These turkey pretzel rods are a fun Thanksgiving snack that’s easy to make with just a few steps. They’re no-bake, use simple ingredients, and the sweet and salty combination is always a hit.
Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Pretzels
These turkey pretzel rods are such a fun project to make with kids! They’re no-bake, no chopping, no mixing, and no hot stuff involved—just dipping, decorating, and plenty of creativity. Honestly, the hardest part is keeping the candy eyes from rolling off the table. I recommend lining your table (and the floor underneath) with a plastic tablecloth for easy clean-up…trust me on this one.
I made these with my niece and nephew this weekend, and they had a great time decorating their turkeys. We’re planning to use them as centerpieces on our Thanksgiving table by placing them in jars filled with candy corn. They turned out so cute! This year, we used semi-sweet chocolate, but I’ve made them with milk chocolate before, and they’re just as delicious.
If you’re looking for more cute Thanksgiving treats to make with kids, my pilgrim hat cookies and turkey nutter butter are just as fun and festive!
Ingredients
- Semi-sweet Chocolate – Melted to coat the pretzels and act as glue for assembling the decorations.
- Coconut oil – Added to the chocolate to create a smoother, glossier coating.
- Fudge stripes cookies – Form the base for the turkey’s tail feathers to fan out.
- Candy Corn: Placed around the cookie to form the colorful tail feathers.
- Pretzel rods – Serve as the body of the turkey and provide structure.
- Butterscotch chips – Used to create the turkey beak.
- Candy eyes – Added to the pretzel rod to create the turkey’s face.
- Red candy melts – Melted and added to form the wattle below the beak.
Making the Pretzel Turkeys
- Prepare your workspace – Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and gather all your ingredients.
- Melt the chocolate – Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a tall, skinny glass for easy dipping.
- Assemble the turkey feathers – Spread a dollop of melted chocolate on the fudge side of a cookie. Arrange 9 pieces of candy corn in a circle around the cookie to create the tail, leaving a small gap at the bottom for the pretzel rod.
- Dip the pretzel rods – Dip a pretzel rod into the melted chocolate. Gently tap off any excess chocolate.
- Attach the pretzel to the tail – Place the coated pretzel rod onto the cookie, pressing it into the gap at the bottom of the candy corn circle.
- Add the turkey face – Attach a butterscotch chip flat side down near the top of the pretzel rod to form the beak. Add two candy eyes just above the beak using a small dab of melted chocolate. Repeat with all the cookies and pretzel rods.
- Create the wattle – Melt the red candy melts according to the package instructions. Pipe or dab a small amount next to the beak on each turkey to form the wattle.
- Set and serve – Allow all the chocolate and candy melts to fully set before serving or displaying your turkey pretzel rods.
Variations and Substitutions
Base cookies – Swap out fudge stripes cookies for Oreo cookies, fudge-covered peanut butter cookies, or any similar round cookie.
No cookie base – Skip the cookie altogether and use a dollop of melted chocolate as the base. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of melted chocolate onto parchment paper and smooth it into a circle with the backside of a spoon before adding the candy corn for the tail.
Beak alternatives – Replace the butterscotch chip with a peanut butter chip, an orange M&M, or a small dab of melted orange candy melts.
Chocolate options – Use dark or milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate to coat the pretzel rods.
Tips for Success
- Prep ingredients first – Have all your ingredients and tools ready to go before starting, as you’ll need to work quickly while the chocolate is still wet.
- Use a tall glass for dipping – Transfer the melted chocolate to a tall, skinny glass for easier and more even coating of the pretzel rods.
- Work one turkey at a time – Focus on completing one turkey before moving to the next to ensure the chocolate doesn’t set before you attach all the parts.
- Reheat chocolate if needed – If the melted chocolate starts to firm up while you’re working, reheat it in 10-second increments in the microwave, stirring in between.
- Create an even tail – Start by attaching one piece of candy corn at the top of the cookie, then add four pieces on each side for a balanced, evenly spaced tail.
- Be gentle with the decorations – Handle the candy eyes, beaks, and feathers carefully to avoid smudging the wet chocolate.
- Pipe or paint the wattle – Use a piping bag for precision when creating the wattle, or dip a toothpick in the red candy melts and paint it on.
How to store the turkey pretzel treats
Store in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry area for 1-2 weeks.
Do not freeze the turkey pretzel rods; the pretzels will become stale, and the candy eyes will bleed.
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Turkey Pretzel Rods
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 12 fudge stripes cookies
- 108 pieces of candy corn 9 per cookie
- 12 pretzel rods
- 12 butterscotch chips
- 24 candy eyes
- 1/4 cup red candy melts
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gather all your ingredients.
- Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth. Transfer to a tall, skinny glass for dipping.
- Spread a dollop of melted chocolate on the fudge-striped side of a cookie. Arrange 9 candy corn pieces around the cookie to form a tail, leaving a small gap at the bottom for the pretzel rod.
- Dip a pretzel rod into the melted chocolate, coating about two-thirds of its length. Gently tap off any excess chocolate.
- Press the coated pretzel rod into the gap at the bottom of the cookie tail.
- Attach a butterscotch chip flat side down near the top of each pretzel rod to form the beak. Add two candy eyes above the beak. Repeat with all pretzel rods and cookies.
- Melt the red candy melts according to the package instructions. Pipe or dab a small amount next to the beak to create the wattle.
- Allow the chocolate and candy melts to fully set before serving or displaying.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool dry area for 1-2 weeks.
- Do not freeze the turkey pretzel rods as the pretzels will become stale and the candy eyes will bleed.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand’s nutritional values to verify accuracy.