Easy Pretzel Turtles

Pictures of my cute little elves helping with the Christmas goodies.

They are thrilled whenever I let them help in the kitchen.

Notice the little elf! He must have snitched a treat. He is looking pretty suspicious don't you thing? He L-O-V-E loves treats! He takes after his momma. (This picture makes me LOL!)

I got this recipe from www.ourbestbites.com. I was looking for a simply, fun, and taste Christmas goodie my children could help me make. These were PERFECT! Jack loved them and asked, "You are not planning on giving these away are you?" while a huge grin and a mouthful. He thought they were yummy and could have eaten them all. The kids had a ball helping and I personally loved doing something with them that was a low stress activity--sugar cookie frosting and decorating is a high stress activity for me with my kids, but we always have to give it a whirl to. I keep hoping that maybe just maybe it will be easier the next time around. So if cookie decorating is a little more than you are feeling up for try these. You won't be disappointed. We will be making these again I am certain and I don't think we will be waiting until next Christmas to do it.

Easy Pretzel Turtles

small pretzels

Rolo candies - one bag has about 55 candies

Pecan halves - or optionally peanuts, cashews, and m&m's

Optional: almond bark or white chocolate for drizzling

Get Ready for some simple holiday fun!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper or my silpat for easy handling, but you can also put them on foil or directly onto the cookie sheet.

Unwrap your Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel (a great step to keep the kids busy).

Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer is probably too long. You just want the chocolate on the outside to look glossy and melty, but they should still hold their shape.

Remove pan from oven and take a pecan and gently press it right into the center of the chocolate candy.

If you want to get fancy you can give them a little drizzle of almond bark or white chocolate. Just melt some in a plastic baggie and nip the corner off to drizzle. A little goes a long way; used a half a square of almond bark or 1/4 cup white chocolate chips melted.

Spoil yourself and eat a few of these babies warm off the pan. Mmmm-YUM! Wait for the rest to cool and harden before you pack or plate them up.

Mix it Up: For parties, simply for color, or for the non-nut lover in your family do them with all M&M's on top. Kids love how colorful and fun they turn out to be. Try them with cashews and peanuts or those mini Hershey's kissables are cute too.