
Make some. Then come back and tell me about it!
Edited to add an extra photo for scale (thanks for the catch, Jillaire!). Note: Those are my (adult, female) fingers. I think the scale conflict is due to the extra large peanut butter M&Ms.
