Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: A super easy treat with only three ingredients: pretzels, Rolo caramels, and pecan halves or M&Ms. Sweet and salty Rolo pretzels are irresistible!
How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: baking pan, oven
Servings: makes 35
This recipe for Rolo pretzels isn’t an original idea. I’m sure you’ve probably enjoyed one of these delicious little bites, but it’s one of those treats that maybe you think, huh! I wonder how those are made.
Easy Rolo Pretzels
Just three ingredients. As you can probably guess from the photos, you only need three ingredients to make Rolo pretzels: Rolos, pretzels, and pecan halves. (Rolo candies are chocolate-covered caramels.) You can mix it up and substitute colorful M&M’s for the pecans, or even another pretzel to make sandwiches. Some people are really creative and make little red-nosed reindeer.
Easy, easy, easy! Rolo pretzels are beyond easy to make and taste oh-so-delicious. If you buy the unwrapped Rolos (yes, unwrapped Rolos are available!), these treats are even easier to make because really, the most time-consuming part is unwrapping those individually wrapped chocolate covered caramels.
Kids love to make them. If you have kids in the kitchen, they’d be glad to perform the unwrapping task for you. (Beware, you may lose a few of the candies in the process!) The kids love to help out and making Rolo pretzels is an easy project that they can participate in. You can even make them in the microwave. It’s fun to whip up a batch or two of these goodies and make special deliveries to the neighbors. (P.S. Chocolate covered marshmallows and cake mix cookies are a couple more kid-friendly treats.)
A crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t love caramel, chocolate and a little salty crunch? If you’re a turtle fan, you’re going to love these! (Be sure to try my turtle pancakes, too!) Rolo pretzels look just right on a Christmas cookie platter with sand tart cookies, Brigadeiros (Brazilian fudge balls), gingersnaps with white chocolate, and chocolate peppermint kiss cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Rolos: a A Rolo is a milk chocolate-covered caramel. You can buy a bag of them, individually wrapped in foil or unwrapped. A 7.6 oz. bag contains about 35 unwrapped candies.
- Pretzels: Bite-sized mini pretzels form the base of the treat. Waffle pretzels are perfect for this job. If you have pretzels left over, make my kitchen sink cookies!
- Pecan Halves: Pecans are found in traditional turtles ( caramel and pecans, covered in chocolate). Toast the pecans first for the best flavor. You could also use M&M’s, or some of each, like we did for the pictures!
How To Make Rolo Pretzels
Here’s how these delicious candy bites come together:
Get your oven preheating to 350°F. Toast the pecans if you want. I always do because they taste so much better when they’re toasted.
Unwrap the Rolos if you bought the wrapped variety.
Arrange the pretzels on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if you like).
Top each pretzel with a Rolo and pop them into the oven for just four minutes.
Immediately, while the Rolos are still soft and warm, press a pecan half or M&M in the center. Cool and enjoy!
Toasting Pecans
An easy way to toast the pecans is to use your microwave. Spread the pecans on a large plate, and microwave for about 45 seconds. This simple step really enhances the flavor of the pecans.Recipe Variations
- M&M Rolo Pretzels: Substitute colorful M&Ms for the pecan halves. Red and green M&Ms are very festive for Christmas. Use red, pink, and white M&Ms for Valentine’s Day or team colors for the big game day.
- Rolo Pretzel Sandwiches: Omit the pecan half and use another pretzel on top.
- Rolo Pretzel Reindeer: Use mini pretzels (tiny twists) that are heart-shaped knots for the base. Add a red M & M for a nose and googly eye candies for the eyes. Break a pretzel in half and poke the halves into each side for the antlers.
- Walnut Rolo Pretzels: Substitute a toasted walnut half for the pecan.
- Microwave Rolo Pretzels: If you don’t want to turn on the oven, a microwave oven works just great. The recipe card below has instructions.
Store Rolo pretzels, once they’ve completely cooled, in an airtight container for up to a week. There’s no need to refrigerate them unless your kitchen is very warm.
Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the Rolo pretzels in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Easy Treat Recipes
Rolo Pretzels Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bag (7.6 oz.) Rolos (see note)
- 1 bag waffle-style pretzels
- 35 toasted pecan halves (see notes) or M&Ms, or a combination (see notes for more suggestions)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Unwrap the Rolos, if you purchased the foil-wrapped ones.
- Arrange pretzels on a baking sheet and top each with a Rolo.
- Bake approximately 4 minutes or until the Rolo is melty. Remove from oven.
- Press in pecan or M&M candy while Rolos are still soft. Enjoy! Makes 35 treats.
Notes
- Skip the unwrapping process! Rolos Unwrapped are now available in 7.6-oz. bags. There are approximately 35 individual candies in the bag.
- Toast the pecans (optional). For best flavor, lightly toast the pecans before adding them. Arrange on a large plate and microwave for 45 seconds. Cool slightly.
- Make Rolo Pretzels in the microwave: Line a microwave safe plate with parchment paper. Arrange pretzels (as many as can fit) on plate and top with unwrapped Rolo. Microwave at 50% for 30 seconds or until caramel has softened. If needed, microwave an additional 10 seconds. Remove and top with desired topping.
- Topping suggestions: Instead of pecan halves, try colorful M&Ms that match a theme, toasted walnut halves, or another pretzel (to make a Rolo pretzel sandwich).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I love rolos!
I meant to make these this year! I’ll have to see if the husband will pick up the ingredients for me today.
Oh my gosh, stop it. YUM!
Merry Christmas!
These are a favorite in our house – and you are so right, the hardest part is unwrapping the rolos!!
These rock my world!
Those definitely look dangerous! They’re small & poppable and you’re absolutely right: who doesn’t love sweet & salty? Ahh, I LOVE rolo’s. I used to get those a lot when I was a kid. I loved that they had caramel bursting in the insides :) Love the last picture you took! Happy Holidays, Rachel!
Yum! I love easy, especially this time of year.
These things rock. They are a little bit too easy to enjoy…as in, once you pop, you can’t stop. But that’s okay they’re worth it. Great gooey pic on the last shot!
Yum! One of my favorites! I know I’ve been eating these for at least 11 years because I had them in college (gah I’m old!).
My kids and I just made these yesterday…. with the intention to SHARE them. Umm. Yeah. So we realized a “regular” sized bag of Rolos is NOT big enough. That’s why Target is selling the BIG bags of Rolos…. so we are heading back to the store today to make more. SO good. Though I learned a lesson NOT to stick these in the fridge {or our case the screened porch} bc they harden… best to let them sit on the counter. Just takes longer to set so more patience needed. BEAUTIFUL pictures Rachel! Merry Christmas!!