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Sweet-salty M&M pretzel hugs are festive chocolate treats that you can make in minutes with 3 ingredients. It’s super easy to change up the colors for any holiday!
Why You’ll Love These Pretzel Hugs
If you’re a fan of the sweet and salty combination, these pretzel hugs with M&Ms are right up your alley. They’re super simple to make, too. All you need is 15 minutes and 3 easy ingredients!
- Versatile. One of my favorite things about pretzel hugs is that you can change them up for different holidays. It’s as easy as swapping out the M&M colors or changing up the candy. Whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, Easter, or another special occasion, they have you covered.
- Great for gifting. These pretzel hugs look so cute wrapped up in clear baggies for gifting. They’re a fun and festive holiday snack, and they make great teacher gifts and Christmas party favors.
- Easy to make. This recipe is easy and perfect for getting the kids involved. Pretzel hugs take minutes to prepare, and you need only 3 ingredients.
Ingredients
Here are some quick notes on what you’ll need to make your pretzel hugs with M&Ms. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable ingredients list and recipe amounts.
- Square Pretzels – You could also make these with mini pretzel twists.
- Hershey’s Hugs – You’ll find these white and milk chocolate candies in most grocery stores and online. You can use Hershey’s Kisses, too, or Peppermint Kisses if it’s the holidays!
- M&Ms – Any color you’d like. You can top your pretzel hugs with peanut M&Ms and other varieties, too.
How to Make M&M Pretzel Hugs
Making these cute little treats couldn’t be easier. It’s a fun activity for kids, too, since there’s very little hands-on time before they go into the oven to melt the chocolate a little. Follow along below and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Prep. Set the oven to preheat to 200ºF while you line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat).
- Assemble. Start by arranging the pretzels in an even layer on the baking sheet. Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Hug.
- Bake. Bake at 200ºF for 4-6 minutes until the chocolate is shiny and soft (but not completely melted). Once they’re out of the oven, immediately top each hug with an M&M while the chocolate is still warm. Allow your pretzel hugs to cool completely, then store or serve.
Tips For Success
- Don’t melt the chocolate completely. You don’t want the Hugs to turn into puddles! The chocolate should be glossy and softened but still holding its shape. If you remove them from the oven and the chocolate still seems a little firm when you add the first M&M, pop the pretzel hugs back in the oven for another 30 seconds and try again.
- Line the pan. I recommend using a silicone baking mat as it keeps the pretzels from sliding around, but parchment paper will work, too.
- Cool before storing. Allow them to cool completely before packaging or storing your M&M pretzel hugs. If you’d like, set them in the fridge to help them firm up faster.
Easy Variations
I love making pretzel hugs for holidays and birthdays or just about any occasion that calls for a sweet snack (so, anytime!). They’re very easy to customize and I’m always finding new ways to change them up. These are some ideas:
- Chrismas. Buy a package of red and green M&Ms or top the hugs with candy cane pieces or peppermint candy. You could also swap the regular Hershey’s Hugs with Peppermint Kisses!
- Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving. Use orange and brown M&Ms or candy corn.
- Easter. Try pastel-colored M&Ms or Cadbury Eggs.
- Different Hershey’s candy. There are so many flavors of Hershey’s Kisses that you can try. Just keep in mind that ones with white chocolate are going to melt quicker than the regular chocolate ones.
How to Store
Store these M&M pretzel hugs in an airtight container on the counter or in the pantry. They last for about 1 week at room temperature. After that, the pretzels begin to get a bit stale, so enjoy them or gift them sooner rather than later!
More Easy Homemade Treats to Try
M&M Pretzel Hugs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 50 pretzels
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These M&M pretzel hugs are festive little chocolate treats. They’re easy to make with 3 ingredients and you can change up the colors for any holiday!
Ingredients
- 50 square pretzels
- 50 Hershey’s Hugs chocolates, unwrapped
- 50 M&Ms (chose holiday appropriate color, if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Lay the pretzels out of the baking sheet in an even layer, then top each one with an unwrapped Hershey’s Hug.
- Bake for 4-6 minutes, or until the chocolate is shiny and soft, but not completely melted. Remove them from the oven and immediately top each one with an M&M. If the Hugs don’t seem melted enough, pop them back in the oven for another 30 seconds to a minute.
- Allow to cool completely, then store or serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pretzel hug
- Calories: 183
- Sugar: 9.1 g
- Sodium: 352.6 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.3 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
These are a delicious treat. I found it took a bit of trial and error to get the Hugs to melt to the perfect consistency. I tried some with plain Hershey’s chocolate Kisses and they didn’t melt as well as the Hugs.
Yes, getting the temperature of the hugs is a little tricky. I’m glad it worked out though. And yes, regular Hershey kisses don’t melt quite as well. White chocolate is not actually not chocolate really and doesn’t have the cocoa solids that regular chocolate does, so it melts much easier and is thinner when melted.