Yes, I realize that these are super easy.  But that doesn't mean that they are any less fun to make!  And to eat.  The combo of the salty pretzel and the sweet chocolate is a classic that everyone loves.  That's what makes these so good to give as holiday gifts!  Everyone loves them, they are easy to make, and the ingredients won't force you to take out a second mortgage.  I actually made these this year, and combined them with a tin of almond-marshmallow-craisin bark and tiger butter to give to my boss, my neighbors, etc. 

Since I didn't receive any complaints, I assume that the candy either tastes good or I have polite colleagues.  Or both!

Here is the super simple recipe:

1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 15 pretzel rods Colored sugar to garnish, or you could use sliced almonds, drizzle another kind of chocolate on top, or anything else that is small enough to stick to the wet chocolate

Before you start, lay out parchment paper.  Once you have a dripping chocolate mess in your hands, you won't want to be reaching for the roll of parchment.  Ok, now we can really start.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave by cooking it for 1 minute, stirring it, then cooking it in 30 second increments stirring in between.  Once it is all melty, hold the pretzel over the bowl and use a spoon to cover the majority of the pretzel with chocolate.  If it is having a tendency to glob on thickly, just use the spoon to even out the chocolate layer, letting the extra drip back into the bowl.  This really makes the process pretty painless. 

Then lay the pretzel on the parchment paper and liberally sprinkle the sugar on top.  I haven't tried it, but I wouldn't recommend trying to dip the pretzel into a bowl of sugar.  It just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  But, if you are wild at heart then maybe that is a method that you would like to try. 

Once all of the pretzels are dipped and sprinkled, either put them in the fridge or let them sit out until they solidify.  If you are working in a 60 degree kitchen like I was, it doesn't take long.  Which is good because I don't know if Jake would have let them sit there for much longer.

After this you can put them into gift baggies, or serve them in a couple of large drinking glasses, or just eat them right off of the parchment!