CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL CUPCAKES

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes – chocolate cupcakes topped with salty chocolate pretzel frosting, chocolate ganache and a chocolate dipped pretzel topper. A new cupcake recipe by our contributor, Lindsay Conchar.

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These Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes are a delicious combination of chocolate and pretzels that are perfect for all lovers of sweet and salty! Plus, the festive holiday pretzels make them perfect for this time of year!

I have so many memories as a kid of shopping for Christmas presents with my mom. At my youngest, my brother and I were probably a massive pain. We usually played hide and seek amongst all the clothing racks. The round ones were the best because you could literally hide right in the center between all the clothes. As I got older, it changed and I actually liked shopping.

However one thing that has never changed is that I would always get excited when we saw the stands set up in the middle of the mall with all the great cheeses, crackers and mostly importantly, the chocolate covered pretzel Christmas trees. We’d always get two containers – one for me and one for everyone else. They are some of my very favorites.

And like a true weirdo, I’d eat the chocolate off first and then eat the pretzel. The only thing that has changed with my love of chocolate covered holiday pretzels is that now I just eat them whole.

These cupcakes are the perfect ode to my chocolate covered holiday pretzels. Sweet and salty is one of the best combos out there and these cupcakes don’t disappoint! The cupcake on the bottom is a lovely soft, moist and fluffy chocolate cupcake.

On top of the cupcakes is a classic chocolate American buttercream that’s been switched up with some pretzel crumbs. I tossed some regular uncovered pretzels in a food processor to get the crumbs. The smaller the crumbs, the better. The bigger the crumbs, the lumpier the frosting. You could crush up the chocolate covered pretzels for the frosting, but in my experience they were harder to crush into small crumbs. They work better as the décor. ☺

On top of the cupcake, there’s a chocolate ganache drizzle, festive sprinkles to match the pretzels and the chocolate covered Christmas tree Pretzels. This particular pack of pretzels also included stars and bells, but feel free to get the shapes that you like.

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I hope you love these cupcakes as much as we did! They are fun, festive and quite nostalgic for me.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL CUPCAKES

a cupcake recipe by Lindsay Conchar

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended.
4. Add vanilla, water and cocoa powder to another bowl and whisk until smooth. Mixture will be thick.
5. Add chocolate mixture to batter and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
6. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
7. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter. Begin by adding half of the dry mix, then mix well. Add the milk and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth.
8. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 way. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool about 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

For the Salty Chocolate Pretzel Frosting:

1 cup salted butter

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup pretzel crumbs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup water, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
2. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
3. Add the cocoa, pretzel crumbs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
4. Add ¼ cup of the water and mix until smooth.
5. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
6. Slowly add the remaining water and mix until smooth, keeping an eye on the consistency of the frosting. Only add enough water to get a nice, pipe-able consistency.

For the Decoration:

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Sprinkles

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

1. Make the chocolate ganache by add the chocolate chips to a small heat proof bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream until it almost boils, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
3. Pipe the chocolate pretzel frosting onto the top of each cupcake using a large round pastry tip. Drizzle the chocolate ganache using a small round tip. Add sprinkles and chocolate covered pretzels on top to finish them off.

Courtesy: Cooking Classy