I love playing with food. Some of my favorite posts on this blog are sweet treats that have me being a bit of a kid while I make them. These shamrock pretzels are simple to make and a lot of fun too.
Twist pretzels are the perfect treat to use for this snack. They have a rounded shape that makes each one the perfect shamrock petal shape.
When you add the green candy melts, you end up with a sweet salty treat that the kids will just love.
Shamrocks are one of the symbols of St. Patrick’s Day, so these shamrock pretzels make the perfect snack to bring to any St. Paddy’s Day gathering you might attend this year.
I love making fun food for St. Patrick’s day. It’s a great way to set the mood. Try my s’mores cookies and Bailey’s Irish Cream Truffles for another tasty holiday dessert.
Making the shamrock pretzels
The recipe has just two ingredients! Each pretzel requires just three small twist pretzels plus an extra piece for the stem.
Some green candy melts make the perfect coating because green is one of the four St. Patrick’s Day colors. Plus the dipping and assembling is fun to do!
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Place the Wilton green candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat them in 30 second increments, being sure to stir after each time.
The candy will be silky and smooth when it is ready to use for coating your shamrock pretzels.
My candy melts took about 1 1/2 minutes to melt the first time, and I kept putting it back in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time between making a few of the shamrocks.
The candy melt works best when it has just melted. It is harder to work with as it comes to room temperature.
Set up your dipping station. I used parchment paper on baking sheets. This makes the project easy to clean up later and the pretzels won’t stick to the paper.
Have your twist pretzels in a bowl, and also break some of the pretzels into short pieces to use as the stems of the shamrocks.
Dip a pretzel into the melted candy coating, making sure that it gets covered completely. I used a candy dipping fork to take it out and also to allow the excess coating to drip back into my bowl.
If you don’t have a candy dipping tool set, you really should. It makes candy dipping so much easier!
The pretzel gets placed on a baking sheet and the procedure is repeated again. This time, position the second pretzel so that it touches the bottom of the first one.
Finally, dip a third pretzel and place this one at the top so that it touches the other two.
All that is left to do is to coat a small segment of the pretzels into the candy melt and then position it at the bottom of the shamrock.
Use a small spoon to add a bit of the candy melt into the center of the shamrock shape, giving it some extra candy melting to hold the petals of the shamrock together.
You’ll have a (rather messy!) shamrock shape now! Don’t worry about this because you’ll be trimming the excess candy melts after they are set.
Repeat with the remaining pretzels and candy coating until you have made all of the shamrock shapes that you want. Place in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
Time to give the shamrocks a trim!
Once the shamrocks have set, it’s time to trim them up to make the shape more tidy. I used a very sharp paring knife to trim away the excess coating from the edges and holes in the pretzel petals.
Your St. Patrick’s Day party guests will love how festive these treats look on the party table. They also make a fun afternoon snack with a glass of milk for the kids!
These shamrock pretzels are great to eat as a snack on their own, or use them to decorate brownies or cakes for a special treat.
The recipe makes 12 good sized shamrock pretzel treats. Ready for some salty, sweet crunch?
For more St. Patrick’s Day food ideas, be sure to visit my St. Patrick’s Day board on Pinterest.
Shamrock Pretzels - Fun St. Patrick's Day Snack

These pretzels are covered in chocolate and have the shape of a shamrock.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Bag of green candy melts
- 40 Twist pretzels
Instructions
- Place the green candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat them in 30 second increments, being sure to stir after each time until the melts are silky and smooth.
- Line baking mats with parchment paper.
- Dip a pretzel into the melted candy coating, making sure that it gets covered completely.Tap off the excess candy coating.
- Place the pretzel on the parchment paper and repeat again. This time, position the second pretzel so that it touches the bottom of the first one. Finally, dip a third pretzel and place this one at the top so that it touches the other two.
- Dip on of the pieces of the pretzel into the candy melt and then position it at the bottom of the shamrock. Use a small spoon to add a bit of the candy melt into the center of the shamrock shape, to hold the shamrock in place
- Repeat with the remaining pretzels and candy coating until you have made all of the shamrock shapes that you want. Place in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
- Once the shamrocks have set, use a sharp paring knife to trim off the excess candy melt coating.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 shamrockAmount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 5.5gSaturated Fat: 4.9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 76.3mgCarbohydrates: 15.8gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 12.1gProtein: 0.5g