Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Hello from the other side of the Labor Day weekend! Did you have a good one? I admit I didn’t realize the holiday was already upon us until last Friday afternoon, so we didn’t have much on the agenda. Ben smoked a pork shoulder in his new Green Egg for the Iowa game on Saturday (go Hawks!), Lincoln and I saw Cars 3 on Sunday, and yesterday the whole family went apple picking at Berry Patch Farm, which we try and make it out to at least once a year. It’s one of our very favorite local(ish) places.

(ergobaby / shirt / shorts << OBSESSED!)

We left with 6 pounds of hand-picked Honeycrisp apples (and a sore back – good grief, Cameron is a tank!) That should last us a week or two. ;)

Now that Labor Day has officially come and gone, I think we’re free and clear to move onto everyone’s favorite fall flavor combo: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, aka PUMPKIN. PIE. SPICE. Aww yeah. And while Pumpkin Spice Lattes seem to be at the top of the must-enjoy-as-often-as-possible-until-the-season-that-shall-not-be-named-descends-upon-us, can I suggest an even better alternative?

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Covered Pretzels, baby! Because if we’re going to be basic, we may as well eat our basic cravings versus drink them, am I right?

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Speaking of basic, the first thing I thought of after popping one of these sweet and salty snacks into my mouth was the scene in Mean Girls where Lindsay Lohan’s character won the Mathletes State Championship with the line “the limit does not exist. THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST!!” I mean, I know nothing about limits, except my own when it comes to how many episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse I can watch in a row (2), and the fact that the limit to how many of these babies I can devour in one sitting is infinite. They’re sooo, so delicious that I could eat them until, well, the entire batch is gone and we can finally stop talking about limits.

Anyway! 4 ingredients + 15 minutes = your new fall obsession. I promise you this! White chocolate chips are melted with a bit of coconut oil then spiked with warm pumpkin pie spices before being dunked into with salty, crunchy pretzels and topped with a dark chocolate pumpkin spice drizzle – which is optional but takes 1 minute to make and is so gosh darn pretty!

If you’ve never tried the combination of white chocolate and pumpkin pie spices, this easy, gluten-free treat is going to make you over the top happy. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about there being no limit as to how many you’ll devour in one sitting!

Start by microwaving 2 cups white chocolate chips with 1 Tablespoon coconut oil in a small bowl until smooth (directions/timing are in the recipe card below.) Two things: 1.) I used Hershey’s Premiere white chocolate chips, which are gluten-free. 2.) If you have a coconut allergy you could sub vegetable oil.

Next stir in the ingredient that puts the “spice” in Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Covered Pretzels – 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. I use Tone’s. Love those warm, fall flavors!

Line two half sheet pans with a silpat or parchment paper then one by one, dip 3 cups gluten-free mini pretzel twists into the chocolate, scraping the bottoms on the side of the bowl before placing onto the sheet pan. There are a few gluten-free pretzels on the market but Snyder’s is my favorite.

Refrigerate the pretzels for 15 minutes then top with an optional dark chocolate pumpkin spice drizzle. The pretzels are fantastic without it but if you’re serving them at a party or want to gift the pretzels to a friend, the drizzle does add a nice touch! All you have to do is microwave 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips until melted then stir in 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and drizzle over the pretzels. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes then it’s time to eat, my friend.

Store the pretzels in the refrigerator if your kitchen is consistently above 73 or 74 degrees, otherwise they’re fine to sit on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days (though I promise they won’t last that long!) Enjoy this yummy fall treat while you can!