Chocolate Pretzel Spider Web Treats

Written on October 25, 2022

by Jordan Engdahl

Jump to Instructions

Looking to get spooky creative with your Halloween Party Snack? Or maybe even just a fun, seasonal, after school snack?

What ever the reason is that you’re looking to get in to the Fall or Spooky Spirit, I’ve got just the right recipe to add to spice things up!

My husband and I hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party, and as we mostly kept it low key and simple, I wanted to have some fun with the desserts. I ended up making Pumpkin shaped Cake Pops (which are much more work than I was looking for), and drum roll please . . . Chocolate Pretzel Spider Webs.

These are probably the most fun looking and easiest dessert/snacks that I’ve prepared. And of course, they were a hit! I made 48 Spiders and they ALL got eaten! Though, do take my word for it; they are quite fragile to eat. Be prepared to hold your hand under your mouth! Haha! But, nothing a quick pick up can’t handle. 

My go to dessert, and family and friends favorite is our Cake Pops Recipe! Which, is why I had to include it into our party menu. Though, I decided to get fancy with it and try something new! I’ve been seeing many videos recently, my favorite being @CakePopBox on Instagram, revealing a pumpkin shaped cake pop! So, me, trying to impress my friends, I decided to go for it. And as cute as I tried to make them look, I definitely rushed these little pops. Just take a look at my attempt [above]… Haha! I mean, what can I say? When you have a one year old trying to run your house, a messy husband and brother-in-law to pick up after, and well, the dog probably just helped me stay on top of the messes I was making on the floor. Lucky Dog. 

Anyways, this was my first time not adding sticks to the Cake Pops. So, I found it a little difficult to get them off the fork and still get them to look smooth. I do have a special ingredient for cake pops though!

… Coconut Oil!

It makes them SO much easier, and whoever I learned it from years ago, THANK YOU! I did use this ingredient for my spiders because I’m used to it, but honestly, it might have made it easier not too. It makes the chocolate runnier, which is great for pops, but with the spiders, it’s easier to have control over the chocolate spiraling around the treat, than it just running out of the decorative bag.

2024 UPDATE: As I have grown in my cake pop artistry, I have learned Coconut oil is not the best add-in. The oil actually causes the chocolate to get funky and makes it harder to dip the cake balls and come out looking smooth. I'll have to create a new post on all things cake pops, because all mom's need to know the hidden secrets. Once you've got all the tricks, they actually can be pretty simple to make! And no fancy tools are needed! These make such a GREAT party treat. Because, honestly, a slice of cake just doesn't do it do it for me.

Anyways, let's get to what we came here for! Chocolate Pretzel Spider Web Treats, mmmm!

---

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL SPIDER WEB INSTRUCTIONS

INGREDIENTS

• ONE BAG OF MINI STICK PRETZELS 

• 2 BAGS OF LIGHT OR DARK COCOA CHOCOLATE CANDY MELTS

• ONE CONTAINER OF CANDY EYES

EXTRAS

• DISPOSABLE DECORATIVE BAGS

• PARCHMENT PAPER

Before I started anything, I melted my chocolate.

But read this first! I have a small chocolate candy melter pot. (The brand is called Wilton if you’re interested).

I ended up using almost 2 bags of candy melts by the end of this, but I only melted one at a time. One bag per batch (28 spiders). And, I did end up throwing some out as it gets hard in the disposable decorative bags after a while. You can save it and remelt it later since you’re not dipping any food into the chocolate itself.

By plugging the melter pot in at the beginning and setting on warm, I had time to set out my pretzels while the chocolate melted, stirring every so often. You will not want it to burn as you’ll end up having to toss the chocolate. It also won’t taste too great nor be smooth to decorate with.

If you do not have a melting pot, there are bags that you can buy that gets melted right in the microwave. If you do this route, make sure you melt the bag when you’re ready to use it, as it will harden quicker (not terribly quick, but enough to make you feel rushed if you’re not finished with the pretzel prep).

(I get my chocolate melts from Meijer or Michaels Craft Store.)

(Peep, our child in a container full of Mega Bloks in the background)

I started out by breaking up a million (not really, but a whole bunch) of Mini Stick Pretzels, in half. Trying to get them each around the same size.

If you want the math, I made each spider have 8 legs/web lines(whatever they are) and I made 48 spiders. So I broke 192 pretzels, leaving me with 384 half sized mini pretzel sticks.

But really, I didn’t count them, I just broke a bunch and laid them out, and kept going until I was done making them. And I actually made two batches. So really I made 24 spiders first, then decided I wanted to fill my platter more. Which ended up working out perfectly, because they all got eaten and we had only about 15-20 people at our Pumpkin Carving Party.

I then put one of the disposable decorative bags into a cup and rolled the top over the cup so that I could easily scoop the chocolate into the bag. The brand I used for the bags was, Cake Mate. They worked great, and it came with 12 bags. I had no issues will holes, or ripping. They were quite sturdy. 

I cut a very small tip off of the bag, maybe like a centimeter, maybe smaller? Use your best judgement. You don’t want the chocolate to be pouring out of the bag; you’ll want to be able to have control over where the chocolate is landing at all times. 

I then started with putting a glob of chocolate right in the center of all the pretzels to join them together. I would only do about 5 or 6 at a time, so that I could add candy eyes on top before it dried. I put one eye on one spider web and it looked creepy, and I did about 10 with no eyes and they looked completely fine. I’m sure it was also a good option for people who didn’t want the eyes as they can be an unwanted sugar crunch. The brand I used for candy eyes was, Betty Crocker. I get many of my cooking ingredients from Betty Crocker, but these also were the only candy eyes that my store had. So, who knows if a different brand has a difference in taste.

After all of the chocolate in middle was added and eyes were put on, you may need to check your disposable decorative bag. If you need more chocolate, add some or make more. I also found that the chocolate at the tip of the bag hardened when I wasn’t actively using it, so you’ll just need to push that little bit out.

Once your chocolate is prepared, again, it’s time to make the web! I did this two separate ways. The first batch, I made 3 separate circles going from the inside around the eyes, out to the edge. And for the second batch, I consistently squeezed the chocolate out starting from then inside, going in a spiral formation around the whole thing until I got to the outside edge of the whole pretzel web. They both actually looked great! And the spiraling went MUCH quicker if you can imagine, because I didn’t have to stop in-between each individual circle. 

Let them sit for about 20-30 minutes just to harden and then you can transfer, very gently, to a festive platter!

After that, you are done!! You now have beautiful Chocolate Pretzel Spider Webs! And your guests, or children, or coworkers, whoever, are going to LOVE them! Also, I’m going to unofficially consider these “somewhat” healthy! Haha!

Let us know how yours turn out!!! We’d LOVE to see them! And hear about any differences you chose to add! 

Enjoy your Spider Treats!

…and this photo of our happy child, whom was excited about throwing her pumpkin on the ground! On the other hand, painting was a good alternative for the young ones at our Pumpkin Carving Party!