As soon as the weather turns cool, I mix up a batch of these addictive Pumpkin Spice Pretzels. They're my go-to fall pretzels made with store bought mini pretzels. Bake with a coating of butter, sugar and homemade pumpkin spice. The finishing touch of a generous drizzle of white chocolate makes the pretzels the perfect sweet and salty party snack.
A Quick Look at This Recipe
- Recipe Name: Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
- Ready In: Total time: 40 mins (10 mins prep, 30 mins bake time)
- Serves: 16
- Calories: 241 per serving
- Main Ingredients: Pretzels, butter, sugar, spices, white chocolate chips
- Difficulty: Easy
My family is a bunch of snackers. Along with Grandma's Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Meatballs and BLT Bites, these Pumpkin Spiced Pretzels are favorites. Whether we're playing games (Play Nine is so fun!), watching movies or cheering on our college teams on game days, salty and sweet nibbles are always within hand's reach.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Pumpkin spice enthusiasts will love that this perfect fall snack is:
- Easy to make ~ These crunchy pretzels are so much easier to make than soft pretzels. No homemade dough, rise time, rolling out, boiling and baking is needed. A bag of store bought mini pretzels makes the prep of this recipe with fall flavors a snap to make.
- A great gift ~ Tucked into festive tins or in these cellophane bags tied with colorful ribbon, pumpkin spice pretzels make a tasty hostess gift or holiday present.
- Kid and adult approved ~ These cinnamon sugar pretzels with warm fall spices are a big hit with everyone. They're the perfect afternoon snack for little hands.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Everyday ingredients combine with store bought pretzels for these easy salty/sweet chocolate drizzled pretzels. If substitutes can be made to the recipe, they're listed. Scroll to the recipe card for full quantities of the ingredients.
- Small pretzels ~ Pick up some mini pretzel twists or waffle shaped pretzels at the grocery store for this recipe.
- Salted butter ~ No modifications are needed if unsalted butter is used.
- Granulated sugar ~ Light brown sugar is an alternative.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Ground cloves
- Ground ginger
- Vanilla extract
- White chocolate chips ~ Substitute milk, dark or semi sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
Gather the simple ingredients and everyday kitchen tools to make these sweet and salty pumpkin pretzels. This is a brief overview of the recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the complete instructions.
1. Place pretzels in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, add the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, ground ginger and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
3. Pour the butter, sugar and spice mixture over the pretzels. Toss to coat thoroughly with the mixture.
4. Place the coated pretzels in a single layer on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
5. Bake in a 325 degrees F oven for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes so the pretzels bake evenly. Remove from the oven and cool.
6. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the pretzels. Let harden and serve.
Variations
Try some of these variations to make the recipe one of your favorites.
- Spicy - Add ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with the spice mixture.
- Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix - After the pumpkin spice pretzels are drizzled with the melted chocolate, mix with plain or peanut M&Ms, mini peanut butter cups and/or your favorite nuts.
- New drizzle - Drizzle the pretzels with the melted milk, semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips.
- Plain ~ Skip the chocolate drizzle and enjoy the sweet, salty and crunchy pretzels with just the delicious pumpkin spice coating.
Storage
These pumpkin spice pretzels are best enjoyed the day they're made, when they're at their crunchiest!
- Room temperature ~ Let the white chocolate drizzle harden completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to a week. These meal prep containers or 1 quart mason jars are my favorites.
- Gifting ~ Once the chocolate is set, tuck the pretzels into festive tins or cellophane bags tied with ribbon. They make a sweet hostess gift!
- Make Ahead ~ For the best crunch, make them the day you plan to serve them. You can even make them up to 2 days ahead for a party.
Amy's Top Tips
- For the tastiest pretzels, make sure the butter, sugar and pumpkin spice mixture completely covers the pretzels.
- For the pretzels cook to evenly, make sure to stir every 10 minutes while baking.
What to Serve With Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
These sweet and salty fall pretzels are great on their own, but they really shine on a snack table. Here are some of my go-to pairings:
- A warm drink ~ A mug of Hot Chocolate Mix or hot apple cider is perfect alongside a bowl of pretzels on a chilly afternoon.
- A fall snack board ~ Balance the sweetness with something savory. Set them out with Grandma's Sausage Cheese Balls, Puff Pastry Cheese Twists and Homemade Pimento Cheese with crackers.
- Game day spread ~ Serve them with Easy Crispy Baked Chicken Wings and a bowl of Corn Dip. Everyone gets a little salty, a little sweet!
- A dessert table ~ Pile them next to Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies and Homemade Salted Caramel Popcorn for a festive fall treat spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Substitute 2 tablespoons of a store bought pumpkin pie spice blend to speed up the prep time of the recipe. Also, if you don't keep many spices on hand, you'll save some money too. You won't need to purchase the spices that go into making the spice blend.
My homemade blend uses 5 spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves and ground ginger.
Melted butter is the secret. Toss the pretzels with the melted butter, sugar and spice mixture until everyone is coated. The coating bakes right on.
Yes you can. Just be sure to purchase gluten free pretzels.
Go slow. Microwave the chips in 15 second intervals and stir after each one. Or use a double boiler over low heat and stir frequently.
Each serving has 241 calories. The recipe makes 16 servings.
More Recipes Like This One
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Did You Make My Pumpkin Spice Pretzels?
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Thanks ~ Amy
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Pretzels with White Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
- 16 ounce bag of small shaped pretzels ~ twists or waffles
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add pretzels to bowl: Place the pretzels in a large bowl. Set aside.16 ounce bag of small shaped pretzels ~ twists or waffles
- Make glaze: In a small bowl, add the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, ground ginger and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Coat pretzels: Pour the mixture over the pretzels and toss until they're evenly coated.
- Transfer pretzels to pan: Spread the coated pretzels evenly in the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake pretzels: Bake the pretzels for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes so the pretzels cook evenly.
- Cool pretzels: Remove the pretzels from the oven and completely cool.
- Melt chocolate: Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave at 15 second intervals. Stir after each interval. Alternately, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat.1 cup white chocolate chips
- Drizzle: Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled pretzels.
- Serve: Let the chocolate harden then enjoy!
- Storage: Store in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- Homemade pumpkin spice blend is easy to make with spices in well stocked pantries. A timesaving substitute is store bought pumpkin pie spice. Use 2 tablespoons of the premade spice blend in place of the homemade version.
- For the tastiest pretzels, make sure the butter, sugar and pumpkin spice mixture completely covers the pretzels.
Did you make the recipe? Leave a comment.