Patriotic Flower Pretzel Bites

Patriotic Flower Pretzel Bites are a great 4th of July Treat – sweet, salty, crunchy, and delicious and great for the 4th of July or Memorial Day.

The ultimate Red, White, and Blue treat for your 4th of July celebration or Memorial Day barbecue, Patriotic Flower Pretzel Bites are a delicious party food that your friends and family will beg you to make again and again! We’ve combined pretzels, white chocolate and M&M’s into the perfect bite of sweet and salty goodness. They have been a legit crowd favorite at every party where we’ve ever served them. We used the special Red, White, and Blue holiday mix M&M’s, so these treats are just as colorful and fun as the 4th of July itself which also means that a plate full of these pretzels doubles as both a yummy dessert and a patriotic table decoration. And did we mention how easy they are to make? With just three ingredients and a few easy steps, these bites are a must-add make-ahead item for your party food list. So whether you’re hosting a patriotic bash or just want a festive treat to enjoy with the kids while you watch fireworks, this is the dessert for you!

Ingredients You Will Need

Preparing the M&M’s

We used the special Red White and Blue Holiday Blend bag of M&M’s. The Holiday M&M’s usually start being available in stores around Memorial Day.  You can also pull the Red and Blue M&M’s out of a regular bag of M&M’s and you can bug bags of white M&M’s at party stores, online on Amazon and from the M&M website.

How to Make Flower Pretzel Bites

Steps 1-2: We like to use the square Pretzel Snaps when making Pretzel Bites but you can also use the regular mini pretzels.  First, place 7-8 Pretzel Snaps on a paper plate. Cover the pretzels with a Wilton Candy Melt. Place the paper plate in the microwave and heat for approximately 45-50 seconds. The exact timing will take a bit of trial and error.  You want the candy melts to be melted enough to press the M&M’s into, but not so melted that the candy melt loses its’ shape.  In the picture above you can see that the white candy melts have a sheen to them – this is what they look like when they are the melted the perfect amount.  The exact time in the microwave will depend on how many pretzel/candy you do at one time, how powerful your microwave is, the type of pretzels you are using, etc.  For us, 7-8 pretzels snaps take 50 seconds to melt to the right consistency.

For the pretzels, we like to use the square “snaps” or the round “waffle” pretzels because we think they hold the melted chocolate with less dripping but you could make Mini Pretzels work too if that is all you can find at the grocery store.

Steps 3-10: Start by pressing an M&M down in the center of the melted candy melt.  Now create the flower petals with contrasting colored M&M’s – we used six M&M’s for the petals.  

We created coordinated colored versions of the Patriotic Pretzel Bites – Red with a White center, and White with a Red Center, and Blue with a White Center. Let them cool for a couple of hours so that the White Chocolate fully sets up and the M&M’s are firmly attached to the pretzels.

Storage Instructions

You can store Pretzel Bites in an air-tight container for a very long time so this is a great make-ahead party food.  Your goal is simply to keep the Pretzels from getting stale, the chocolate and M&M’s will be fine for a long time.  We have kept them in a container in the pantry for weeks and they still taste great.  You can freeze them but we don’t recommend it. Sometimes, during the defrosting process, the M&M’s lose their shiny coat.

Other 4th of July Desserts You Will Love

• Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treat Bites
• Red White and Blue M&M Cookies
• American Flag Marshmallow Pops
• Patriotic Pretzel Bites